Almost 900 million for accessibility works

What will remain of this Paralympic Games that has just begun in the spotlight (and the controversy) of the Arena? Without even a medal being awarded, it can be said that it is a success story for the local authorities and companies that prepared it: almost 900 million euros were invested to make stations, subways, buildings, competition grounds, and accommodation facilities accessible. Is it little, is it a lot? For sure, it will deliver us a better country, in which everyone will be able to feel a little more like a citizen: 'The Games have allowed an acceleration of programmable investments,' says the extraordinary commissioner for the Paralympics, Giuseppe Fasiol. 'The Arena of Verona was an almost unthinkable project and the two autonomous provinces, with their own financial endowments, have taken the opportunity to improve even more.

The elaboration in its main chapters, carried out by Il Sole 24 Ore in cooperation with commissioner Fasiol, local authorities and companies, starts from the approximately 650 million euro, 120 of which were co-financed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, used for ten stations (Ponte nelle Alpi, Belluno, Feltre, Longarone Trento, Colico, Morbegno, Sondrio, Lecco and Tirano) in which new lifts were built, platforms were raised to make it easier to get on and off trains, tactile routes for the visually impaired were built and completed, and subways and internal connections were upgraded. On the subject of transport, mention must be made of the 80 million investment made in Milan to equip all the stations of the M1 and M2, the oldest on the network, with lifts or stairlifts, to which must be added 14 million spent in the last two years on urban road network with the elimination of architectural barriers. In Milan, the Olympic Village remains, which will become a student residence, and half of the beds are accessible to people with disabilities.

Particularly significant, in terms of legacy, was the intervention on the Arena in Verona. An amphitheatre from the 1st century A.D. comes into the future with 20.5 million to make it usable, while waiting for the construction, already planned, of the lift. Going up the mountain, the main intervention in Cortina is related to the Olympic Stadium. Of the 23 million spent, 15 million are related to accessibility, with the creation of new lifts. At the Sliding Centre, a new route with a maximum slope of 8 per cent and 3 million spent. Another 8 million was spent on the urban road system and the redevelopment of Piazza Mercato.

Next, come the two Autonomous Provinces. Trento has invested 20.77 million in the new Fabio Casal cross-country skiing stadium at Lago di Tesero, 2.8 million for the barricading of the 22 stops on the SS48 bus line in Val di Fiemme and Val di Fassa. Also worth mentioning is the "Qualità in Trentino" call for tenders, which allocated 82 million (requests for 273 million had arrived) to improve accessibility in the accommodation sector: "For years the territory has been sensitive to these issues due to a pressure that comes from below and which we support with the calls for tenders - explains Roberto Pallanch, head of the Disability and Integration Unit of the Province -. The Open Mark itself, a voluntary quality certification promoted by the Province to guarantee high standards of accessibility and inclusiveness for people with disabilities in the tourism sector and in services, is a guarantee of an area that is now fully inclusive.

The situation in the Province of Bolzano in the words of Vice President Daniel Alfreider: 'Mobility has no boundaries. That is why breaking down architectural barriers is a duty, which we pursue with determination'. And this has happened in rail transport, in road transport, and in the implementation of the 'Alto Adige per tutti' (South Tyrol for all) website for more accessible tourism with detailed information on facilities, hotels, shops, and installations. Which is what also surprised Ipc president Andrew Parsons when he said: 'Barrier-free mountain resorts are a model for the whole of Italy'.