This study was conducted by researchers from the ARCO (Action Research for CO-Development) research center at the PIN Polo of Prato, part of the University of Florence, under the scientific supervision of Luca Bagnoli, Mario Biggeri, and Marco Bellucci from the Department of Economics and Business Science. Research report curated by: Carmela Nitti, Linda Terenzi, Marco Bellucci, and Enrico Testi Graphics and layout: Ilaria Corrieri.
This study, initiated by the will of Cooperativa Download, would not have been possible without the support of the Albergo Etico staff throughout all phases of the research. For this reason, we would like to thank everyone who contributed in various ways with their time and expertise to this research:
The story of Albergo Etico began in 2006 with the meeting of brothers Antonio and Egidio De Benedetto (managers of the Tacabanda restaurant in Asti) and Niccolò, a young man with Down syndrome who started an internship at their restaurant. From 2006 onward, the experience of workplace inclusion at Tacabanda grew, both in the number of people involved and in the quality of the employment integration methods. It wasn’t until the arrival of Alex Toselli in 2015 that the first Albergo Etico, managed by Cooperativa Download, was opened in Asti.
