Nichelino is a commuter town for Turin. Nearby is the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, a monumental hunting lodge begun for the Savoy kings in the early 18th century, You can read a lot more here, but I liked this bit: Stupinigi was the preferred building to be usedfor celebrations and dynastic weddings by members of the House of Savoy. Here, in 1773, Maria Teresa, Princess of Savoy, married Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI and the future Charles X of France.
Italia.it tells me that Novara is the easternmost province of Piedmont, bordering Lombardy to its east and south. Enclosed by the Ticino and Sesia Rivers, it is mainly flatland in the south, hills in the center, and mountains to the north, whence surges the Monte Mattarone.
The Province in part is home to Piedmont's grand lakes: most of Lake Orta and the evocative village of Orta San Giulio; and the southern part of Lake Maggiore, with its renowned tourist resorts of Arona and Castelletto-above-Ticino. Giro Specialities:
Stupingi: Within the Stupinigi Natural Park, were identified the most suitable agricultural land for growing traditional varieties of wheat with a low gluten content, which had not been grown in the area for a long time, and to these have been added many varieties of ancient grains. The wheat, sown in the park, is stone-ground and his flour is sold in the area and also used by the Panacea bakery (in Turin) to produce bread by using sourdough. With the enhancement of local agriculture and the park’s antique agricultural vocation, a direct link has been created between the cultivated land of Stupinigi and the consumer, bringing to the table a top quality bread and creating the first flour chain in Piedmont. Working in a short supply chain without intermediaries ensures the elimination of chemical additives and offers consumers a product whose quality and origin are fully known.
Novara: As Novara is surrounded by rice fields, its typical dish can only be made with rice: the paniscia is a risotto with beans, cabbage and salame della duja (a typical salami kept in a clay pot under the porc fat) and all the vegetables you can find in your garden . Each family has its own recipe, the important is to cook it in large quantity, so you can eat the rest the day after al salto, crispy and tasty.
Gorgonzola never fails on our tables, both dolce and piccante; the Consortium for the Protection of Gorgonzola cheese is in Novara, where most of the production is concentrated. One can taste it alone or combined with other ingredients in delicious recipes: anyway, it’s one of the cheeses that best match the whole meal. Dulcis in fundo, the Biscotti of Novara are an ancient dessert, whose recipe dates back to the XVIth century, made by the nuns that used to prepare them during Easter time and send to the Pope. Made only with flour, sugar and eggs they have accompanied the snacks of the Novara people for over 500 years. During the patron saint celebrations (22nd January) the Bread of San Gaudenzio is worth tasting; it’s a cake made with raisins or chestnuts, closed in a shortcrust pastry shell and dried fruit grains above.
Plus, our first break of the race with Filippo Tagliani (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Umberto Marengo (Bardiani-CSF-Faizané), Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa).
The Giro social media team was prepping for a relaxed stage with a question of the day:
Despite the flatness of the stage, there was a single KOM (King of the Mountain) point, so we would have someone in that jersey tomorrow. That rider? Albanese.Describe @vincenzonibali with an emoji... but don't use this 👉 🦈
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 9, 2021
Descrivi @vincenzonibali con una emoji... ma senza usare questa 👉🦈#Giro pic.twitter.com/urCYZBEUhC
Seventy kilometers to go and the gap was around two minutes. I was appreciating the quiet stage today, allowing me to get back in the rhythm of these posts.
Sixty kilometers to go and the gap to the two remaining break riders was 1:13.
Ahead, an intermediate sprint point. The Giro sprint points are confusing so here's the basics: Both sprintermediates count for the Sprintermediate Comp [no jersey]
1st sprintermediate counts for Points [ciclamino]2nd sprintermediate counts for GC [rosa]
But, really, go here and read more about all of the competitions you may not be aware of.
Obviously, our two breakaway riders took maximum points. Behind them, from the field: Gaviria followed by Viviani, Pasqualon and Sagan.
Twenty seven kilometers to go and the duo ahead was essentially caught. Next was the second sprintermediate. Ganna took the win, giving him three bonus seconds.
That done, it was almost time for the sprint trains to set up.
Five kilometers to go, all together and I admit that I was getting nervous. Early sprint stages of grand tours stress me out.
Fastest man in Italy, too. https://t.co/i9vHwahvo1
— Bill Schieken | CXHAIRS Media (@CXHairs) May 9, 2021
Stage:
| os. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | 4:21:09 |
| 2 | Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Team Qhubeka Assos | |
| 3 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Cofidis | |
| 4 | Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jumbo-Visma | |
| 5 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| 6 | Matteo Moschetti (Ita) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 7 | Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| 8 | Lawrence Naesen (Bel) AG2R Citroën Team | |
| 9 | Davide Cimolai (Ita) Israel Start-up Nation | |
| 10 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto Soudal |
Ganna keeps pink.
I have a soft spot for Freisa and this just sounded fun.
The folks at Kermit Lynch tell me that: Credit goes to Lyle Railsback for noticing a dusty bottle of this beauty above the fireplace in Massimo Benevelli’s tasting room. Massimo wasn’t going to voluntarily tell us that he produced this delicious little sparkling Freisa “for his joy” (and his family’s consumption), but once we noticed and tasted one, we insisted on scoring some, and he caved in. Good eye, Lyle! Pair this zippy red with salami or, really a treat, a bowl of strawberries.
The Food: Gorgonzola
The Gorgonzola consortium tells me that: Gorgonzola is a very ancient cheese. Some say Gorgonzola was first produced in the town of Gorgonzola, near Milan, in the year 879 AD. Some other say that it was first produced in Pasturo nella Valsassina, a great cheese-making area for centuries, due to the presence of excellent natural caves where the average temperature is constantly between 6°C and 12°C. Therefore, this allows perfect making of Gorgonzola as well as several other cheeses.
They also say that: Only milk from some provinces of Lombardy and Piedmont can be used; the milk, exclusively pasteurized full fat cow milk, is added with lactic ferments, rennet and penicillium spores. After coagulation, the curd is put in wooden moulds, about 14 kg per wheel, and then left to rest in order to drain the serum. The wheels are then turned over and branded on both sides with the ID number of the cheese factory. Afterwards, they are moved to cells, called “purgatory”, with a temperature of 18/24 °C, where the wheels are manually salted.
After about 3 weeks of ripening, in cold stores at -1 +7 °C, with 85/100% humidity, the wheels are punched with large metal needles to let the air enter in the cheese, develop the cultures inserted in the curdle and hence give birth to the unique blue-greenish and/or grey-light blue veins of Gorgonzola. When the ripening is complete (minimum 50 and maximum 150 days ripening for sweet Gorgonzola; minimum 80 and maximum 270 days ripening for spicy Gorgonzola), the cheeses are cut and each part is wrapped in foil with the unmistakable G in relief of the Consortium.
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