 That night, Bartali received a phone call while he was in bed.Alcide De Gasperi, prime minister of Italy, from the Christian Democratic party, told him that a few days earlier Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Italian Communist Party, had been shot, and Italy might be on the edge of a civil war.De Gasperi asked Bartali to do his best to win a stage, because the sport news might distract people from the politics.