Travelling Italy: disabled access in Alto Adige and Salento

I have a friend whose job is an occupational therapist.
On visiting me in Italy once, his comment was “Italy is not a wheelchair-friendly country”.
And he is absolutely right.
But things are improving, as reported by the daily paper from Lecce that the region of Apulia wants to work on building its credentials as a welcoming region.

One initiative is to work on making the Salento region more open to tourism for all, including people with disabilities.
The Apulia tourism site now has a section on facilities open and certified to receive disabled tourists.
In Alto Adige a similar initiative is underway as tourism in Trentino and Sud Tirolo gets updated with a site called Alto Adige for everyone.

There are guides on accessible museums and excursions that can be undertaken, for example the Thun museum and the Acquaprad national park centre.
So if you’re looking for better disabled access in Italy’s tourist spots, a heightened awareness means tourism in the Bel Paese can be enjoyed by everyone.