If you are a music fan, Italy is a great place to head to. The Italians have had a long love affair with music. The first opera was written and performed there during the late 16th century. Italy can also boast of a long list of classical music composers including Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Rossini.
Today, you can enjoy all forms of music in Italy. Music festivals that celebrate every genre are popping up everywhere and a lot of clubs, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions are also hosting live music performances. If you are a music fan here are some wheel-chair friendly music events for you to enjoy during a trip to Italy.
A night at the opera
If you want Opera Tickets Italy is without a doubt the place to find them. The country has literally dozens of opera houses, many of which have been refurbished fairly recently.
As a result, most of them offer wheelchair-friendly access and the option to have someone join you for a performance. For example, the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan has four such places and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has them, too.
You can book your tickets online. But, to find out whether the theatre actually offers wheelchair-friendly access you will usually have to go to the opera house’s website. Many have English versions of their sites.
Just use the search term “accessibile ai disabili” or “posti disabili” to find out what is available. If the page is in Italian, you can easily right-click and use the translate function to glean the information you need.
Verona’s opera festival
Alternatively, you could attend the Arena di Verona Festival. It is held every summer and features mainly opera. Typically, there are around 80 different performances each year.
The main venue is the ancient arena. There most performances start at dusk and attendees bring small candles to light as darkness falls, which creates a unique and magical ambience.
The festival organisers have been careful to cater to everyone, so wheelchair-friendly spaces are provided for virtually every opera, ballet and concert. But the spaces book up fast, so you will need to get in early to grab a space for the most popular performances.
Umbria jazz festival
If you are a jazz fan, the Umbria festival is a must. For 10 days the streets are filled with the sounds of every genre of jazz you can think of. You can also enjoy blues, gospel, soul and the occasional rock performance. Again, the vast majority of the performance spaces cater fairly well for wheelchair users. Be sure to book early.
The Puccini music festival
The modern open-air amphitheatre in Torre Del Lago is another spectacular venue that caters well for wheelchair users. It is located in a natural setting, which adds to the ambience. Torre Del Lago is easy to get to from both Lucca and Pisa, so if you want to enjoy a live music performance while touring that area you can easily do so.
The majority of performances take place during the summer months, usually around the time of the annual music festival. At the moment, it is mainly opera that is performed here. This is mostly because Puccini was born and lived nearby. But, the mix of music on offer is gradually evolving and encompassing more genres.
Where to get more information
If you want to find out more about wheelchair-friendly holidays in Italy, this site is a great source of information. It is run by a company that offers all kinds of travel services to people with disabilities. If you prefer to travel independently you will find a lot of the information on the site will help you to plan such a trip.
