For the first time in its history, the Tour de France will begin in Italy, with three initial stages winding through Tuscany, Emilia Romagna and Piedmont. The Grand Départ (grand departure) is set for Saturday 29 June in Florence. The other two stops will be Cesenatico-Bologna on 30 June and Piacenza-Turin on 1 July 2024, after which the caravan will continue to France. The final stop for the “Grande Boucle” will not be Paris but Nice.
The Grand Dèpart also coincides with the centenary of the first Italian victory at the Grand Boucle, that of Ottavio Bottecchia in 1924. Since that year in a century there have been ten Italian victories at the Tour de France (Ottavio Bottecchia 1924 and 1925, Gino Bartali 1938 and 1948, Fausto Coppi 1949 and 1952, Gastone Nencini 1960, Felice Gimondi 1965, Marco Pantani 1998, Vincenzo Nibali 2014), three of which by cyclists from the province of Florence, i.e. one edition for Gastone Nencini and two for Gino Bartali. Right to Gino Bartali, to whom even the French recognize the feat of having won the Tour before and after the Second World War, the first stage of the 2024 Tour de France will be dedicated.
The start of the Tour de France is scheduled for Saturday 29 June 2024 with the start of the first stage Florence – Rimini of 206 km, while two days before, Thursday 27 June, the presentation of the teams will take place, 22 international teams with 8 cyclists each, for 176 athletes in total.
THE PROGRAM
Two days before the start of the Tour de France, the race will start from mid-afternoon on Thursday 27 June 2024. presentation of the 22 teams, made up of 8 cyclists each for a total of 176 athletes, with live broadcast worldwide. Starting from 6pm, cyclists will pedal from Palazzo Vecchio to reach Piazzale Michelangelo, where shows, music and entertainment are scheduled from 5pm. On the stage set up in the square, the presentation ceremony will be a party open to all and will be broadcast live on international TV .
The official departure will take place on Saturday 29 June. The caravan will leave from the Villaggio alle Cascine (an area equipped for teams waiting for the start), around 12pm, in non-competitive mode and will head towards Piazza della Signoria, where it will stop for an institutional start. It will continue passing Via Vacchereccia, Por Santa Maria, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti towards Piazzale Michelangelo and then descend towards Gavinana for a tribute to Gino Bartali.
The first competitive stage will start in Bagno a Ripoli, at Viola Park which will reach Rimini after 206 km, crossing six municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Florence (Pontassieve, Pelago, Rufina, Dicomano and San Godenzo as well as Bagno a Ripoli) before crossing the hill into Emilia-Romagna.
From 27 to 29 June Piazza Santa Croce will be transformed into a lively Fan Park, free and open to all, which will offer a wide range of activities for adults and children, with entertainment, games, gadgets and spaces dedicated to food – opening hours: 27 June from 2pm to 9pm, 28th June from 11am to 9pm, 29th June from 11am to 6pm.
There are many other “places” of the Grand Dèpart located throughout the city, to best welcome athletes, teams, professionals, the press and cycling enthusiasts from all over the world. The New Opera Theater will be the event’s press center, operational headquarters, reception center and press room. The Cascine Park will become the Departure Village, i.e. an area with promotional stands for guests and reception of the teams awaiting the departure – access for authorized persons.
On the days of the departure of the Tour de France in Florence, places will also be set up with the aim of encouraging citizens and visitors to use bicycles in daily life, with particular attention to children. Among the various activities offered are “Savoir Rouler à vélo” (Knowing how to ride a bike), advice on bike repairs and road safety notions.
On Wednesday 26 June, on the same day as the inauguration of the Press Center at the New Opera House, a press conference reserved for children will also be organized with the protagonists of the Tour de France. Furthermore, Florence has also joined the Tour de France solidarity initiative “Un vélo pour tous” (A bike for all) which aims to offer bicycles to the most disadvantaged children: as part of the road safety activities of In fact, 50 new small bikes were used for nursery schools on Vigilandia and subsequently donated to children who need them most.
Among the other initiatives aimed at children and young people we remember the “Spelling Dictation of the Tour” for Florentine schools, which was held in Palazzo Vecchio in the Salone dei Cinquecento on the occasion of the 100 days before The Grand Départ.
Cultural events
On the occasion of the departure of the Tour de France from Florence, extraordinary openings of the civic museums and many events dedicated to two wheels organized by MUS.E.
BELVEDERE FORT
The Fort reopens to the public on June 25th, every day except Monday, from 10:00 to 20:00. Entrance is free.
BARDINI MUSEUM
From 23 to 30 June, the Bardini museum (via dei Renai 37) will open every day, from 2.00 pm to 8.00 pm
SALVATORE ROMANO FOUNDATION
In the week from 23 to 30 June, the Foundation will be open to the public every day except Tuesdays, as usual with the same opening hours, as in Cappella Brancacci: from 10:00 to 17:00, on Sundays from 13:00 to 5pm
GINO BARTALI MUSEUM AND SPECIAL BIKE ROUTES
Until June 30th the Gino Bartali museum will be open free of charge to the public with special opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 1pm; Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 6pm; on June 29th, Grand Départ day, from 10am to 6pm. Activities for children and guided tours by MUS.E are also planned at the museum. Special cycling routes will also be organised, open to all lovers of this vehicle and with free participation.
DEPORTATIONS MEMORIAL
In the week from 23 to 30 June the Deportations Memorial will be open to the public every day, from 10:00 to 13:00.
TO SAINT URSA exhibition “Tour de France: promise and torment, the Italian champions of the Grande Boucle”, with the patronage of the Metropolitan City of Florence open to the public from 28 June to 21 July 2024, with a vernissage on Wednesday 26 June, in the presence of M. Cyrille Tricart, ASO organizers of the Tour de France and the consul general of France M. Guillaume Rousson.
The exhibition, with free entry, is conceived as a tribute to the seven Italian cyclists who won the Tour de France through a selection of historical photographs, archive footage and vintage objects, including the winner’s road bicycle Gino Bartali loaned by the Gino Bartali cycling museum.
From 26 to 28 June 2024 in Florence, in the days preceding the departure of the 111th Tour de France from the Tuscan capital (29 June), Stazione Leopolda hosts BECYCLE, a new project on the world of cycling created by Pitti Immagine and Stazione Leopolda srl .
Florence is tinged with the colors of the Tour
Florence is preparing to welcome cyclists, fans and the whole caravan with decorations, colours, lighting and video mapping. With the slogan Ciao Tour! Florence will be a city dressed in yellow, like the color of the jersey of the leader of the race, but not only: the colors of the “Grand Boucle” are also the white of the jersey of the best youngster in the ranking, the green of the leader of the points classification , so as not to forget the polka dot shirt, the one worn by the leader of the climbers’ classification. From 25 to 29 June, flags with the colors of the Tour will be set up in the historic buildings of the center of Florence, banners on the lampposts and even bicycle silhouettes on the race route leaving the city, four giant yellow jerseys will be visible on the historic gates of the city – Porta a Prato, Porta alla Croce, Torre della Zecca Vecchia and Piazza della Repubblica – while an ad hoc videomapping will be projected on Palazzo Vecchio and the Torre di Arnolfo again from 25 to 29 June, all by Firenze smart.
