Access City Award 2016 ... The Winner is ... Milan

The Access City Award is the European prize given to cities that make daily life more accessible to people with disabilities or older persons (via). The award is part of the EU disability strategy "that aims at making Europe barrier-free for persons with disabilities". It encourages cities with a minimum of 50.000 inhabitants to take part, share their experiences and to improve accessibility. Since 2010, more than 250 cities have participated (via).



"On the top position, Milan was recognized for its consistent accessibility efforts, as well as its commitment to projects for the promotion of the employment of disabled people, and the support of independent living. Milan’s building standards are to be granted for promoting universality in design. The city stands for its impressive steps to improve accessibility made in the past, but also for its ambitious plans for the future." The second places was granted to Wiesbaden, the third to Toulouse." (via)






"In addition to its excellent and consistent accessibility efforts, Milan has also committed to projects to promote the employment of people with disabilities and to support independent living. Its building standards not only support accessibility and usability, but they also promote Universal Design standards, which aim to design products and spaces in a way that they can be used by the widest range of people possible. Milan is the winner of the EU Access City Award 2016, not only for its impressive steps to improve accessibility made in the past, but also for its ambitious plans for the future." (via)




The Beatles had their first concert in Italy - in Milan - on 24 June 1965. It was their only concert in Milan. When they arrived by train in the evening of 23 June, 3.000 female fans were waiting for them at the Stazione Centrale. Four Alfa Romeo took them to their hotel, hundreds of fans spent the whole night in and around the Hotel Duomo to be close to the Fab Four.
The next day, they played at 4 p.m. for about 7.000 fans and once again in the evening in front of 25.000 people. They played for a little bit less than half an hour at the Vigorelli (a place dedicated to American Football today). Tickets cost 1.000,- lire, those who wanted to be closer to the stage had to pay 2.000,- lire  (via and via).



photographs of the Beatles in Milan (1965) via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via