Chapter 1
Biciclette
FIAB (Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta) is a not-for-profit organization with an environmentalist agenda. It was created in 1989, and it has local chapters and affiliated organizations in every region of Italy . FIAB’s portal contains dozens of links to Italian and European sites on cyclism, the environment, and pertinent legislation.
http://www.gazzetta.it
Created in 1896, La Gazzetta dello Sport is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy , and it is entirely dedicated to sport. Printed on its characteristic pink paper, it is the Italian daily with the third largest circulation. Since 1909, it sponsors the Giro d’Italia.
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/
The section of La Gazzetta’s homepage devoted to cyclism. It includes a page with news and information on the last edition of the Giro d’Italia (in Italian, English, French, Spanish and German).
http://www.letour.fr and http://www.vueltaciclistaespana.com
The official pages of the Tour de France (French with English version) and the Vuelta de España (Spanish).
http://www.federciclismo.it
The page of the FCI (Federazione Ciclistica Italiana). Founded in 1885, it operates under the aegis of the National Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).
http://www.cycling.it
The portal of “ Italy ’s leading cycling magazines”: Bicicletta , Il giornale delle Gran Fondo, and BdM – Mountain Bike World.
http://www.bianchi.it/
The page of bicycle-maker Bianchi, with information about its products and its professional cycling team.
http://www.cinelli.it
http://www.colomboarte.com
Antonio Colombo is a renowned entrepreneur (producing and selling bicycles under three different brands, including Cinelli), and a contemporary art collector/gallerist with a passion for art on the subject of the bicycle.
http://www.parlamento.it/parlam/leggi/00376l.htm
From the site of the Italian Parliament, the text of a 2000 law against the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports.
http://www.brera.net/gianni/articoli
From a web site devoted to famous journalist Gianni Brera, a section including articles on cycling champions of yesteryear.
https://twitter.com/OfficialDi_Luca
The official Twitter page of a young professional cyclist, Danilo Di Luca. In Italian and English, with images.
http://www.inventati.org/criticalmass
The site of an Italian movement connected to the global counterculture of Critical Mass, that organizes bicycle rides on the last Friday of every month. “Critical Mass focuses on the rights of bicyclists and the rights of pedestrians on their own streets. It also brings attention to the deteriorating quality of life… that cars create for cities” (http://www.times-up.org).
Il ciclismo nella canzone italiana
The official page of Luigi Grechi, with downloadable mp3 files.
The official page of the band Yo Yo Mundi.
The official pages of Paolo Conte, with audio files of his songs and videos.
The official page of Gino Paoli, with audio and video files.
http://www.enricoruggeri.info/
The official page of Enrico Ruggeri.
The official page of Piero Pelù, formerly the lead singer of the band Litfiba, with video files of his music and interviews.
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexia
The official page of Alexia, who wrote a song on Marco Pantani after his death. Contains audio files of her songs.
Jack Frusciante è uscito dal gruppo
The official page of young writer Enrico Brizzi.
A Brizzi fan site, created by Maurizio Labate (aka Zanna) and Christian Di Leo, admirers/friends/experts of the writer. It contains a biography, pages on Brizzi’s works, articles by Brizzi, and chronicles of the encounters between the web hosts and their idol.
http://www.comingsoon.it/film/jack-frusciante-e-uscito-dal-gruppo/31806/scheda/m
A page on the movie adaptation of Brizzi’s Jack Frusciante è uscito dal gruppo.
Coppi e Bartali
In the online archives of Italian public TV one can find a black and white video of Bartali and Coppi singing together on a music show.
A page devoted to Fausto Coppi, including pictures of his family house in Tortona ( Piedmont ), now a museum.
Marco Beccaria
http://blog.panorama.it/ora-di-religione/ (formerly Far finta di essere sani)
The hilarious blog of Marco Beccaria, the author of the short story “Il Gianni.”
Città ciclabili
A page from the official web site of the Comune of Ferrara, highlighting the city’s attitudes and initiatives regarding the bicycle. Among the various links, one that leads to a large map of the city with bicycle paths.
Newsgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?group=it.sport.ciclismo
An Italian newsgroup, focusing on cyclism.
The official page of Marco Pantani.
The official page of Mario Cipollini.
Io non ho paura
http://www.niccoloammaniti.it/
The official page of writer Niccolò Ammaniti, with excerpts from his works and links to videos, including one showing his intervention at Mantua ’s literature festival.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I’m_Not_Scared
The official site of Gabriele Salvatores’ movie based on Ammaniti’s novel. With audio and video files.
http://www.animamia.net/JAnima_contents/JAnima_giochi/JAnima_giochi_contents/bici.html
This page describes in simple terms two children’s bicycles, called Saltafoss and Tin Tin Ager, the latter shown in a famous 1971 Italian commercial of a snack bar by Alemagna. They seem to be the inspiration for the bike featured in a central scene of Ammaniti’s novel Io non ho paura.