15 – The Gino Bartali Bicycle Park

This unique urban bicycle park bears the name of the famous Italian cyclist Gino Bartali, who, aside from being renowned for his victories at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, was also an active participant in the effort to save Jewish lives when the fascist regime controlled Italy. Bartali would pick up photographs of refugees who were hiding in various monasteries all over Italy and bring them to a laboratory, where they were placed in forged identity documents. When they were ready, Bartali also brought the forged documents back to the refugees at the monasteries. The documents were hidden in the bike’s frame, seat and even in the prayer book that the devout cyclist kept with him.
In recognition of his selfless deeds, the President of Italy presented Bartali with a gold medal for his civilian bravery, and in 2013, Yad Vashem awarded Bartali the honor of Righteous Among the Nations. He is said to have saved 800 Jewish lives by using his status as a respected cyclist.
The park is located in the heart of a grove of very old eucalyptus trees, and is conveniently accessible from the highways and the Kiryat Eliezer train station. The park is built along the length of Highway 57, which connects Netanya to Highway 4 (Beit Lid junction) between Pinkas, Degania and HaKadar Streets in the industrial zone. The shady park has two unique bike paths: a criterium circuit on a professional bicycle road, and a BMX path – a challenging path for riders with BMX bikes.
There is also a monument in memory of Gino Bartali at the site. In appreciation for his legacy!