The story is important to remember, and so two days before the start of 2024 Tour de France from Florence (June 29), the city will host a show born from the desire to tell the history and achievements of two great champions, Gino Bartali and Louison Bobet, through the eyes of two passionate cycling enthusiasts: an Italian mechanic and a French baker.
Through tales and victories, the events that took place in three Tour de France races where Bartali and Bobet competed in 1948, 1950, and 1953 are recounted. These three Tours see the progressive rise of the young Louison and the slow decline of the Tuscan climber. Against the backdrop of this narrative, historical (French and Italian) events and personal stories alternate, revealing the character and humanity of these two great champions.
“It was a pleasure for our association to be involved in the staging of this show,” comments Adriano Rigoli, president of the National Association of Houses of Memory. “Preserving the memory of great figures, such as athletes and men of the caliber of Bobet and Bartali, who was also recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for saving hundreds of Jews from Nazi extermination, is a mission that goes beyond the dynamics of our network, and we are pleased to support any initiative that goes in this direction. For this reason, I hope the show will see a great turnout, giving us once again the opportunity, even though through different languages and means from those used in the promotion of our house museums, to bring the public closer to the great figures of the past, renewing their memory and preserving it.”
“On the occasion of the start of the Tour de France from Florence, our association is promoting the show ‘Bartali vs Bobet,’” explains Marco Capaccioli, vice president of the National Association of Houses of Memory. “The Tuscan network of the Houses of Memory draws from the intangible heritage of an illustrious figure like Gino Bartali to propose, through the language of theater, the story of an athlete who has marked the history of sport and society itself.”
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