Pope Leo XIV greeted cyclists participating in the Giro d’Italia 2025 as they passed through the Vatican City on Sunday.
“Also in memory of Pope Francis, who accepted the proposal presented by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Department of Culture and Education, and implemented jointly with the Governorate of the Vatican City State and Athletica Vaticana,” explains the Department of Culture.
The project to bring the Giro d’Italia through the Vatican — “first stage” preceding the Jubilee of Sport, scheduled for June 14-15, was conceived on October 28, 2021 on the occasion of the ceremony awarding Athletica Vaticana the certificate of recognition as an official member of the International Cycling Union.
The start of the final stage of the 108th Giro d’Italia will take place at the Baths of Caracalla. In a non-competitive mode, the cyclists will enter the Vatican from Via Paolo VI through the Petrino entrance. The route inside the Vatican walls is about 3 kilometres long.
The cyclists will ride along St. Peter’s Basilica and the sacristy, then climb up to the Vatican Gardens, passing the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini and the railway station in the Palazzo del Governatorato area. The cyclists will then continue their ascent to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the San Giovanni tower and the helipad. They will then circle the walls along the “Marian Way.”
The route will continue to the Square Garden and the Vatican Museums. The cyclists will then ride along Via delle Fondamenta, in the shadow of the Sistine Chapel, to reach Piazza Santa Marta and leave the Vatican through the Vicolo del Perugino gate.
