Pope Francis received a delegation from the Tour de France today, June 22, in a private audience in Rome. captained by Christian Prudhomme, general manager of the Grande Boucle. Accompanying him were, among others, the head of the political secretariat of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Giammaria Manghithe president of the Apt Servizi company, Davide Cassani.
The Pope was given a yellow jersey, symbol of the leader of the race, a print with a view of Bologna in medieval times and a bottle of balsamic vinegar from Modena.
The Tour will start from Italy for the first time Saturday 29 Juneor from Florence arriving in Rimini. The route of the second stage, Cesenatico-Bologna on Sunday 30th, will be entirely in Emilia-Romagna, while the third stage, scheduled for Monday 1st July, will start from Piacenza.