Today we ask you for an extra minute of attention because we wish not to be misunderstood in our considerations. The story is this: on October 8, 2019, we went to visit the Quisisana Palace in Castellammare di Stabia, as you will have seen from the last post published. Immediately after we decided to test the Faito cableway plant, made accessible for the disabled in April of this year; the plant starts from the Circumvesuviana station of Castellammare and reaches 1200 meters above sea level on Monte Faito, a mountain overlooking the Gulf of Naples, full of woods and wonderful views. So why didn't we talk about it? Because unfortunately there were two problems with the two stairlifts, one at the departure and one at the arrival station on the Faito; this last fault proved to be rather difficult to solve, and only thanks to the efforts and care of the staff was Adele able to get off the stairlift and reach the exit; the fault was then repaired and we were able to return to the valley. Certainly we were very upset, and we decided to write immediately to the company that manages Circumvesuviana and Funivia del Faito, the EAV. Contrary to what often happens in similar cases, the answer arrived, courteous and above all very documented and punctual in responding to our observations. The answer was provided by Dr. Anna Sammarruco, Disability Manager of the Infrastructure Department of EAV, and the fact that the company has equipped itself with a professional figure such as the Disability Manager is positive (for more information on the profession, see the website of their association, www.sidima.it). Below is a large excerpt of the answer:
The Faito cable car was opened on 24/08/1952 and was in operation until 09/09/2012. After about 4 years of inactivity, thanks to the commitment of EAV and the support of the Campania Region, it was put back into operation on 04/05/2016. Given the great success of the initiative, EAV, which has always been attentive to the issue of disability, wanted to make this suggestive means of transport accessible also to people in wheelchairs, for whom nothing was planned at the time of construction. As it is easy to assume, since this is not a new construction, the renovation / adaptation works had to take into account the pre-existing architectural obstacles. Therefore, the systems comply with current legislation but it was not possible to foresee a possible increased measure of the limits imposed. In addition, the presence of 4 systems (2 lifts and 2 stair lifts) was the only feasible solution within the intervention. It should be noted that an alternative, if it had been possible, would also have facilitated the management of EAV. With regard to the use of motorized wheelchairs, it should be noted that the chairs authorized to travel by cableway are the standard ones: width 700 mm, depth 1200 mm, height 1090 mm and full load weight not exceeding 200 kg. Nevertheless, the EAV has put in place a procedure to allow the use of the cableway even to those equipped with a motorized chair. In fact, it is possible to borrow a standard wheelchair free of charge, leaving your own motorized wheelchair at the cableway premises. We regret your unpleasant experience. What happened showed that the sensors of the stairlift were adjusted by the installation company with too strict tolerances, despite the successful outcome of the acceptance tests and the use of the same in the previous months. In your case, it was necessary to "re-calibrate" the sensors, so much so that your return journey went smoothly.
What do you think? To us it seemed an answer on the merits, without excessive self-justification and bearer of a positive spirit. Therefore we are submitting our proposal to you for a possible visit to the Faito and the cableway. To begin with, given the great difficulty of parking the car in the square of Castellammare where the station is located, the first suggestion is this: either get to Castellammare with the Circumvesuviana railroad (but it is a route that we have not yet tested) or, starting from Vico Equense, drive to the Faito cableway station, park there, take it downhill and then go up again, without getting out of the cabin, just to enjoy the splendid panorama. Here are some images taken from the cableway:
We said that we had arrived at Faito with our car: we advise you to take it back, go down to the next square and look out at this magnificent viewpoint:
At this point what time is it done? Consider these three options for lunch. Staying in the square of the belvedere, we find this restaurant, super panoramic, accessible by a step and equipped with large toilets but not equipped for the disabled: Hotel Ristorante Sant'Angelo: Piazzale dei Capi, Monte Faito, Vico Equense (NA) +39 081 879 3042 www.santangelofaito.it Otherwise we take the car back and do a few kilometers for one of these two restaurants on the slopes of Mount Faito: Villa Chiara Orto e Cucina (*): Via Pacognano 19, Vico Equense +39 081/8029165/3393615726 https://villachiaraortoecucina.it
or the panoramic: La Ginestra (farmhouse) (*): Via Tessa 2, fraz. S. Maria del Castello, Vico Equense +39 081 8023211 https://www.laginestra.org (*) symbol indicating the presence of toilets equipped for the disabled
In this case, if there are able-bodied people with you who want to take a little hike, let the farm managers indicate the path to the viewpoint of Positano, and this is what they will see and photograph for you:
However, we will keep an eye on the Faito, to see if we can discover any path or walk in the woods that is accessible by wheelchair.