The Touring Club Italiano (TCI) (in English, "Italian Touring Club" or "Touring Club of Italy") is the major Italian national tourist organization. The Touring Club Ciclistico Italiano (TCCI) was founded on 8 November 1894 by a group of bicyclists to promote the values of cycling and travel; its founding president was . It published its first maps in 1897. By 1899, it had 16,000 members. With the new century, it promoted tourism in all its forms – including auto tourism – and the appreciation of the natural and urban environments. Under fascism, starting in 1937, it was forced to Italianize its name to the Consociazione Turistica Italiana.