Reality and Representations of Sport Abroad and in the Colonies under Italian Fascism (1931-1939)

This article examines two Mediterranean regions where the Fascist regime made cycling a symbol of Italian identity and a tool of prestige. On the French Riviera, Franco-Italian sports rivalry was used to assert a strong identity claim, aiming to bring Italians together within national and fascist associations. In the Italian colony of Libya, the intervention of fascist institutions in the social sphere was exemplified by the organization of cycling races.