1973 Bologna Bike Protest Against Smog Resurfaces in Home Movies Archive

On March 19, 1973, 5,000 citizens cycled through Bologna in a pioneering anti-smog protest, predating Fridays for Future by decades. The demonstration, organized by associations and recreational clubs, wound through Via Indipendenza, Rizzoli, Strada Maggiore, and Giardini Margherita under the slogan “Come cycling with us and pedal for your health.” It demanded healthier lifestyles and sustainable cities, including bike lanes then absent. Fifty years later, Home Movies, Italy’s national family film archive, unearthed a film by amateur filmmaker Andrea Lambertini, shot from his Lambretta, capturing the crowd of men, women, and children. The footage will stream on March 19 on homemovies100.it as part of the HomeMovies100 Almanac, a year-long project posting 365 short films daily to chronicle the 20th century through private and public events. The protest remains one of the largest anti-traffic demonstrations ever.