A fairytale setting for the presentation of the Grand Depart of the 2024 Tour de France . The Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence, sparkling like never before, welcomed the Grande Boucle 2024 , with an evening presented live on Rai 2 by the journalist Francesco Pancani , the ex-racer and commentator on Rai Alessandro Petacchi and the cyclist Marta Cavalli . We will start from the Tuscan capital with three other stages in Italy between Emilia Romagna and Piedmont , with a tribute to the greats of Italian cycling, Bartali, Coppi, Pantani, Nencini, Nibali and many other legends.

The description and reconnaissance of the route entrusted to the technical analysis of Stefano Garzelli made us better acquainted with the three fractions.   First stage starting from Florence , 205 km with seven climbs and almost 4000 meters in altitude. We will cross the Apennines with the arrival in Rimini.  

Second stage of 200 km with the departure from Cesenatico in memory of Marco Pantani, double ascent in the final to Colle di San Luca and then arrival in Bologna.  

The third stage instead will start from Piacenza and arrive in Turin, for a total of 225 km, there will be the passage from Tortona in memory of Fausto Coppi; a fraction that on paper will be the first one suitable for sprinters. The fourth stage will also start from Italy, from Pinerolo , with the arrival still to be defined.

The general manager of the Tour de France Christian Prudhomme was present on stage: “Italy is the cradle of romantic cycling, the country of immense champions, of forwards that champions love. It is a country of extreme beauty. They will also be interesting stages for the routes: let's remember the world championship in Romagna with the victory of Julian Alaphilippe. 120 years without Italy, no one comes here without taking advantage of its beauties and difficulties, the will is that of a Tour that will leave its mark. There will be the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but we defend the Tour de France which will arrive in Nice. Will the 2024 Tour be a different one? Thanks to you, it will be different."

Dario Nardella Mayor of Florence also spoke : “There was great teamwork with Stefano Bonaccini and with all the organization involved in the stages. Thanks to Christian Prudhomme for pursuing this dream, I am grateful to Italian cycling for an event that embodies our history, a sport that still fascinates many people and still has extraordinary numbers. Cycling is inside the chromosomes of Florence with Bartali, Nencini; Florence is the city of art and beauty, but also of cycling”.  

Then it was the turn of the President of the Emilia Romagna Region, Stefano Bonaccini : "When we had this dream with Davide Cassani, we imagined just that, a great opportunity, the Cesenatico stage will pay homage to Pantani, but also Dante Alighieri with the passage from Ravenna . Thank you, we have imagined sport as the greatest vehicle for promoting the area. In every country, there is someone who plays sports and is a fan of a team. It will be a great party that will make our territories even more known all over the world". The president of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani echoed him: “Florence's relationship with France is privileged by history, even by the symbol of the city. A competition that leads us to see in Nencini and Bartali two formidable people. We remember the victory of the '48 Tour by Bartali who, at the moment of Togliatti's death, stopped a civil war”.  

During the evening there was also a tribute and heartfelt applause for Davide Rebellin , who recently died in a tragic road accident.