Wheelchair Worries *Sorrento Edition - Friday 23rd June 2023

I woke up the next morning and my phone wasn't on charge on the night stand as is usually the case at home, so I asked Dad if he knew where it was, and he didn't. I had an immediate nauseous feeling, my whole life is on that phone. "I can't believe I would have left it somewhere, it's always in my pocket, I never leave it on a table I put it straight back in my pocket." We logged onto Google and using Find My Android saw that it's location was behind the hotel, a few minutes walk away. Dad went to go and see if the taxi we went home in was there. It wasn't so he tried the 'play sound' hoping it would work. It said it was ringing but he couldn't hear anything, he was walking up to parked cars, staring in and listening for a faint sound. Nothing. However the phone that was under my bed was ringing clear as day! I shuffled up the steps on my ass and slid into the bedroom, it had fallen off the night stand onto the floor. It was reporting that it hadn't got any signal so we didn't try to play the sound. There was normally no signal up in the bedroom and the wi-fi couldn't reach it, so it was reporting it's location incorrectly.

Dad came back via the local supermarket Polio and picked up supplies, oh and chocolate! We had breakfast and then late morning ventured into town.

We got our first taste of rolling around Sorrento. Every street is cobbled some more severely than others. They look gorgeous though, exactly how I pictured Italy. I can fully understand why there is no accessibility on the streets because you would have to make modifications and then it would lose its distinctly Italian look. 

However, I don't think there's any excuse for the lack of drop curbs or in some cases there is a drop curb on one side of the road and an inch and a half high curb on the other that you have to pull the wheelchair backwards over because the smaller front wheels can't manage it. Or paths are so narrow you have to walk into oncoming traffic. As we were walking into town there was an elderly couple, the husband was walking next to his wife in a mobility scooter. They reached the drop curb and couldn't go any further because there was a car parked across it and a man in the car reading a paper. When Dad pointed out he was blocking it, he was very apologetic and said he would park somewhere else. This was the attitude I encountered all the time, the people couldn't be nicer but they clearly don't encounter disabled people often and don't consider them.

Vasame

Later on that day on our way back to the accomodation We happened to notice a sign on the corner of the street. Cafes and shops shaded by a portico were on the left hand side of a road that looped back on itself and came back in the same direction about a hundred feet away. More shops/cafes were shaded by another portico, again on the left side of the road. We walked under the shaded roof on a smooth marble 

like walkway and after a very short walk, we were outside Vasame. We weren't that far from our accommodation, but ol' Tommy here needed a tinkle. As I hadn't much luck finding a disabled toilet in Sorrento so far, I said to Dad "it would be great if it had a disabled loo". I said it more as rhetorical comment, never thinking for a moment this was anything but a reconnaissance mission for dinner later.

The manager said Vesame had a disabled toilet and the cynic in me thought "yea, of course you have." Earlier that day we had been to a restaurant to book a table for that evening that had said it was disabled friendly on their website. We parked outside and Dad went in to make the booking. There was nobody at reception but saw there were stairs up to the restaurant... in this accessible restaurant... Maybe there was a lift or another way upto the restaurant, we'd never know though as there was nobody in the restaurant either.

This was only my second day in Sorrento but I was already learning that disabled access had a completely different meaning here.

The whole of the front of Vasame slides open to either side so their was acres of room to move the wheelchair through. The floor was smooth from the outside walkway into the restaurant, there wasn't even a noticeable join in the floor where the glass front opened and closed.

The restaurant was lovely inside, divided into a small bar area and a restaurant. The tables are nicely spaced out, there's plenty of room to wheel through the restaurant, everything is on one level and the floors are smooth. They had a vast range of drinks and by the looks of the restaurant they would have a good menu as well. There were table and chairs directly outside and if you crossed the road there is even more tables.

I went to the loo. In the UK, the toilet area is usually behind a door (that opens outwards) separating the restaurant from the toilet area and for some reason the disabled toilet is behind a similar door. This toilet was behind a sliding door. 

I almost passed out with what I found. The disabled toilet was separate from the other toilets, there was enough room for two wheelchairs. I couldn't believe my eyes, there was a retractable guard rail! There was still no toilet seat and my thighs were on fire from yesterdays adventure at Fauno Bar, but it's so much easier when you've got something to hold onto.

Just out of shot on the right is a full length mirror, so you haven't been forgotten if you are in a wheelchair and can't see into the mirror above the sink.

This place has been designed with disabled access in mind from the start.

I had a BrewDog waiting for me on my return and with an accessible toilet and the freedom to get around on my own we stayed for a few. Adam and Ruth came to join us before they went out for their anniversary dinner. They found Vasame but were puzzled because the lights were off, it looked shut but the front door was open. Vasame normally close for a few hours in the afternoon, but they allowed us to stay. As Adam and Ruth had dinner plans we needed to find somewhere to eat, so we did. Here. The pizzas are to die for! The bases are like a light bread I would say. Here is the Tripadvisor page. There isn't one bad review and barely any that don't give it full marks. 

They have two outside sitting areas as well. The first is directly outside the restaurant which is as accessible as the inside, which if you go in the summer like I did, you're going to want to take advantage of. The second seating area is across the road. The road loops round so the exit is next to the entrance. The road is one way so the second seating area is on your right as you come in and on your right again as you're heading out. It's not easy to get to - especially in a wheelchair - but once you're there it's as accesible as any other table.

I highly recommend Vasame if you're disabled or not, but if you're disabled I would say it's a must. My experience of Sorrento would have been so much better if all bars and restaurants were like Vasame.