After 16 years, Spazio Azzurri returns to life on the occasion of a major international event, accompanying the Italian National Team to the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal.

For a week, while the world's best athletes compete for the rainbow jersey, Spazio Azzurri will be a meeting point for the cycling world and a showcase for Italy, through its excellence, its territories and its culture.

The project stems from the desire to enhance the bond between cycling and Italian identity: the bicycle, like cuisine, tells stories of territories, traditions, people and passions. The road thus becomes the common thread of a narrative that moves from sporting competition to the table, highlighting the country's agri-food and gastronomic heritage.

A particularly significant connection also in light of the recognition of Italian Cuisine as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, which values not only products and recipes, but the entire set of knowledge, traditions, conviviality and territorial connections that characterize Italian culture.

Spazio Azzurri is realized thanks to the collaboration of MASAF – Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, ICE – Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian enterprises, Trentino and Abruzzo Region.

As underlined by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, "the return of Spazio Azzurri on the occasion of the Cycling World Championships represents an extraordinary opportunity to promote Italy in the world through some of its most authentic excellence. Sport is a powerful ambassador of the values that distinguish us: commitment, sacrifice, quality and sense of belonging. Cycling, in particular, crosses and tells the story of our territories, just as Italian cuisine preserves their identity, traditions and biodiversity. In Montréal we will bring an image of Italy that is dynamic and contemporary, capable of combining culture, agri-food, tourism and sport. Following the recognition of Italian Cuisine as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, initiatives like this help make known to the world not only our products and our excellence, but also the lifestyle, conviviality and territorial connection that make the Italian model unique".

Completing the story of Italy will be the exSport Gallery, created by MAECI – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with MEI – National Museum of Italian Emigration. The immersive gallery, which will be hosted within Spazio Azzurri for the entire duration of the Worlds, offers visitors a dedicated journey through the stories of Italians who have made cycling great in the world.

FCI President Cordiano Dagnoni: "The return of Spazio Azzurri, after 16 years, represents for the Italian Cycling Federation an important opportunity to accompany the National Team and, together, tell Italy's story to the world. In Montréal cycling will be the common thread of an encounter between sport, culture, territories, traditions and Italian excellence. I thank the institutions, partners and all those who contributed to bringing this project back to life, which once again becomes the home of the Azzurri and a meeting place for Italian cycling in the world".

The World Championships will be the stage, cycling the common thread: in Montréal Spazio Azzurri will tell the story of an Italy that pedals, produces, cooks and brings its culture and territories to the world.