Gino Bartali: A Real Italian 'Champion'

By Arnie Greenberg, Pictured Above

In Italy he was everybody's hero.

Some even called him the 'Cycling Oskar Shindler'. But up until recently he was known only as one of the greatest cyclists in Italian history.

I met this outgoing man, but only recently did I find out there was more to Gino Bartali than cycling.

My wife and I found ourselves in Florence in the early 90's. It was as magical for us as it must be for millions who select this beautiful and historical setting for a holiday. We walked everywhere -- which is the only way to see the city.

We saw the giant Brunelleschi Duomo and Giotto bell tower, the Ponte Vecchio and Ghiberti's baptistery doors.

We ate ice cream facing the Santa Croce and climbed the hills to Fiesole for the Roman ruins and spectacular view of Florence from above.

Of course, we walked through the maze of streets of the San Lorenzo market and bought the usual tourist souvenirs.

Then one day we found ourselves on the Piazza Michelangelo. To reach it, we had to drive to the side of the Arno opposite the Uffizi, over the Ponte alle Grazie.

From here we took in a wonderful view of the city, just high enough to look down along the Arno onto the famous Ponte Vecchio with its many jewelry shops. It was a photographer's delight!

As we were watching the people and taking pictures of the view, a commotion occurred close by. There was a crowd gathering near a man who was about 80 years old.

He was standing next to a racing bicycle and was wearing cyclist's racing togs.

He looked simply like an old man with a bicycle.

But the crowd surged forward with pen and paper, seeking an autograph.

I must have looked bewildered as one of the men shouted to me, "Gino Bartali...Gino Bartali." I was still confused. He couldn't be a superstar..he was much too old.

But I ventured in his direction. The locals gently pushed me forward. I was soon face to face with a heavy-set man in racing cap, shoes and togs, signing autographs on cards with his picture on them. The picture was from an earlier era. We shook hands, and I pocketed the picture.

When I returned to Canada, I mentioned the incident to Peter Oliveri, my friend of Italian descent. Peter exclaimed that Gino Bartali was a Tuscan cyclist who had won the Tour de France twice.

Actually, he had had a spectacular career, winning over 185 races in a country of top-notch racers. I gave the picture to Peter, for whom Gino Bartali meant so much. Gino was Peter's hero. I gave him the autographed picture for his son.

Twelve years later, I had a call from Peter. He told me to read an article in a local Montreal newspaper that unfolded more about Bartali than I had bargained for.

Bartali was a hero for more reasons than people knew. According to the Tuscan regional government, Gino Bartali worked as a messenger for a secret network run by Giorgio Nissim, a Jewish accountant from Pisa.

It seems that during 1943-44, the racer delivered documents that helped create false identity papers, hiding them and other paraphernalia in the frame of his bicycle.

Research shows that a younger Gino Bartali pedaled around Tuscany delivering secret papers and pictures to nuns, priests, bishops and friars, all of whom formed part of a wartime escape network.

Bartali, says Nissim, was credited with saving 800 Jews from Nazi persecution.

Gino Bartali died in May 2000 at the age of 86. The cycle champion was and is a national legend for more reasons than we know.

Contact Arnie Greenberg at ultours@aol.com.