“Italy by Bicycle” Crosses the Finish Line in Cinema & History
The 2025 edition of “Cinema & Storia” has drawn to a close. This free training and refresher course for secondary school teachers, on the theme of Italy by Bicycle: Industrial Modernity, Political and Social Conflicts, and Artistic Visions, welcomed around 200 teachers from across Italy this year. Organised by the Pirelli Foundation and Fondazione ISEC, and now in its thirteenth edition, the course started its new partnership with Cineteca di Bologna, whose selection of films—made available to teachers via streaming—accompanied the six online events and an in-person visit to the Pirelli Foundation.
The history lectures explored the multifaceted role of the bicycle: a product of industrial modernity, a symbol of freedom and an object of desire, as well as a mass-market item that resonates with the most diverse cultures, and a tool for sustainable mobility. This humble mode of transport brings with it an extraordinary history, making it a useful subject for classroom discussions.
Each session opened with “Tales from the Archive,” a brief reflection on the historical treasures preserved by the Pirelli Foundation. Through a selection of documents linked to this year’s theme, the teachers explored artefacts ranging from a commemorative postcard celebrating the first Giro d’Italia in 1909 to snapshots of the Gran Premio Pirelli at the Vigorelli Velodrome. There were vintage advertising campaigns for Pirelli bicycle tyres—created by graphic design legends such as Lora Lamm and Massimo Vignelli—and photos tracing the evolution of cycling culture in Italy.
The course opened with a speech by Raimonda Riccini, a design historian, who explored the symbolic universe of the bicycle, a means of transport that has left a profound mark on art and advertising. The teachers were taken on a journey through the rich iconography that has placed the bicycle firmly in the popular imagination, both aesthetically and culturally.
The animated film The Triplets of Belleville by Sylvain Chomet took participants on a whimsical journey through the stages of the Tour de France, following the misadventures of Madame Souza and her nephew Champion, from Marseille to the fictional megalopolis of Belleville. Bursting with witty references and bright ideas, the film is remarkable for its meticulous animation and memorable characters.
Eleonora Belloni, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Siena, analysed over a century of cycling mobility in Italy: a struggle to claim public spaces that accompanied Italy’s long journey towards modernisation, challenging evolving visions of progress and democracy along the way.
Post-war Italy, caught between the scars of conflict and the promise of rebirth, took centre stage in Bicycle Thieves, the neorealist masterpiece by Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini. This timeless classic won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1950.
The third session, led by Francesca Tacchi, associate professor of Contemporary History at the University of Florence, examined the complex relationship between women and bicycles: from the late nineteenth century to the crucial role of partisan couriers during the Liberation struggle, through to the rise of women’s cycling in the 1960s and the first Giro Donne in 1988.
Three stories, each representing a stage in a woman’s life in Iran, took centre stage in The Day I Became a Woman by Marzieh Meshkini, a cornerstone of Iranian feminist cinema. In the second episode, in particular, the bicycle—on which the protagonist Ahoo is determined to take part in a cycling race—becomes the symbol of a gruelling struggle against the patriarchy.
The theme of the connection between bicycles and political history was examined in a lecture by Stefano Pivato, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo. His investigation traced the role of the bicycle as a vehicle of consensus and a tool for shaping national identity, from the late nineteenth century through to the Second World War and into the post-war period, a time marked by the legendary rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
A selection of films from the Cineteca di Bologna archive offered a unique glimpse into the society, customs, and atmospheres of the various historical periods. These ranged from the dawn of cinema—with the first film by the Lumière brothers—to the Fascist propaganda of the early 1940s, when the bicycle became not just for leisure, but also a sporting icon and a symbol of heroic accomplishments.
The fifth lecture, delivered by the essayist and historian Mimmo Franzinelli, shone a spotlight on Italy’s great cycling races—the Milano-Sanremo, the Giro di Lombardia, and, of course, the Giro d’Italia—underscoring the importance of Milan as an economic and organisational hub, while also tracing a cultural history of the sport, complete with news, iconic champions, passionate fans, and fierce rivalries.
How does one capture the adrenaline-fuelled atmosphere of these competitions on film? Director Jørgen Leth answers this question with A Sunday in Hell, a sports documentary that quickly became a classic in the genre. The film chronicles the 1976 Paris-Roubaix, from the tense moments before the start to the emotional interviews after the finish.
The teachers also had a chance to find out about Pirelli’s longstanding connection to the world of cycling when they visited the Pirelli Foundation. The exhibition The Sports Workshop: Team Work, Research, Technology, Passion and Social Value and the company’s Historical Archive unveiled a wealth of documents, original sketches, photographs, and advertising prints.
The course concluded with Riding the Seventh Art: A Cinematic Journey on Two Wheels, a session held by Simone Fratini of Schermi e Lavagne, the Educational Department of Cineteca di Bologna. This final meeting offered a sweeping overview of the symbolic and narrative role of the bicycle in the iconic films and beloved characters of the cinema. The bicycle has not only shaped cinematic aesthetics and the language of cinema for it has also become a key element in the development of the plot, as well as an emblem of freedom, growth, social struggle and adventure.
The 2025 edition of “Cinema & Storia” has drawn to a close. This free training and refresher course for secondary school teachers, on the theme of Italy by Bicycle: Industrial Modernity, Political and Social Conflicts, and Artistic Visions, welcomed around 200 teachers from across Italy this year. Organised by the Pirelli Foundation and Fondazione ISEC, and now in its thirteenth edition, the course started its new partnership with Cineteca di Bologna, whose selection of films—made available to teachers via streaming—accompanied the six online events and an in-person visit to the Pirelli Foundation.
The history lectures explored the multifaceted role of the bicycle: a product of industrial modernity, a symbol of freedom and an object of desire, as well as a mass-market item that resonates with the most diverse cultures, and a tool for sustainable mobility. This humble mode of transport brings with it an extraordinary history, making it a useful subject for classroom discussions.
Each session opened with “Tales from the Archive,” a brief reflection on the historical treasures preserved by the Pirelli Foundation. Through a selection of documents linked to this year’s theme, the teachers explored artefacts ranging from a commemorative postcard celebrating the first Giro d’Italia in 1909 to snapshots of the Gran Premio Pirelli at the Vigorelli Velodrome. There were vintage advertising campaigns for Pirelli bicycle tyres—created by graphic design legends such as Lora Lamm and Massimo Vignelli—and photos tracing the evolution of cycling culture in Italy.
The course opened with a speech by Raimonda Riccini, a design historian, who explored the symbolic universe of the bicycle, a means of transport that has left a profound mark on art and advertising. The teachers were taken on a journey through the rich iconography that has placed the bicycle firmly in the popular imagination, both aesthetically and culturally.
The animated film The Triplets of Belleville by Sylvain Chomet took participants on a whimsical journey through the stages of the Tour de France, following the misadventures of Madame Souza and her nephew Champion, from Marseille to the fictional megalopolis of Belleville. Bursting with witty references and bright ideas, the film is remarkable for its meticulous animation and memorable characters.
Eleonora Belloni, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Siena, analysed over a century of cycling mobility in Italy: a struggle to claim public spaces that accompanied Italy’s long journey towards modernisation, challenging evolving visions of progress and democracy along the way.
Post-war Italy, caught between the scars of conflict and the promise of rebirth, took centre stage in Bicycle Thieves, the neorealist masterpiece by Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini. This timeless classic won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1950.
The third session, led by Francesca Tacchi, associate professor of Contemporary History at the University of Florence, examined the complex relationship between women and bicycles: from the late nineteenth century to the crucial role of partisan couriers during the Liberation struggle, through to the rise of women’s cycling in the 1960s and the first Giro Donne in 1988.
Three stories, each representing a stage in a woman’s life in Iran, took centre stage in The Day I Became a Woman by Marzieh Meshkini, a cornerstone of Iranian feminist cinema. In the second episode, in particular, the bicycle—on which the protagonist Ahoo is determined to take part in a cycling race—becomes the symbol of a gruelling struggle against the patriarchy.
The theme of the connection between bicycles and political history was examined in a lecture by Stefano Pivato, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo. His investigation traced the role of the bicycle as a vehicle of consensus and a tool for shaping national identity, from the late nineteenth century through to the Second World War and into the post-war period, a time marked by the legendary rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
A selection of films from the Cineteca di Bologna archive offered a unique glimpse into the society, customs, and atmospheres of the various historical periods. These ranged from the dawn of cinema—with the first film by the Lumière brothers—to the Fascist propaganda of the early 1940s, when the bicycle became not just for leisure, but also a sporting icon and a symbol of heroic accomplishments.
The fifth lecture, delivered by the essayist and historian Mimmo Franzinelli, shone a spotlight on Italy’s great cycling races—the Milano-Sanremo, the Giro di Lombardia, and, of course, the Giro d’Italia—underscoring the importance of Milan as an economic and organisational hub, while also tracing a cultural history of the sport, complete with news, iconic champions, passionate fans, and fierce rivalries.
How does one capture the adrenaline-fuelled atmosphere of these competitions on film? Director Jørgen Leth answers this question with A Sunday in Hell, a sports documentary that quickly became a classic in the genre. The film chronicles the 1976 Paris-Roubaix, from the tense moments before the start to the emotional interviews after the finish.
The teachers also had a chance to find out about Pirelli’s longstanding connection to the world of cycling when they visited the Pirelli Foundation. The exhibition The Sports Workshop: Team Work, Research, Technology, Passion and Social Value and the company’s Historical Archive unveiled a wealth of documents, original sketches, photographs, and advertising prints.
The course concluded with Riding the Seventh Art: A Cinematic Journey on Two Wheels, a session held by Simone Fratini of Schermi e Lavagne, the Educational Department of Cineteca di Bologna. This final meeting offered a sweeping overview of the symbolic and narrative role of the bicycle in the iconic films and beloved characters of the cinema. The bicycle has not only shaped cinematic aesthetics and the language of cinema for it has also become a key element in the development of the plot, as well as an emblem of freedom, growth, social struggle and adventure.