Ravenna Becomes the First Colourblind-Friendly City in Italy: Event and New EnChroma Glasses Donation

Tomorrow, March 19, 2025, at 4:30 PM, the conference "How Colourblind People See" will be held at the Martini Hall of MAR – Ravenna’s Museum of Art. This event is dedicated to raising awareness about colour blindness and the challenges of colour perception. Speakers will include Stefano De Pietro, President of the Italian Association "How Colourblind People See", and Sandor Breznay, President of the Breznay-Ganoczy Foundation (Agno, Switzerland) and the Paolina Brugnatelli Foundation (Milan).

Colour blindness affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women, with over 300 million people worldwide experiencing this condition—2.5 million in Italy. While those with normal colour vision can distinguish over a million shades, individuals with colour vision deficiency see only about 10% of those hues. As a result, colours may appear dull or even indistinguishable. This initiative aims to increase public awareness and make cultural and educational experiences more accessible for those with colour blindness.

The event, promoted by the Rotary Club Ravenna and Lions Club Ravenna Host, represents another step forward in Ravenna’s commitment to perceptual inclusivity. During the conference, the Rotary Club will donate a set of EnChroma colourblind glasses to MAR, allowing colourblind visitors to borrow them for a more inclusive visual experience. Additionally, the Lions Club Ravenna Host will donate another set of glasses to the Nervi-Severini Art High School, integrating colour blindness awareness into art and education.

The event is organized in collaboration with the Rotary Club Ravenna, Lions Club Ravenna Host, and the Academy of Fine Arts of Ravenna (ABA).

This initiative is part of a broader project that establishes Ravenna as the first Italian city accessible to colourblind individuals. Last summer, several UNESCO sites in Ravenna, famous for their extraordinary mosaics, began offering EnChroma glasses to visitors, allowing them to perceive the vibrant colours of the artwork more accurately.

A standout effort in this movement is the "ColoRaMi" project, launched by Ravenna Mosaici, which provides colourblind visitors with EnChroma glasses to experience the city’s stunning mosaics more colourfully. This project includes major UNESCO monuments such as the Basilica di San Vitale, il Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, la Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo e il Battistero Neoniano. This initiative ensures that Ravenna’s artistic heritage is accessible to an even wider audience. More details on the project can be found here.

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