Polcenigo - Tour Itinerary

Polcenigo

Hill

GENERAL INFORMATION

LAST INSPECTION DATE

25/08/2022

PLANNED ITINERARY

Polcenigo - Tour Itinerary

LENGTH

1000 meters

DEPARTURE

Parking behind Piazza del Plebiscito

The itinerary unfolds in an urban area. There are tactile foot markers present only at limited points of the itinerary.

The tour can take place at any time of the year.

Departure from the car park at the rear of Piazza del Plebiscito: a large car park with around fifty parking spaces, one of which is reserved for people with disability, measuring 4.80 x 4.00 metres, marked on the ground (faded stripes) and with vertical signage. The paving of the car park is in porphyry with no difference in level with the surrounding square. Crossing the entrance road to the car park itself, from the parking space reserved for people with disability, access is gained using a short uphill ramp to the pavement (on the left) towards Piazza Plebiscito, which is paved in stone, 100 centimetres in width and which features an even finish.

From the car park behind Piazza Plebiscito, it is possible to travel along the pavement on the right, which is made of stone and has an even surface. The pavement is raised above the roadway and connected to it with a ramp. On the pavement, a narrowing down to 65 centimetres is present because of the installation of a bin (Photograph 1). The pedestrian crossing is located after a right turn into Via San Giovanni, near the entrance to the Town Hall and in front of the Infopoint. This crossing is equipped with mobile connecting ramps with a length of 30 centimetres, a width of 120 centimetres and a slope of 24%. These ramps, which are present on both sides of the pedestrian crossing, make it possible, even if with difficulty, to overcome the difference in height between the pavement and the roadway and the water drainage channel.

Alternatively, using the pavement on the left, it is possible to reach the entrance to Pizzeria Bar Vecchio Caffè, where there is the possibility, using two small ramps, marked on the ground with a yellow/black striped sticker (now faded), to descend to street level by crossing a 6-centimetre threshold between the pavement kerb and the water drainage channel. The gutter is located 3 centimetres lower than the road surface and therefore needs to be crossed (the gutter measures approximately 20 centimetres) to reach the road surface. Considering the manoeuvre and the confined space in which this has to be carried out, this is very difficult for people with mobility disabilities due to the continuous bumps and unevenness that exist. Moreover, once on the street level, the tourist is located at a point in the square from which it is not possible to cross safely. Similarly, continuing further along the pavement, the latter presents for the next section a disconnected surface that is difficult to travel on, and in addition, the same would end with a step.

Photo 1 - Itinerary starting from the car park

Photo 1 - Itinerary starting from the car park

In front of Bar Pizzeria Al Vecchio Caffè, there is a short ramp connecting with the level of the pavement, in even stone, which reaches the entrance to the reception of Albergo Diffuso at street number 22 (Photograph 2). This is not a safe pedestrian crossing because there are no zebra stripes. Also, in this case, it is necessary to cross the water drainage channel. To enter the reception area of Albergo Diffuso, it is necessary to cross a short stone connecting ramp between the pavement level and the entrance.

Leaving the reception area and continuing left along the pavement, you can reach the Infopoint, the days and hours of opening of which we recommend verifying, as well as an ATM, or, continuing right towards Via Gorgazzo, it is possible to reach the Bar Gelateria located in Piazza Plebiscito (Photograph 3). The pavement, also made of stone, has an even surface and is 170 centimetres wide but which becomes narrower down to 100 centimetres.

Photo 2 - Albergo Diffuso

Photo 2 - Albergo Diffuso

Photo 3 - Ice cream shop adjacent to Piazza del Plebiscito

Photo 3 - Ice cream shop adjacent to Piazza del Plebiscito

The itinerary continues along Via Gorgazzo to Palazzo Scolari: the pavement, as described above, is 175 centimetres wide (Photograph 4).

From the entrance loggia of Palazzo Scolari, the pavement is cobblestone (not split), 140 centimetres in width at the points where it is at its narrowest.

A pedestrian crossing is located in front of Palazzo Scolari, which reaches the entrance of Palazzo Fullini-Zaia, via a stone driveway ramp and the crossing of a threshold with a height of 3 centimetres on one side and 4 centimetres on the other (as well as the overcoming of the height difference given by the water channel). The first section, which corresponds to the stretch under the portico of Palazzo Fullini-Zaia, is in stone, 150 centimetres wide, with an even surface, while the section that follows is paved, with a broad width (more than 4 metres). From this point onwards, visitors are forced to turn back towards Piazza Plebiscito.

Photo 4 - Itinerary along via Gorgazzo

Photo 4 - Itinerary along via Gorgazzo

From the paved square in Piazza Plebiscito proceed to the road and the bridge over the Gorgazzo River (Photograph 5). There is no pavement and there is a slight uphill section. Immediately after the bridge, in Piazza Madonna, a newsstand-bookshop is located on the right and the Madonna della Salute Church is on the left (Photograph 6).

Photo 5 - Itineray towards the bridge over the Gorgazzo

Photo 5 - Itineray towards the bridge over the Gorgazzo

Photo 6 -  Madonna della Salute Church

Photo 6 - Madonna della Salute Church

To access the Madonna della Salute Church, it is necessary to cross the road (no pedestrian zebra crossing), and the water drainage gutter and walk up the short (stone) pavement ramp.

More difficult, however, is the itinerary leading to the entrance of the stationery shop (Photograph 7); here, continuing straight on from the bridge over the Gorgazzo River, there is a cobbled clearing (a sort of small square in front of the main entrance to the stationery shop, commonly used as a parking area for vehicles-considering also the driveway entrance to the adjacent houses) and there is also a step of the pavement to be overcome. The same manoeuvres would also have to be carried out to access the second, side entrance, which is in fact inaccessible to people with mobility disabilities as the absence of a safe ground-level pedestrian crossing, the presence of the step to reach the pavement, the step to enter and the 7% pavement ramp make it very difficult for people with mobility disabilities to enter the premises.

The itinerary then continues on the road (Photograph 8), towards Via Coltura, uphill, with a slope of 11%. A reserved parking space is present before the entrance onto Via Colutta. On Via Coltura the itinerary proceeds downhill in short stretches (5-6%), narrows (less than 2.00 metres in width) and there is a fairly homogeneous porphyry cube pavement with drainage channels with holes measuring 3 centimetres.

At the height of Palazzo Manin - Cecconi - Zaro, an area where Via Coltura is closed to vehicular traffic, the porphyry cube paving, which is flat, is even more uniform considering its apparent recent completion.

Via Coltura ends with an uphill stretch with a slope of 6%. We are once again located on the paved road (the last section of Via Coltura is apparently driveable for residents) and precisely at the junction with Via della Rosta. Zebra crossings and pavements are also not present here. The pedestrian is therefore forced either to proceed along Via della Rosta on the road or to cross Via della Rosta in order to reach and step onto the pavement at the beginning of Via Sega.

Photo 7 - Stationery shop entrance

Photo 7 - Stationery shop entrance

Photo 8 - Uphill towards Via Coltura

Photo 8 - Uphill towards Via Coltura

The surface of the pavement is even, made of stone, with a width of 150 centimetres, and in order to travel it, it is necessary to cross the rounded threshold of the kerb, which is 3 centimetres high. For a few short stretches, there are narrowings of the pavement down to 110 centimetres. At the end of the street, there is a level pedestrian crossing, marked with white stripes on a red background and tactile markers on the pavement, which allows access to the pavement on the other side of the street via a short connecting ramp. Alternatively, it is possible to continue on the pavement until the height of the roundabout with Via Livenza, continue along the pavement of the roundabout, which is narrowed down to 85 centimetres, and after about fifteen metres, cross the road safely on the stripes (Photograph 9), at the height of the stabilised gravel parking area for vehicles (crossing with white stripes on a red background, presence of tactile foot markers and level crossing - except for crossing the threshold of 6 centimetres of the two pavements).

Photo 9 - Gravel parking area

Photo 9 - Gravel parking area

Continuing along the pavement, which is 1.40 metres in width and made of stone - uniform surface, the route enters Via San Rocco (Photograph 10), where the Church dedicated to Saint Roch is located.

Via San Rocco is a one-way street, less than 2.20 metres in width, paved with porphyry cubes (with a relatively even surface). Along the edges of the road, at the edge with the buildings on the sides, there is a level strip of light-coloured cobblestones (clearly visible and defined in comparison to the dark porphyry base) which serves as a pavement or drainage channel for water (not accessible or easily travelled over). It is therefore more practical to travel along Via San Rocco on the porphyry cube pavement.

Photo 10 - Church of San Rocco

Photo 10 - Church of San Rocco

Moving forward, halfway along Via San Rocco, it is possible to turn right, cross the bridge and return to the car park (starting point) behind Piazza Plebiscito. This section, approximately 15 metres long, has a slope of 8% with a horizontal intermediate landing, does not allow for vehicular traffic and is therefore safe to use; the surface is made of porphyry slabs.

Photo 11 - Parking behind Piazza del Plebiscito

Photo 11 - Parking behind Piazza del Plebiscito

Returning to the main itinerary, the end of Via San Rocco features a 10-metre-long uphill stretch with a 12% slope. The paving is in porphyry cubes, which is quite even. At the Stop sign at the junction with Piazza Plebiscito, the surface is paved with asphalt, and always on an uphill slope. From there, continue (in unsafe conditions) uphill along the heavily trafficked roadway back to the Madonna della Salute Church towards Piazza del Plebiscito, or be forced to climb the steps of 12 centimetres in height to access the stone pavement that is 77 centimetres wide. This solution is not ideal because afterwards, the pavement narrows down to 45 centimetres. This last section of the itinerary is therefore inaccessible on the one hand, and unsafe on the other.

The itinerary ends by returning to Piazza Plebiscito.