The world’s first photography exhibition for blind people began in Florence (Italy) in October 2006, as part of the inauguration of the ‘Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia’ or the National museum Alinari of Photography.

The photo (tactile) exhibition has showcased the works of pioneers, the Alinari brothers. Leopoldo, Giuseppe and Romualdo Alinari founded their photography business in Florence (Italy) in 1852, making it the oldest firm in the world working in the field of photography.

Twenty of the Alinari brothers most important works have been transformed into 3 Dimension (3 D) images using glass, fabric, sand and metal. 3 D images enables blind people to touch and understand what the images show.

"We blind people need three dimensions to be able to touch the creation with our hands and reconstruct the images in our minds," said Carlo Monti, the president of the Italian Blind Union.

Signs in Braille language accompany the art exhibits. The photographs are brightly coloured to enable the partially sighted people to enjoy the exhibition.

This permanent museum space is dedicated to the history and the technique of the photography, photographic materials etc.