Cilento, the Orchid Valley opens to the disabled with a new route. From Saturday 50 with muscular dystrophy.
Fifty young people who suffer from muscular dystrophy and other diseases that make them disabled and who will be able to explore in a new and accessible path a valley in Cilento with hundreds of species of orchids, famous in the world.
This is the result of the project, supported by the Campania Region and developed by the Municipality of Sassano with Uildm (Italian Union for the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy) which starts on Saturday in the Valle delle Orchidee in Sassano, in the province of Salerno.
The project will see disabled people join the group of approximately 250 people who flock to the valley on weekends in spring to admire and be transported by the emotions of the colours and scents of orchids. For them there will be barrier-free paths and they will be accompanied by assistants and an agronomist who will lead them to discover the flowers.
"With this initiative ," explains Tommaso Pellegrino, regional councilor and president of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, " we are sending a strong message about the extraordinary sites in the region's inland areas, which are often inaccessible to those with mobility issues. Meanwhile, the Orchid Valley, which attracts international visitors and scholars, has been adapted since Saturday. This will be a regular occurrence, and will provide a unique experience for everyone. We have created a barrier-free trail that will become a permanent project . "
The new route is accessible to those with mobility issues, as well as the blind and those with ALS or SMA, in line with a policy advocated by regional tourism councilor Felice Casucci: "We are combining green tourism and accessibility in inland areas, " he explains, "in this case, giving people with disabilities or limited mobility the opportunity to reach a place home to over 180 different species of orchids, an area of bloom and beauty. A beautiful message from Sassano and those who support little-known but extraordinary places . "
The mayor of Sassano, Domenico Rubino, is looking forward to it: "The Region is creating accessible tourism in the outskirts after having worked on it in the cities. We're giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty, with administrators working to remove architectural barriers and adapt natural ones. In the valley, we've adapted mini-paths that allow disabled visitors to explore about twenty stations with many different species of orchids. We expect about 200 visitors on Saturday, 50 of whom will now be disabled . "
The biggest smile comes from Salvatore Leonardo, president of the Naples Uildm: "It's a new route ," he explains, " like the one already active on Vesuvius. We're going there on Saturday, happy, with the kids who have been closed for two years due to COVID and will now have a new experience with the routes prepared by the Region."
