The newly renovated Piazza della Libertà has been inaugurated at the top of Poggio di Sanremo. At its center, a sculpture depicting three stylized bicycles, designed by students of the Academy of Fine Arts, celebrates the strong connection between the village and the cycling race. At the base of the sculpture, the words "La Classicissima di Primavera" and "Sanremo Women presented by Crédit Agricole – Milano-Sanremo presented by Crédit Agricole" stand out, underscoring the connection with RCS Sport, the race organizer. A QR code linking to the Classicissima website is also present.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Alessandro Mager, Mayor of Sanremo, Alessandro Sindoni, Councilor for Tourism and Sport of the Municipality of Sanremo, Massimo Donzella, Councilor for Public Works of the Municipality of Sanremo, Claudio Chiappucci, winner of the Milan-Sanremo in 1991, and Roberto Salamini, Marketing & Communications Manager of RCS Sports & Events.
The square is located right at the top of the climb, which often decided the race's victory, where the famous telephone booth once stood. This served as a reference point for cyclists for the hairpin bend that marked the start of the descent, and from which newspaper and radio correspondents would send live updates.
Alessandro Mager, Mayor of Sanremo, together with the councilors for tourism and sport Alessandro Sindoni and for public works Massimo Donzella, receivedWe recalled the tradition that links the Milan-Sanremo to the Poggio, on whose climb indelible pages in the history of the cycling race have been written, and remembered the recent inauguration of the Walk of Fame on the cycle/pedestrian path, with panels of the roll of honor and casts of the winners' hands, which has already become a tourist attraction.
“"The Milan-Sanremo represents one of the most important victories of my career, especially because I managed to defy the odds," said Claudio Chiappucci, first across the finish line of the Classicissima in 1991. "My edition went down in history because it was the last in which the decisive move came on the descent of the Passo del Turchino. On the Poggio, I managed to break away from Rolf Sørensen, my last remaining rival, and from there I sprinted towards the finish line on Corso Cavallotti.".
“The Poggio is one of the most iconic places in world cycling, the point where for decades unforgettable pages of the history of the Milan-Sanremo and, in recent years, also of the Sanremo Women have been concentrated – said Roberto Salamini, Marketing & Communications Manager of RCS Sports & Events – Seeing this space redeveloped and enriched by a work that celebrates the Classicissima means enhancing a sporting heritage that belongs to all cycling enthusiasts.".
