Madonna del Ghisallo is a hill close to Lake Como in Italy. It is named after a legendary Marian apparition. According to the legend the Medieval count Ghisallo was being attacked by bandits when he saw an image of Virgin Mary at a shrine. He ran to it and was saved from the robbers. Madonna del Ghisallo became a patroness of local travellers. In later times Madonna del Ghisallo became part of the Giro di Lombardia. In 1949 the local priest Father Ermelindo Vigano proposed to declare Madonna del Ghisallo the patroness of cyclists. This was admitted by Pope Pius XII. Nowadays the shrine of Madonna del Ghisallo contains a small cycling museum with photos and artifacts from the sport. There also burns an eternal flame for cyclists who have died. One particularly notable artifact is the crumpled bicycle that Fabio Casartelli, a native of the region, rode on the day he died in a crash in the Tour de France.
External links
- Climbbybike.com: All information on and profile of the Passo del Ghisallo
