The Giro d'Italia returns to Pisa. 45 years after the last passage of the most popular cycling and sporting event, the city of the Leaning Tower will be the protagonist of a time trial stage on 20 May. And in the week of the passage of the colourful procession, the Giro d'Italia also makes a symbolic stop at Palazzo Blu with the exhibition ‘Storie pisane del Giro d'Italia’ (Pisan stories of the Giro d'Italia), which presents a rich selection of historical images from the Allegrini and Frassi photographic archives of the Fondazione Pisa.
The Giro d'Italia first came to Pisa exactly a century ago, in 1925. The Giro arrived in the afternoon of Monday, 18 May on the Viale delle Piagge and the crowd swayed when they saw a rider advance alone. The winner was carried off in triumph. But after five minutes the group with the ‘real’ runners arrived and the false winner was unmasked and then fined for disturbing the peace. It had been a carpenter from Ponsacco who was a cycling enthusiast. The last time the Giro was in Pisa was in 1980: on 20 May, the caravan arrived in the city for the Pontedera-Pisa time trial. The most representative image ‘stops’ the race of the individual cyclists against the background of the Leaning Tower.
Over the years, the Giro d'Italia has stopped in Pisa seven times in all, and on one occasion, in 1937, the city was the protagonist of a passage of cyclists in the Maria di Massa - Livorno stage. Every time the Giro passes, there is a heated race but also a street party that comes to the city and brings enthusiasm and colour. There are many moments recounted in the shots chosen to compose the exhibition, curated by Renzo Castelli, that tell of the sporting event, the protagonists riding their bicycles, the welcome of the city and the people of Pisa. The photos on display were taken by Guido Allegrini in the years before the war and then by Luciano Frassi in the post-war period, thoroughbred photoreporters and witnesses of their time.
The exhibition has the patronage of the Region of Tuscany and the Municipality of Pisa, with the contribution of the Pisa Foundation.
The exhibition will be open from 16 May to 25 May 2025 with these opening hours:
- Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
- Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.;
Last admission one hour before closing.
Free entrance.
