6 inclusive adventures for everyone: here's what to do in spring in Italy

Wheelchair fencing originated in England as a recovery treatment for World War II veterans. Today it is a Paralympic sport, which is practiced in some academies, also in order to create inclusion and cohesion in groups and to enhance reflexes, self-esteem and concentration.

To this end, various companies in Italy offer the assistance of specialised technicians and instructors, and gyms without architectural barriers. One of these is the Accademia Scherma Milano, which offers physiotherapy practices and projects aimed at vulnerable categories: women who have been operated on for breast cancer, Alzheimer's patients, minors in juvenile detention and people with physical, intellectual and interpersonal disabilities. Fencing, in addition to training the physique, thanks to confrontation with the opponent, teaches respect above all: respect both for oneself and for others.

TheNational Association of Diving and Swimming Activities for the disabled promotes every year in Albenga, in the province of Savona, practices for accessible diving and the accessibility of the sea, in order to make the experience of diving in the sea of Liguria accessible to everyone, where every barrier dissolves and water gives the body back its freedom. All this takes place through a training programme organised into courses and training internships for new divers, for instructors and guides.

Over the years, the association's activities have given rise to initiatives such as the usual Grande Festa della Subacquea nessuno escluso, (Big water festival, no one excluded), in June, and trips for groups, with and without disabilities, through archaeological and biological underwater routes made accessible to all.

Among the accessible sports that leave no one out, baskin is one of the most popular. It is inspired by basketball, but introduces innovative aspects designed to allow all people, without any distinction of age, gender and ability, to play on the same team, a revolutionary prerogative that questions the rigid structure of official sports.

"It's not just a sport: it's a world, it's a way of life", says Claudia Cortese, founder of Petrarca Baskin Padua and winner of the sixth edition of the Basketball Oscars, "it's an authentic society and inclusion workshop".

The possibility to roam freely and safely in the region and in the open air promotes social inclusion and everyone's psychophysical wellbeing.

There are many associations working to promote inclusive and accessible bicycle mobility. Bici-In is a project by Anffas Trentino engaged in the mapping of inclusive cycling routes that are also accessible to special bikes for the disabled in the Alto Garda area. The area is equipped with three loop routes, with departure and arrival in the municipality of Arco.

Some call them Our places: they are Civic Places. These are cultural centres, hubs, libraries and squares where inclusion, equality, culture and beauty meet. Thanks to the commitment of citizens, organisations, municipalities and associations, these places have a positive impact on the region.

Fondazione Italia Sociale, with Sec Newgate, Touring Club Italiano and SkyTG24, has launched a national campaign to map them, from north to south. In the top ten you can find an eco-hostel in Locride, the Neapolitan Sanità neighbourhood, which has recently been redeveloped, the Complex of the Walls of Florence, a former prison and now a nursery of culture and aggregation. Discovering them all is a journey into the Italy of good practices.

Alongside principles such as dignity, inclusion and equality, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities mentions the crucial issue ofaccessibility, in all its forms. Among these we also find the accessibility of art and culture, a right that the absence of architectural barriers is not always enough to guarantee.

One of the most fascinating projects in the museum field is that of the Omero State tactile Museum, one of the few in the world of its kind. It is located inside the Mole Vanvitelliana of Ancona, where touching the exhibits is not prohibited: on the contrary! Here, the tactile experience becomes a right that gives the most intimate and profound pleasure of artistic fruition, also allowing persons with visual impairments to approach and touch the works to understand their excellence and beauty.