I have just returned from a two-week holiday in Italy, visiting the art treasures in Rome, Florence and Venice and the spiritual centres of Assisi and Padova. Being a person with special needs, I found much valuable help from both MIA personnel and from the Air Malta crew.

In Italy, I can say I received red carpet treatment practically every place I visited. This was exceptional at the Vatican museums and church. They are fully equipped to help people like me visit their treasures with no problems at all. What’s more, it seems to be part of their culture to go out of their way to help people like me, offering assistance before we even asked for it. I can say the same of the carabinieri.

There is also a good number of parking lots for the handicapped. The only place that lacked this facility was Villa d’Este at Tivoli. Otherwise, I was amazed at the whole situation and realised how much of this culture is lacking in Malta.

Coming back home and the plane being fully booked, there was a long queue at check-in. It was very difficult for me to stand for so long in the line. The Italian lady there understood my situation and processed my boarding procedure at once. It only meant a five-minute wait for the other passengers in the line and, of course, nobody would miss the plane. But, believe it or not, it was another Maltese passenger who made a big fuss about this. After such a positive attitude throughout, it was a shame that a fellow Maltese should do that. Yes, indeed, there is still much we have to learn about caring and helping people with disability.