Allianz Umana Mente Foundation, the main vehicle for the Allianz Group’s corporate social responsibility initiatives in Italy, organised the first seaside edition of ‘Hol4All’ – short for ‘Holiday for All’, the project created to offer accessible and inclusive holiday experiences to children and young people with complex disabilities or rare diseases, together with their families. The first ‘Hol4All’ seaside edition took place from 14 to 18 June at the TH Marina di Sibari resort, on the Ionian coast of Calabria. The Foundation and Allianz announced this in a press release. Carried out under the patronage of the Calabria Region, the initiative involved collaboration with Associazione Insieme a Te, to make the seaside experience accessible for the first time to people with disabilities and their families.
The event in Sibari “marks a historic milestone for the project”, the statement reads. Following the special 2023 edition on the Elba Island – which was dedicated exclusively to siblings of people with disabilities – this year, for the first time, Hol4All brought its inclusive experience to a seaside resort, further expanding opportunities for participation and wellbeing for the families involved. “Having developed a well-established model for accessible holidays in the mountains and at ski resorts over the years, the project has embarked on a new phase of its journey, bringing inclusion to a setting that for many families continues to represent a complex challenge to overcome”, Allianz Umana Mente Foundation and Allianz stressed. “Hol4All was created to enable families to enjoy experiences that are often difficult or even impossible to organise on their own”, said Maurizio Devescovi, President of the Allianz Umana Mente Foundation. “We are especially proud to have brought for the first time to a seaside setting an initiative built around the needs of families. Making the seaside accessible too. means breaking down new barriers and offering families opportunities for peace of mind, connection and shared experiences that are all too often denied to them”, he added.
In Sibari, 13 families and 15 children and young people with disabilities
The Sibari event hosted thirteen families and fifteen children and young people with disabilities. The Calabria Region recognised the social and inclusive value of the initiative and took on the patronage, confirming the region’s commitment to projects that promote accessibility, participation and inclusive tourism. “We are proud to have hosted the first seaside edition of Hol4All in Calabria, a project that embodies the values of inclusion and solidarity, offering unique experiences to families with children with disabilities”, said Pasqualina Straface, regional minister with responsibility for social inclusion. “ This initiative is a significant step towards more accessible tourism and shows how collaboration between institutions, associations and the local community can break down barriers and create opportunities for everyone. Calabria Region will continue to support projects such as Hol4All promoting the right to well-being and participation, showcasing our territory as a model of hospitality and inclusion”.
The collaboration between Allianz Umana Mente Foundation and ‘Associazione insieme a te’ has been a key element of this new experience. The expertise and experience of the Association, which is a leading national organisation for beach accessibility and the promotion of the right of people with disabilities to enjoy the seaside, has enabled it to plan and carry out activities to allow all participants to safely enjoy the beach and the sea.
The initiative also aimed to leave a positive legacy in the region, helping to spread knowledge, awareness and best practice that can foster greater attention to the needs of people with disabilities and their families within the tourism sector. This approach has already characterised Hol4All’s previous initiatives and has now found a new expression in the seaside context.
“Being part of this first Hol4All seaside experience, following the editions held in the mountains, represents an important opportunity for us”, said Maria Debellini, Vice-President and Director of Operations at TH Resorts. “Over the years, we have seen growing attention paid to the issues of accessibility and inclusion in tourism, but initiatives such as this demonstrate just how vital it is to work together to turn these principles into tangible experiences. To prepare for this experience, 40 people – including staff from the kitchen, housekeeping, reception and entertainment teams – undertook a 32-hour training programme, including theory lessons and practical activities carried out throughout the week alongside the young people and families involved in the project”, she explained. “Welcoming the Hol4All families means helping to create an environment where everyone can enjoy their holiday to the full, feeling welcome, respected and a part of the community”, Debellini added.
The week’s programme included activities designed for the whole family: games and recreational activities on the beach and in the sea, art workshops, sports activities, sailing trips, discussion sessions for parents, and specific initiatives for the brothers and sisters of young people with disabilities. The programme involved alternating between time shared by the whole group and time set aside for different family members, with targeted activities for parents, siblings and young people with disabilities, following a model that has proven particularly effective over the years in promoting the wellbeing of all participants. As in previous editions, every family member was able to enjoy time dedicated to their own wellbeing, helping them to recharge, strengthen relationships and experience a normality that is often hard to find in everyday life. The Sibari event formed part of Hol4All’s development, as the organisation celebrates its fifth year of activity in 2026. Launched in 2021 as a pilot project, Hol4All has progressively expanded the number of families involved and the contexts in which it operates, evolving into a well-established model of inclusion and social participation. By the end of 2025, the project had already involved 221 families and 250 children and young people with disabilities from across Italy. In 2023, the Allianz Umana Mente Foundation organised a special edition of the project on the Elba Island dedicated exclusively to brothers and sisters of people with disabilities. This special session, “deliberately held without either parents or people with disabilities, offered a safe and intimate space to share experiences, emotions and reflections”, the statement stresses, adding that “the aim was to highlight the unique, yet often under-recognised, role of siblings, and to create a space for listening and mutual support, promoting their wellbeing and raising awareness of their important contribution within families who face the daily challenges associated with disability”. Over the years – the statement emphasises – “the impact of the project has been measured through ongoing monitoring of the participants. The results show significant benefits for families’ wellbeing: all parents reported feeling less alone during the experience, almost all reported a strong sense of security and support, whilst children and young people with disabilities showed high levels of engagement, happiness and participation in the activities on offer. Even in recent years, almost all families continue to regard Hol4All as a truly inclusive and accessible holiday, highlighting positive effects that extend well beyond the duration of the holiday itself”.