Having won the Giro d'Italia twice in 1936 and 1937 and the Tour de France a year later, he was the country’s most renowned cyclist in the pre-war era. Under the guise of a training programme, he would travel around central Italy putting himself at risk to deliver the crucial documents.
On Monday members of the Israel Cycling Academy, Israel’s first professional cycling team, joined the Mayor of Florence, city council members, and Jewish representatives at a commemorative ceremony in the city.
On Tuesday they set out to retrace one of Mr Bartali’s routes, a 120-mile run stretching from Florence to Assisi.
Mr Bartali was recognised as a Righteous Among Nations by Yad Vashem in 2013.
