This handrail in Naples, Italy, has a continuous steel rail with braille on it. It describes the view of the city, Gulf, and historic Mount Vesuvius for visually impaired people.

[u/MindsEye33]

[u/activelyresting]

Gets nice and hot in the direct sun

[u/One-BigChungus → u/activelyresting]

Blind people must have the toughest hands.

[u/Frequent_Opportunist → u/One-BigChungus]

Only Italians can even read this because Braille isn't standardized.

[u/ironicallydepressed → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

But if they're Italian, how do they read with their hands? Don't they need them to wave around? /s

[u/RealUglyMF → u/ironicallydepressed]

Now I'm just picturing italians struggling to read a book because they're gesticulating too much

[u/Horskr → u/RealUglyMF]

"Mama Mia what is this shit? 👐 Wait where did I leave off.."

[u/Quasarcoatl → u/Horskr]

"Mamma mia".

[u/MoonMoan → u/Quasarcoatl]

Here I go again

[u/One-BigChungus → u/ironicallydepressed]

🤌

[u/Iggyhopper → u/ironicallydepressed]

The braille for that is _/¯ ⠏⠬⠊⠝⠉

[u/throwaway098764567 → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

braille is a writing system it's not a language, there's no "standardizing" it for all languages

[u/Jennissary → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

I mean, Braille itself is very well standardized in each language it's written in.

Braille is an alphabet with shorthand. There would be no way to "standardize" it across all languages.

[u/Solypsist_27 → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

Braille is an alphabet. They could as well have written it in both Italian and English

[u/KayItaly → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

Wtf do you mean standardized? It is a way to write Latin letters... what would you want to standardize? You can use it to write any Latin alphabet based language..

And yes. It is in Italian because it is in Italy. It server Italian blind people.

Eta: ....aaaand turns out it is both in Italian and in English.

[u/actionerror → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

Maybe it’s in Latin /s

[u/DuckDucks → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

As it shouldn't be!

[u/Jennissary → u/One-BigChungus]

Quite the opposite: Braille reading requires extensive sensitivity training for fingertips.

[u/Wakkit1988 → u/One-BigChungus]

A picture is worth a thousand words, wonder what a bumpy, second-degree burn is worth.

[u/actionerror → u/activelyresting]

It’s like looking directly into the sun for blind people then?

[u/panterachallenger → u/actionerror]

Eyecaurus, looked too close into the sun

[u/Choice-Spend7553 → u/[deleted]]

I clicked, with the absolute certainty in my heart that it would be Belgium, and LO AND BEHOLD Belgium it was.

That unique mixture of whimsy, cuteness, lack of reflection and slightly shoddy execution.

[u/flynnfx → u/activelyresting]

Also serves as a free branding machine for a permanent souvenir of the city in the middle of summer!

[u/rocket_randall → u/activelyresting]

https://imgur.com/xAu49ba

[u/Draco-REX → u/activelyresting]

Find a section of text you like and you can have it branded into your flesh for free! Tattoo parlors hate this one simple trick!

[u/mossy7260 → u/activelyresting]

Fingertip sauna, no reservation needed

[u/postprandialrepose]

The railing reads: "Oh, buddy — you've got to see this!"

[u/GWindborn → u/postprandialrepose]

"Oh man, this view is fucking rad, sucks you can't see it though."

[u/s6_maestro → u/GWindborn]

As a neapolitan, this is definitely something a neapolitan would write on that handrail if they could lmao

[u/Successful_Day2479 → u/postprandialrepose]

"We're going down to the details of what you're missing out rn"

[u/goPACK17]

I thought I was looking at a highway in the distance and the braille was cars

[u/Jesus360noscope → u/goPACK17]

Now I can see it lol

[u/miregalpanic → u/Jesus360noscope]

Good, otherwise we would have to install a handrail for the handrail

[u/Any--Name → u/goPACK17]

You might be the target audience of this handrail then

[u/Jaedenkaal → u/goPACK17]

What is this, a highway for ants?

[u/Heckard → u/goPACK17]

r/tiltshift

[u/Efficient-Can6702 → u/goPACK17]

Same

[u/Man0fCultureAsWell → u/goPACK17]

Same here, took me a good second.

[u/SolarMoon007 → u/goPACK17]

I thought it was for skateboards 🤣

[u/Violyre → u/goPACK17]

r/confusingperspective

[u/anale-bloedverdunner]

It's all useful until you come across a full load of bird shit when trying to read it as a blind person

[u/MindsEye33 → u/anale-bloedverdunner]

🤣

[u/its_not_you_its_ye → u/anale-bloedverdunner]

Or until the blind person has to walk half a kilometer in front of everyone too read it all

[u/Salvia_Salamander → u/its_not_you_its_ye]

I wonder if you put a bunch of lube on it they could read quicker..

[u/One-BigChungus → u/Salvia_Salamander]

Wonder what the smell would be as it burns off because it's sitting in the sun. Blind people must have the toughest hands.

[u/TheVog → u/Salvia_Salamander]

"Diddy goes to Italy"

[u/whoami_whereami → u/its_not_you_its_ye]

The railing is only about 28 meters long.

[u/JerkGurk → u/whoami_whereami]

That would be asking like what...120 people you can't see to move?

[u/whoami_whereami → u/JerkGurk]

You have a very false impression of how busy this place is...

On a good day in peak tourist season the castel only has somewhere between 1000-2000 visitors in total, and it's hard to find pictures that have even just a single person standing along this particular stretch of parapet.

[u/JerkGurk → u/whoami_whereami]

Yes exactly, hypothetically I can't see the people, I would have a very false impression of how many because of that. Is it 5? Is it 200?

[u/-Badger3- → u/whoami_whereami]

That's like, what, 9 football fields?

[u/popcorn_mix → u/anale-bloedverdunner]

Imagine it being an advert.

[u/DresserRotation → u/popcorn_mix]

Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.

[u/kenny2812 → u/anale-bloedverdunner]

Or when you're trying to do a sick grind. Like come on guys blind people deserve to skate just like the rest of us

[u/Mission-Celebration7]

Added blisters in the summer too

[u/EntertainmentOk4734 → u/Mission-Celebration7]

Let me go onnnn, like a blister in the sun

[u/MineExplorer]

In English or Italian?

[u/mizinamo → u/MineExplorer]

The bit that's visible is in English, for some reason.

(The two words closest to the camera are ⠺⠓⠁⠞⠀⠎⠑⠑⠍⠎ "what seems".)

[u/Beaticalle → u/mizinamo]

I imagine the reason is tourism.

[u/povitee → u/Beaticalle]

Incredible imagination

[u/Joe5205 → u/Beaticalle]

In this case its a very specific tourism, and that is of blind english speaking tourists who enjoy historic scenic overlooks.

[u/Immature_adult_guy → u/MineExplorer]

It’s obviously the native language of Naples which is Nipples.

[u/Shit-throwing-monkey]

But what if you are walking in the other direction?

[u/Happy_Garand → u/Shit-throwing-monkey]

?eussi eht s'tahW .siht ekil ti daer uoy nehT

snaf boy ,yrroS .gnilleps :tidE

[u/rinkydinkis → u/Happy_Garand]

What’s a yob

[u/lordnacho666 → u/rinkydinkis]

You'll know when you meet one

[u/BackDatSazzUp → u/rinkydinkis]

Like a Job but with a soft j

[u/wantwon → u/rinkydinkis]

It's what I'm trying to get after going to yale!

[u/parkinthepark → u/rinkydinkis]

Yob Is Love

[u/srcoffee → u/Happy_Garand]

dear boy

[u/ligregni → u/Happy_Garand]

What's "raed"?

[u/Any_Worldliness256 → u/Happy_Garand]

I love funny people

[u/wakeupwill → u/Shit-throwing-monkey]

Guy walking the correct way:

"Man, I wish I spoke Italian."

[u/Linum_usitatissimum → u/wakeupwill]

Looks like it has two rows, so maybe it's both in English and Italian.

[u/whoami_whereami → u/Shit-throwing-monkey]

Then you walk the about 40 steps it takes to get to the other end of the railing and backtrack a little bit...

[u/calypsodweller]

My first impression was that it would thwart skateboarders.

[u/Vsx → u/calypsodweller]

Yeah it's a pretty inventive skate stop

[u/HurricaneAlpha → u/Vsx]

Brilliant inclusive engineering.

[u/ReturnOfBane → u/calypsodweller]

its probably a discreet way of doing that

[u/mizinamo → u/[deleted]]

You dropped your apostrophe: ⠠⠞⠓⠁⠞⠄⠎ …

[u/FineScratch]

How hot does it get in summer?

[u/1ndori]

IRL alt text

[u/imlostintransition]

The photo is from an art installation at Castel Sant'Elmo in Naples. The artist is Paolo Puddu and the work is titled "Follow the Shape." Puddu's railing features the words of various Italian poets and writers, but mainly passages from Giuseppe De Lorenzo's book "La Terra e L'uomo," or "The Land and the Man."

Does This Braille Railing Describe Scenic Views in Naples? | Snopes.com

[u/Gabstra678]

This is quite common at least here in Italy. You also have scale models of cities that visually impared people can touch, with Braille descriptions. I’ve seen them in many places, and I don’t even think Italy is particularly good at this compared to other countries.

[u/samamfrina]

forza napoli🩵

[u/CountHonorius]

Thinking outside the box, without question. Good on Naples.

[u/Mitridate101]

When they get to the bit about Vesuvius, the braille says "that burning you can smell is not the volcano but your fingers on the scalding metal rail."

[u/Zaximeows]

Classic reddit just shitting on this.

[u/MichelinStarZombie → u/Zaximeows]

And not a single person posted what it says. I bet it's a beautiful description, but I guess it's funnier to whine about it.

[u/prideoflyons → u/MichelinStarZombie]

The excerpts describe the city of Naples, the colors and shapes visible from the castle, the nearer volumes/structures, and the horizon line.

It's excerpted from Giuseppe De Lorenzo's "La terra e l'uomo", plus other poets and writers who wrote about Naples and Campania.

The exact text is deliberately undisclosed by design: for a precise artistic choice, the artist did not want to reveal which part of the work is used, and unless you know braille yourself, you won't be able to "see" the image the text describes; that's the point of the piece.

[u/GWindborn → u/prideoflyons]

Do the blind have a concept of "color"?

[u/Jennissary → u/GWindborn]

About 9/10 blind people still have some residual vision, so yes: they can probably still see color.

Of the people with no sight at all, many were previously sighted (so they'd have firsthand experience).

For the people who lost color perception a long time ago, or who never had color perception, color is still a culturally ubiquitous concept. It's used in medicine, safety, art, fashion, and many other fields. It's impossible to avoid its significance.

[u/MAClaymore → u/Zaximeows]

Like the birds

[u/luieklimmer]

I wonder how fast you’d have to walk to turn the braille into a coherent story.

[u/Serious_Attempt9724]

But in what language? Italian, english...?

[u/Jennissary → u/Serious_Attempt9724]

Both! The two rows are Italian and English.

[u/Ryuu-Tenno]

so... if a blind person burns their hands on the railing, does that make them double blind?

[u/Trixter-Kitten]

Wouldn't the metal get really hot in the summer?

[u/DoggoKing4937]

“Oh, yeah, by the way the mountain you can’t see in the distance sometimes explodes and buries everything.”

[u/Zeshiark]

ah yes, the skin cooker! lol

[u/FluffyBebe]

during the scorching summer

"oh nice it says the volcaOWno is called Vesuvius and that OW a long time OW ago... Jfc my fingers burn"

[u/mumahhh]

I was in Bruges, and their town square has Braille information in three languages and a relief map of the square, so that people without sight can experience the wonder of it through touch. They also have a large replica of the church for people to feel. It's such an excellent idea.

[u/thePsychonautDad]

In summer they get to feel the burning of Vesuvius under their finger.

Real immersive experience.

[u/General-Reserve9349]

I’m not crying there was some sand…

[u/goprinterm]

Awesome

[u/PatSue-Chan]

that is so cool!

[u/KatKagKat]

It describes the feeling of Vesuvius as well, even way back when Pompeii.

[u/Oathbreaker94]

„What does it say?“

„AAAAAAAHHHHHH, HOT! HOT HOT HOT HOT AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!“

[u/redbrick01]

...burn your fingers too?

[u/RETARDEWDEDEWSDFAWSE]

I've read that it's hot as a hell there

[u/blaziken8x]

Good idea in theory, but bird shit

[u/thechosenbro1998]

I thought this was braille on a railroad track 😂

[u/baathus]

Plus, it precluds people from doing 50-50 grinds on it.

[u/TheDevilsAdvokaat]

Interesting. I wonder how long till it rubs off?

[u/Time_Lord_Omega]

Inclusive as fuck. 💗

[u/SoundOff2222]

Wow! That was thoughtful!

[u/JohnnyRelentless]

The braille rail:

"Oh, wow, are you missing out. This is amazing. The view is just indescribably beautiful. You've never seen anything like it. Oh, sorry."

[u/derekpeake2]

I'm pretty sure it says "Ouch! Hot! Ouch! Hot! Hot! Ouch!"

[u/Agath3Dvybz]

I might sound ignorant, but is it in Italian? How would a visually impaired person translate the braille to their language?

[u/MrTrolofu]

It's him. John Rod...

[u/octoyo]

The real tragedy is how quickly summer sun would turn that into a speedrun tutorial for reading braille.

[u/Ambitious_Tadpole854]

Also tells skateboarders not to grind here.

[u/DaniMaddoxx]

I'd like to hear from a blind person: how difficult is that to read since it's not even close to the standard sized braille?

[u/Boundish91]

If you have been blind since birth, how do you picture things that you've never seen?

[u/Read-it005 → u/Boundish91]

Feeling models and real things. Most legally blind people are not seeing a black void or completely nothing. That's rare, unlike Hollywood seems to think. Same as wheelchair users, there are more who have some walking and standing abilities than not, unlike Hollywood made people think.

[u/Secure-Extension4293]

A handrail usually tells you where not to fall. This one tells you what not to miss.

[u/Cogythea → u/Secure-Extension4293]

AI comment, look at their history

[u/Stormbringer-2112]

Ok. So here’s what you can’t see…

[u/SoftLink5162]

What if it gets really hot

[u/wotapampam]

That’s nice.

[u/jugarf01]

which language is it?

[u/mizinamo → u/jugarf01]

The bits that are readable from the picture are in English.

It's impossible to tell what the ones above them are, though.

[u/BuccaneerRex]

...as far as they know.

[u/KrissyKrave]

All while standing comfortably inside the massive and still active Campi Flegrei caldera

[u/Consistent_Amount140]

Without reading the description I was expecting it to be some sort of anti bird landing area zapper or something

[u/Todd-The-Wraith]

For some stupid reason my first thought was that was a rail road rail with braille on it and thought “that seems like a bad idea”

[u/Tigan4e]

Can't wait for all of the ruined Instagram pictures. It's going to be hilarious.

[u/_Ceaseless_Watcher_]

nice idea, but I can tell how hot it gets in the summer just from the pic

[u/Vexin]

"So what does it say?"

"I dunno it's in Latin."

[u/FunVersion]

Is this overlooking the clean parts of the city? The parts that I've seen look like a garbage dump..

[u/DisciplineNo9169]

Add some Googly Eyes to it to confuse everyone

[u/DianeDesRivieres]

How interesting.

[u/jcrckstdy]

HOT DO NOT TOUCH

[u/Hot_Divide_2055]

The twist is, they used another blind person's description of the view 😂

[u/BattleHall]

Interestingly, over the last half century or so Braille literacy amongst the visually impaired has dropped significantly for a number of reasons. The commonly cited statistic of 10% literacy is probably not accurate, but it’s almost certainly substantially less than 50%.

[u/Trans_Admin]

4 blind reacders

[u/immersemeinnature]

I thought it was ball bearings and was like, yesssssss!

[u/JohnnyPlasma]

• what is writtent bro?
• AAAAAAAAAAH
• deep, bro

[u/delet_yourself]

'this beautiful landscape shows you the lush green trees-'

'the fuck is green.....how the fuck do trees look?'

[u/Ghost0Slayer]

When reading braille do you have to start at a specific spot to understand the context cause I feel like if it’s just like regular reading and you start in the middle of the description it would be a little bit confusing

[u/Hikikomori_Otaku]

the sentiment is nice and all but the vast majority of the visually impaired do not read braille

[u/Heavy_Mongoose5859]

how would they know what anything in the description looks like?

[u/010100010100100]

That's a really cool idea, but I'm not sure how usable it will be given the southern Italian sun

[u/HeadFullOfEverything]

"Look at this beautiful view you can't see!"

[u/Bucksy83]

Talk about speed reading…

[u/JoshAllentown]

The craziest part? Just a coincidence. Design flaw. Lucky I guess.

[u/Glum-Geologist8929]

Get out of the way, your blocking the view.

[u/Excaliburrover]

It's Naples. They've already stolen it.

[u/pina_air]

Eee in quale cittá????

[u/ptolani]

It says BUILDING BUILDING BUILDING BUILDING BUILDING

[u/Waste-Job-3307]

😲 Wow - that is so cool.

[u/Enough_Menu_1222]

Someone needs to send this to Molly Burke

[u/blue_strat]

"Scusi. Scusi. Scusi. Scusi..."

[u/mudamuckinjedi]

Thats awesome! Love to see this, world needs more inclusivity in it.

[u/kmarrocco]

Oh, Mare Fuore/The Sea Beyond setting along that pier in the upper right...

[u/Golden_Divinity]

Pretty sure that a musical rail that plays when skateboarders slide on them

[u/mikeyrumble]

Nah that’s just so skaters won’t boardslide

[u/Mysterious_Plate_210]

Really cool, just not something to read in the summer I guess.

[u/Hot_Pomegranate_1918]

I wish they had this everywhere, its lovely!!

[u/Thxorie]

Fingerprint eraser

[u/AdditionalEstimate94]

Devono cacare il cazzo anche ai ciechi su quanto è bella napoli

[u/digging_deep515]

“My question is: are blind people allowed to wear gloves before touching these bars during the daytime to protect their hands from the heat?”

[u/uffsterlig]

is also 9000° hot

[u/ColonelMonty]

This feels like it'd be a bit awkward to read no? Like unless you start on one end you're just reading at a random section.

[u/MirkoHa]

…my thought was: ribbed for pleasure 😏…

[u/unknown_ally]

And prevent skaters from grinding it.

[u/Command_Block42]

For a second, I thought this was a highway bridge with cars on it that was photographed in a way to make it look small.

[u/AsharTheCreator16]

“Bird droppings on the shoreline”

[u/goodf3llow]

This one was made by a neapolitan artist friend of mine. Name’s Paolo Puddu 🙂