La Biennale accessible

The last few decades have seen the emergence, internationally, of an increasing attention to issues related to the accessibility of cultural heritage for people with physical or mental disabilities: at the centre of the debate—as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006—is the value of culture understood as a common good, in an inclusive perspective in which “all art is for all” and cultural participation is understood as an engine of individual and societal well-being.

Alongside the removal of physical obstacles from places of cultural fruition, a greater sensitivity is also being paid to the elimination of linguistic and cognitive barriers; this translates into a broader concept of accessibility, which includes the relationship with the intangible dimension of human life: access to content, concepts, thought, and in general the possibility of enjoying an aesthetic experience and an encounter with beauty; all these are elements central of the visitor's relationship with the work of art, which, also in the case of fragile categories, unwinds along the paths not of need but of desire.

Below is a summary of the initiatives developed by La Biennale around the themes of accessibility.

Starting in 2015, La Biennale di Venezia has developed a special project designed for potential visitors usually less involved in the enjoyment of exhibitions and cultural events: people with mental health disabilities, homeless people, individuals with addictions, migrants, minors and in general individuals who find themselves in situations of social distress, with the active involvement of educational or therapeutic communities. This special inclusion project involves educational activities—guided tours and workshops—completely free of charge, and preparatory meetings for the presentation of the project, dedicated to beneficiaries and operators working in care institutions.

On the occasion of the 2023 International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale offered a programme dedicated to foreign citizens residing in Italy, aimed at refugees, migrants involved in literacy programmes and asylum seekers, and in general to people with a migration background. The initiative, which will continue this year on the occasion of the 60^th International Art Exhibition, invites users to create shared narratives starting from the themes of the exhibition, in an intercultural perspective. Land, borders, migration, cultural identity, globalisation, diasporic ties are cues and references in the construction of these paths. The activity is directed towards the valorisation of the languages mother tongue.

The Fragile Categories Project brings more than 1,200 people to the Exhibition each year.

In 2022 the International Art Exhibition was attended by more than 1600 beneficiaries, with a total of more than 100 activities. 80 institutions were involved.

The project will be repeated at the Biennale Arte 2024, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, at the Giardini and Arsenale venues from 20 April to 24 November.

Accessible formats and tools
Every year, educational guides dedicated to support teachers are produced: documents which can be used in the preparation of the visit to the Biennale, with the aim of making the participation of students with disabilities more inclusive.

Special Routes
La Biennale di Venezia provides visitors with specially designed routes for a visually impaired or blind public, with a focus on linguistic aspects and content, as well as routes dedicated to the deaf community, with the possibility of educational activities in the Italian Sign Language (LIS).

A social guide, written in easy-to-read language, will be available, aimed at people with cognitive disabilities, presenting the history of the institution, the spaces and information about the current exhibition. It is a digital document, which users can download directly from the La Biennale’s website. The 'social stories' are short written stories that aim to develop social understanding with the goal of helping people with intellectual disabilities, or autism, to understand real-life situations, whether new or known, and to react to them by behaving appropriately. This type of guide can also be a useful tool for those who do not speak Italian fluently, such as foreigners, or elderly people, etc.

Download the social guide

Interactive map with information about accessible routes in the venues, about exhibition spaces and about the accessibility of National Pavilions.

Download the accessibility map

Sensory map indicating the environments in which sensory stimuli are present and services are provided: spaces with more or less light, the presence of sound installations, videos, loud noises and olfactory stimuli.

Download the Sensory map

Giardini venue: entrance from Viale Trento 1260
Arsenale venue: entrance from Campo della Tana 2169/F

GPS coordinates:
Giardini
45.429291, 12.356997
Arsenale
45.433188, 12.351705

City of Venice official tourist website:
https://www.veneziaunica.it
https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/accessible-venice

Bar, restaurant, bookshop, restrooms with diaper changing stations, courtesy transportation service on electric vehicles for visitors with reduced mobility. Available upon request to the staff on site on a first-come first-serve basis: strollers, walkers and wheelchairs.

Celiac, vegetarian and vegan menus available. 

There is a cloakroom in both the exhibition venues at the Giardini and the Arsenale and they are free of charge.
At the Giardini there is a cloakroom attendant, and at the Arsenale there are lockers with keys.
Medium/large suitcases may not be stored, only small personal objects such as bags, jackets or umbrellas.

Small to medium-size pets are allowed on a leash in the green areas of the Giardini only.

Concessionary Fees: visitors with a certified invalidity can purchase discount tickets at the Infopoints (Giardini in Viale Trento and Arsenale in Riva Ca’ di Dio), by presenting the relative certification. Adults accompanying people with a certified invalidity are entitled to free complimentary admission and can collect their tickets at the Infopoints.

Education and Promotion - La Biennale di Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5218 828 / 734
promozione@labiennale.org