Museo del Ciclismo Madonna del Ghisallo, Cycling museum near Lake Como, Italy
The Museo del Ciclismo Madonna del Ghisallo is a cycling museum in Magreglio near Lake Como that displays an extensive collection of bicycles, jerseys, and cycling memorabilia across multiple exhibition spaces. The objects come from different eras of Italian and international professional cycling.
The sanctuary on the Passo del Ghisallo, a 750-metre pass often crossed by the Giro d'Italia and the Giro di Lombardia, was built in 1623. In 1948 Pope Pius XII, at the urging of parish priest Father Ermelindo Vigano, named the Madonna del Ghisallo patron saint of cyclists. Champions then donated jerseys, bikes and trophies, and the museum foundation, created in 2000, opened the building next to the church in October 2006.
The museum preserves pink jerseys from Giro d'Italia races and photographs that document how cycling evolved in Italy. The collection tells the story of athletes and their personal objects from decades of Italian cycling.
The museum stands at Via Gino Bartali 4 on the Passo del Ghisallo, at 750 metres, next to the sanctuary. A ramp outside and inside follows the slope of an alpine hairpin, and its gentle gradient lets wheelchair users reach the single exhibition floor without the lift. The museum is regularly open from March to October.
The museum maintains an eternal flame honoring cyclists who lost their lives, including the preserved bicycle of Fabio Casartelli from the Tour de France. This memorial connects the sport with remembrance of those who died during competition.
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