Florence, 13 June 2024 – On the occasion of the departure of Tour de France from Florence, the Florentine Civic Museums and Muse organize a series of themed events, for cycling enthusiasts and beyond. From special visits to the Gino Bartali Museum to cycling routes up to guided visits to the Deportations Memorial, a specific valorisation program – starting on Saturday 15 June – which revolves around the world of two wheels, with the aim of bringing adults and children together , enthusiasts and newcomers to the history of cycling and to a great Florentine protagonist like Gino Bartali. The Gino Bartali Museum in Ponte a Ema is dedicated to the great champion, the place where the cyclist was born and started his career. The museum is part of the Florentine Civic Museums and is enhanced by the Municipality of Florence in collaboration with the Friends of the Gino Bartali Museum Association. Exceptionally it will be open free of charge to the public from 17 to 30 June with special opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 1pm; Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 6pm; June 29th, the day of Grand Departfrom 10am to 6pm.
In the museum there are activities for children and guided tours by Muse: i workshops for the little ones will allow you to get closer to the history and nature of the bicycle, while the visits will lead you to relive the years of sporting cycling in which Gino Bartali raced – winner, among numerous races, of three Giro d’Italia (in the years 1936, 1937, 1946) and two Tours de France (1938, 1948) – and to delve deeper into issues related to the history of the bicycle and cycling. In addition to the cycles, trophies and memorabilia linked to the history of Bartali, it will therefore be possible to observe historical examples of bicycles, racing and otherwise, made between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The proposals can be used in the following days and times: 21-22-23-28-29-30 June at 3pm (activities for children aged 5 to 10), at 4pm and 5pm (guided tours for young people and adults), booking is mandatory: [email protected], 055-2768224. Special cycling routes will also be organised, open to all lovers of this vehicle and with free participation. The first guided itinerary – lasting two hours – offers a quiet ride to discover the ancient route of the city walls, starting from Torre della Zecca and arriving at the Torre del Serpe, near Porta a Prato (15 and 16 June h4pm ).
The second guided itinerary includes a cycling route starting from Piazza Bartali and arriving at the museum of the same name, with a final guided tour (22 and 23 June 9am, lasting three hours including the visit). In fact, in the same period the extraordinary opening of the Deportations Memorial is also planned, located right in Piazza Bartali, in homage to the commitment that Gino Bartali made between 1943 and 1944 to save the Jews, so much so that he was awarded the Giusto honor among the nations: the museum will be open from 22nd to 30th June from 10am to 1pm, with free guided tours every day at 10am, 11am, 12pm.
