The news of a railing installed at the top of the Castel Sant&rsquoElmo (St Elmo Castle) in Naples, Italy, is doing the rounds of the digital media. But people in the know are not surprised. This railing etched in Braille describes the view from the top of the castle for the benefit of the visually impaired.
The railing was actually an art installation by Italian artist Paolo Puddu, which he named &lsquoFollow the Shape&rsquo. The Braille etched installation made him win the fifth edition of the &lsquoA Work For the Castle contest in 2015. The museum at the castle unveiled the installation in 2017.
The star-shaped 14th century castle located on a hill-top offers an amazing view of the city of Naples and the bay.
The metal railing around the gazebo describes the view for the visually impaired. It also contains quotations from poet Giuseppe de Lorenzo&rsquos La Terra e L&rsquouomo (The Land and The Man) written in Italian and English, as well as that of other authors.
Although not yet widely prevalent in India, publishing brochures in Braille or installing Braille enabled information boards is not unheard of. Madhya Pradesh Tourism has installed information plaques written in Braille in places such as Sanchi, Bhojpur, etc.
According to media reports, the Archaeological Survey of India has enabled a Braille brochure, Braille sign boards and a tactile pathway between the palace gate and the toilet at Tipu Sultan&rsquos Summer Palace in Bengaluru. The ASI had also started to install signboards in Braille at ticketed monuments in and around Delhi. Signboards in Braille can also be seen in the Sirpur Lakshmana Temple in Chhattisgarh.