Museo del Ciclismo Gino Bartali

Across from the house where Gino Bartali was born, Florence’s cycling museum traces the history of the bicycle from the nineteenth century to professional racing. Champion bicycles, jerseys and trophies share its displays with the story of a rider remembered for both his victories and his wartime courage.

Why it matters

Born in Ponte a Ema on 18 July 1914, Bartali won the Giro d’Italia in 1936 and 1946 and the Tour de France in 1938 and 1948. Known as the “Giant of the Mountains,” he was also a member of the Italian Resistance. From September 1943, at Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa’s request, he carried forged identity documents concealed in his bicycle frame and sheltered the Jewish Goldenberg family. He was recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations in 2013. The museum, opened in 2006 at Bartali’s wish, brings his sporting and humanitarian history together with the broader story of cycling.

What to notice

The displays follow the development of the bicycle and the careers of champions. Bartali’s collection includes a 1952 Milan–San Remo jersey and the trophy from his 1948 Tour de France victory; Fausto Coppi’s world champion jersey places their sporting rivalry in view. The museum also presents machines associated with Gastone Nencini and other riders. A library and display of bicycles used in everyday trades show how the bicycle shaped work and ordinary life as well as professional sport.

Context and history

The museum grew from the Associazione Amici del Museo Gino Bartali, whose work was to collect and document material related to the champion and cycling. Under an agreement with Florence, its management passed into the city’s civic museums system. The result connects the museum to Ponte a Ema, where Bartali was born and began racing, while placing his story within a wider history of sport, technology and the Resistance.