Valorizzare il patrimonio culturale attraverso l’inclusione: il piano per l’accessibilità del complesso monumentale dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore a Firenze. Risultati e prospettive/ Enhancing Cultural Heritage Through Inclusion: the Accessibility Plan for the Monumental Complex of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Results and Perspectives

The project “NEAR – Inclusione all’Opera” consists in the development of the Accessibility Plan (AP) for the monumental complex of the Opera di S. M. del Fiore in Florence. The AP represents an operational tool aimed at identifying and classifying access issues that limit participation within the spaces of the monumental complex. The overall objective of the AP is concerned not only with overcoming existing architectural barriers, but also aspires to determine a planning tool that can reconcile accessibility needs with those regarding the preservation of the cultural heritage. The AP is configured as a long-term process aimed at ensuring better conditions with respect to: (1) recognisability and reachability of places; (2) use, enjoyment and understanding of cultural contents. The drafting of the AP for the complex of S. M. del Fiore represents a new development in terms of projects for improving the accessibility of places for two reasons: a) the methodology employed. The project is characterised by a critical rather than a deterministic approach and problems are solved through a project-based, rather than a regulatory attitude; b) Its replicability to other sites. The tools and methodologies adopted are flexible so that they may be adapted to other sites of cultural interest.