1919-1939: the beginnings

Fausto Coppi was born In Castellania  , a little village near Tortona and Novi Ligure on the Appennino mountains between Liguria and Piemonte, on September 15th, 1919.

For his mother Angiolina and his father Domenico he is the fourth son , after the birth of Maria,Livio and Dina; four years later the last brother will born and his name will be Serse, who will look exactly like Fausto.

After some years Fausto  got his first bicycle, probably in 1927, and his first job as a grocer's boy in Novi Ligure.  Tthis was the first training for Fausto Coppi, who used the bicycle every day for delivering and back and forth between Novi and Castellania.

And here In Novi Ligure Fausto Coppi met Biagio Cavanna , a former boxer and a masseur already known as " the magician of the muscles" and as a good trainer for cyclists.

Cavanna became soon Fausto's trainer and then a precious friend for all his life and career.  After some non professionistic races Coppi took part to his first "important" race: the "Giro of Piemonte" and here he met for the first time Gino Bartali