Foundation of the Touring Club Italiano

The Touring Club Ciclistico Italiano was founded at the very end of the nineteenth century by a group of entrepreneurs from Milan, following the example of the English BicycleTouring Club (1878). It soon after adopted the simpler name of Touring Club Italiano and widened its scope to the promotion of any kind of tourism. Its main goal was the nationwide dissemination of information about the country through the publication of guide books, magazines, and road maps; in fact, one of its early slogans was “to let the Italians know Italy.” In contrast to the other guide books still common at the beginning of the twentieth century, those published by the Touring Club did not focus on only the classical itineraries of the Grand Tour and Renaissance artworks, but aimed at depicting the whole of the country, including destinations deemed particularly interesting because of their natural features. The club also developed a keen interest in the conservation of panoramic views and natural monuments and became one of the main advocates for the institution of recreational national parks based on the American model.