In a previous article, we posed ourselves a question: will the city of Venice ever be accessible to everyone? In our opinion, the future looked promising.
Today, an important step was taken in this direction: the structure for transporting people with disabilities and limited mobility over Ponte di Calatrava was finally rendered operational. After a waiting time of at least five years, the gondola lift made its first voyage at 8 o’clock in the morning on 11 November 2013, in silence, and without any ceremony.
The gondola lift is a structure designed to facilitate the transit of people with disabilities, the elderly, people with strollers, and pregnant women, from one side of the Grand Canal to the other. While the service is operational every day from 8 o’clock a.m. to10 o’clock p.m., it can only be accessed using the video intercom units located on each side of the bridge.
While many controversies accompanied the proposal and creation of this structure, we prefer to focus primarily upon the positive side of the argument: now that it is able to be admired and overcome by everyone, Ponte di Calatrava no longer represents an insurmountable wall.
At Vimec, we hope that the splendour of the magnificent city of Venice will continue to grow, and that the city will become a marvel for everyone to behold, without any limits or barriers.