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I got out of work early today, and as is my wont, had the car radio on NPR. Here and Now was on, and they had a story about Geno Bartali. His name was vaguely familiar to me as a great cyclist, but I really knew nothing about him. He won the Giro D'Italia three times from 1936-46 and the Tour de France twice in 1936 and 38. Winning grand tours 12 years apart is a great feat in itself, but his actions in WWII should make him a household name.
The Roman Catholic Church in Italy had an active effort to protect Jews once the Nazis took over. They couldn't hid but so many, so they also were active making false papers. But the safe houses were in (I think) Rome, while their printer was in Assisi. They were basically under martial law, with frequent checkpoints, but Geno was so famous that he could get through all of them. He'd ride his bike with photos and papers stuffed into the tubes. He'd say he was out on a training ride. Evidently he did raise suspicion, and he was detained once for three days, but a higher-up in the secret police vouched for him eventually.
Biggest thing is, he never told anyone while this was happening, and it wasn't till decades later that he finally told his son. In Geno's honor, the Giro started and had three days in Israel. I'm still almost in tears over this, it's so beautiful.
A link to the story: How An Italian Cycling Legend Helped Save Jewish Lives During World War II
The Roman Catholic Church in Italy had an active effort to protect Jews once the Nazis took over. They couldn't hid but so many, so they also were active making false papers. But the safe houses were in (I think) Rome, while their printer was in Assisi. They were basically under martial law, with frequent checkpoints, but Geno was so famous that he could get through all of them. He'd ride his bike with photos and papers stuffed into the tubes. He'd say he was out on a training ride. Evidently he did raise suspicion, and he was detained once for three days, but a higher-up in the secret police vouched for him eventually.
Biggest thing is, he never told anyone while this was happening, and it wasn't till decades later that he finally told his son. In Geno's honor, the Giro started and had three days in Israel. I'm still almost in tears over this, it's so beautiful.
A link to the story: How An Italian Cycling Legend Helped Save Jewish Lives During World War II
