The history of the Centres
For over 50 years, welcoming you has not just been our job, but our history.
Our history
After spending years in Germany, surrounded by the roar of metal and the heat of the steelworks, Salvatore
Avagliano felt a familiar spark rise within him again — his true passion: languages, communication, and the
desire to understand the world. So he decided to change course and enrolled at the University of Bochum.
To make ends meet, he worked night shifts in a hospital in Duisburg. It was there, in the paraplegia ward,
that his life took an unexpected turn. In close contact with people who used wheelchairs, Salvatore
discovered a reality full of invisible yet powerful barriers: the total lack of accessible places where people
could simply enjoy a holiday, feel free, and live moments of normality. It was the early 1970s, and that
experience left a deep mark on him. Back in Italy, he realized that there were no accessible facilities for
wheelchair users to spend their holidays. But Salvatore was not one to give up easily. With the support of
friends — and even with the financial help of some people with disabilities — he turned a dream into
reality. The Centro Ferie Salvatore was born: a place where everyone could feel welcome, free, and at home.
Today, fifty years later, that dream is still alive.
Visitors who come here find a small paradise nestled in the lush greenery of the Circeo National Park — a
space without barriers, where people of all ages and backgrounds, with or without disabilities, share the same desire for peace, friendship and relaxation. A place where accessibility is not just a word – it’s a way of being.
