Description
A packed calendar of events from April 7th onward will lead the city toward the start of the stage on May 22nd. Before, during, and after, the City of Alessandria will be bathed in pink with important guests and numerous initiatives launched by the Trofeo Senza Fine. Alessandria is preparing to welcome the 2026 Giro d'Italia with a comprehensive program of cultural, sporting, and educational events starting April, engaging the local community and audiences of all ages. The common thread is a passion for cycling and the long history that links the capital and the province's municipalities to the dawn and present of cycling. This opportunity aims to be the ideal way to spark awareness and promote cycling culture, generating anticipation, contributing to the best possible experience of the world-class event in May, and above all, continuing the positive and tangible momentum generated by this exciting commitment. THE PROGRAM The program kicks off on Tuesday, April 7th, with the presentation of the May 22nd stage and the calendar of related events. Andrea De Luca, deputy director of RaiSport and host of the iconic program dedicated to cycling, Radiocorsa, will participate. The week opens with the "Trofeo Senza Fine Week" (April 7–12): the symbol of the Giro d'Italia arrives from Milan for a small stage race in the city's iconic locations: from the Palazzo Comunale (April 7–8), to the Borsalino Museum (April 9–10), to the covered courtyard of Palatium Vetus, home of the Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria Foundation (April 11), and finally to the Alessandria Città delle Biciclette Museum in Palazzo del Monferrato (April 12). To pay tribute to the Trofeo Senza Fine, which is always free to visit, the great champion Vincenzo Nibali will be present at a public meeting on April 13th. Three training sessions are also starting in April: practical cycle mechanics sessions (April 5, 12, and 26) and two mountain biking sessions (April 6 and 19). AcdBook, the new cultural space dedicated to cycling, opens on Via Bissati, connected to the Andando e Stando bookshop in collaboration with the ACdB Museum. The inauguration will feature an exhibition of illustrations by Riccardo Guasco, a renowned artist from Alessandria, and a meeting with Antonio Raimondi, journalist and coordinator for Discovery-Eurosport, who will discuss "cycling stories" with Wladimir Belli, a former professional cyclist and television commentator. On May 6th, the exhibition "Alessandria and the Giro d'Italia, a Long Love Story" opens at the ACdB Museum in Palazzo del Monferrato, featuring Franco Balmamion, winner of the 1962 and 1963 Giro. On May 12th, the provincial cycling tourism program will be presented with Alexala, a key promotional project. On May 16th, in Castellania-Coppi, an evening will be dedicated to Fausto Coppi, with a conversation between words and music centered on the book "Fausto. My Coppi" (Lab DFG publisher) by Luciana Rota. On May 18th, the "Quando il Grigio incontra il Rosa" (When Grey Meets Pink) bike ride will combine cycling and football in a procession from the ACdB Museum to the Moccagatta Stadium, with the participation of US Alessandria Calcio and President Antonio Barani. On May 19th, the book "Alfonsina e la strada" (Sellerio) by Simona Baldelli will be presented; On May 20th, a meeting with Marco Scarponi and his Foundation and author Alessandra Giardini will present the book "Michele Scarponi, Deep as a Climb." The meeting will address the topics of safety, the social aspect of sport, and motivation, with the participation of the Bicincittà organizers. On the afternoon of May 21st, a meeting will be held with Alessandria-based television journalist Claudio Icardi, the voice and sports commentator for Raisport, in a dialogue between cycling, the region, and culture. Friday, May 22nd, 2026. During the days of the Giro d'Italia, "Open for Culture" becomes "Open for the Giro": the popular format promoted by ASCOM and the Municipality of Alessandria will transform into a two-day event (May 22nd-23rd) dedicated to cycling and the passion for cycling, in connection with the Giro's passage through Novi Ligure and Alessandria. On May 24th, Bicincittà, the urban bike ride with FIAB Alessandria, UISP, and the Municipality, will feature the special participation of Roberta Amadeo, multiple world handbike champion and vice president of AISM. She will be the focus of an opening talk and will serve as the group's special starter on her handbike. But cycling in the Alessandria area will also feature two major cycle tourism events that will be promoted in synergy within this busy calendar: Monferrando (May 29th – June 2nd), a bikepacking and gravel event through the Monferrato landscape, and La Mitica (June 28th), a non-competitive historic cycling event through the Tortona hills dedicated to Fausto Coppi, an official stage of the "Giro d'Italia d'Epoca" circuit.