Saturday, May 28, 2022

Wine and Food of the Giro 2022 Stage 20: Belluno to Marmolada


Where are we? Climbing through the Veneto.

Belluno: The Giro says: Belluno, the shining city! This is how the Celts called it: about an hour from Venice, perched on a promontory and lapped by the Piave River and the Ardo creek, Belluno is the capital city of a natural heritage that has no equal in the world, the UNESCO Dolomites. Steeped in history and naturally devoted to nature, our territory can give unique experiences and emotions.
In Belluno nature meets the city: on the one side the Pre-Alps with their gentle slopes and their bright green, on the other the UNESCO Dolomites, a unique scenery made of majestic rocky walls and monumental peaks stretched towards the sky. Through the valley flows the river Piave, iconic World War I battlefield. A historical city center skimmed by waters and crowned by mountains.

The food: The traditional cuisine is very tasty: the pastin, for example, is the king of our barbecue and it is made of spicy beef and pork minced meat. From the rich dairy tradition comes schiz, a first salt cheese best baked in the oven. Dessert addicted need to try giuseppine during Carnival or the spicy Pan de Belun, but if you prefer a healthy but tasty snack kodinžon, a dried apple stick, is the one for you. Obviously, all soaked by a classic ombra of wine or a handcrafted local beer.

Marmolada: The Giro tells me that The municipality of Rocca Pietore (La Ròcia in Ladin) is the Geographical heart of the Unesco Dolomites. Situated 1143 m above sea level, it has about 1200 inhabitants and 76 square kilometres of surface area.
The area is famous for its natural elements where you can enjoy an authentic experience of forests, enchanted lakes, villages and some of the most majestic Dolomite peaks.
Rocca Pietore offers a wide range of experiences linked to sport, history, culture and wellbeing.
The Marmolada Ski Area, part of the Dolomiti Superski, is the jewel in the crown for winter skiing, but the valley also offers the chance to try out ski mountaineering, cross-country skiing, freeriding, snowshoeing and ice climbing. Some of the most scenic treks in the Dolomites, adrenalin-pumping crags and via ferratas: summer is also more active than ever here.
The history of the community of Rocca Pietore has passed through important human events: the Magnifica Comunità della Rocca, a form of self-government in the Longobard period, and the First World War, fought among these harsh rocks. An important part of this history is witnessed with war findings inside the Marmolada Great War Museum at Punta Serauta, in Marmolada.

The food:The cuisine and typical gastronomy of the Dolomites are key elements for the Ladin identity of the Rocca Pietore area.
The ancient agricultural roots of the area gave the healthiest ingredients to the local recipes: most of all potatoes, vegetables and cereals. These elements have the strength to grow up also at high altitude, with a fresh climate.The crops made possible by the Dolomite climate are those that do not require great heat and that withstand the temperature changes present at high altitude.
Ladin cuisine is a journey through culture and flavors, an experience that will take you by the throat and will give you unique sensations: from the particular flavor of game meat with polenta to the sweetish aftertaste of smoked ricotta, from the spice of typical desserts to perfume and grappa flavored with cumin, mountain pine, juniper, blueberries and wild strawberries.
Cereals such as barley, wheat, rye, oats and legumes, vegetables such as peas, beans, turnips and potatoes and still apples, plums, apricots, berries, strawberries and mushrooms from the undergrowth: these are the products of the earth, processed with care and dedication by local cooks and chefs.
And again cheeses and dairy products. Great attention is given to their preparation from the malghe of the area. Spicy, seasoned or fresh, soft or more decisive: the tasting of local cheeses offers a riot of flavors that cannot be renounced.
From lunch in a refuge as a well-deserved reward after a wonderful trekking among the most beautiful valleys of the Dolomites, to a convivial evening in one of the restaurants in the valley and even to a sophisticated dinner: every occasion is good to regenerate yourself at the table and to savor the typical tastes of the area.
Here’s a taste: the dumplings, known as balòte or bale, offered in broth or with melted butter, with speck or with spinach and ricotta, or with cheese; the casonzièi o casunziei, egg pasta crescents stuffed with spinach and ricotta, pumpkin, beetroot or potatoes; local potato gnocchi with melted butter and smoked ricotta; the menèstra da orz with smoked pork knuckle.


The stage: The keyword for today would be climbing, as the riders erached their last day in the mountains. With 100 kilometers to go, we had some familiar names in the lead: Kämna, Arensman, Oomen, Ciccone, Vansevenant, Pedrero, Leemreize, Novak, Formolo, Moniquet, Covi, Vendrame, van der Poel, Zardini and Ballerin.
It was another beautiful day to watch, if not perhaps to ride. A reminder of the GC situation: Carapaz and Hindley were separated by 3 seconds in the battle for pink, with Landa 3rd at 1:05. 
Seventy kilometers to go and the re-formed break of Kämna, Arensman, Oomen, Ciccone, Vansevenant, Pedrero, Leemreize, Novak, Formolo, Moniquet, Covi, Vendrame, van der Poel, Zardini and Ballerini had 6 minutes from the main bunch. Not surprisingly, that group would come apart.
The hairpins! Heading out solo, Covi climbing the Cima Coppi.
At the top, Covi reached the Cima Coppi point solo, taking the prize for being the first over the highest point of this year's Giro. Behind, it appeared that the GC battle would come down to the final climb.
On he went. Behind him, as they began the final climb, the chase was growing smaller. But when would action start from the gc group?
Finally, just at the point viewers may have given up hope, an attack from Hindley. Carapaz had shown a small bit of weakness and he rode away, with a gap continuing to grow.
Ahead, Covi with the impressive stage win. 
Hindley in. Landa in and still not Carapaz. Finally we saw him, coming in more than a minute back. Barring issues, Hindley should win the Giro tomorrow. 

Stage:
1COVI AlessandroUAE Team Emirates4:46:34
2NOVAK DomenBahrain - Victorious0:32
3CICCONE GiulioTrek - Segafredo0:37
4PEDRERO AntonioMovistar Team1:36
5ARENSMAN ThymenTeam DSM1:50
6HINDLEY JaiBORA - hansgrohe2:30
7LEEMREIZE GijsJumbo-Visma3:04
8CARTHY HughEF Education-EasyPost3:19
9LANDA MikelBahrain - Victorious3:19
10KÄMNA LennardBORA - hansgrohe3:39
11CARAPAZ RichardINEOS Grenadiers3:58
12FORMOLO DavideUAE Team Emirates3:58
13FORTUNATO LorenzoEOLO-Kometa4:07
14HIRT JanIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux4:25
15OOMEN SamJumbo-Visma4:31
16LÓPEZ Juan PedroTrek - Segafredo4:33
17NIBALI VincenzoAstana Qazaqstan Team4:37
18HAMILTON LucasTeam BikeExchange - Jayco4:48
19MARTIN GuillaumeCofidis4:48
20BILBAO PelloBahrain - Victorious5:06


GC:
1HINDLEY JaiBORA - hansgrohe86:07:19
2CARAPAZ RichardINEOS Grenadiers1:25
3LANDA MikelBahrain - Victorious1:51
4NIBALI VincenzoAstana Qazaqstan Team7:57
5BILBAO PelloBahrain - Victorious8:55
6HIRT JanIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux9:07
7BUCHMANN EmanuelBORA - hansgrohe11:18
8POZZOVIVO DomenicoIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux16:04
9LÓPEZ Juan PedroTrek - Segafredo17:29
10CARTHY HughEF Education-EasyPost17:56



The wine: Inama Soave Classico Vigneti di Carbonare 
From Dig: Inama’s Soave Carbonare is from a wonderful vineyard of old pergolas which greets the morning sun, overlooking a steep sided valley. Fresh and beautifully layered, with notes of yellow fruits, citrus, and just the right tangy of stony salinity to finish. Lovely stuff.

The food: Casunziei 
Visit Marmolada offers this recipe.
There are lots of different kind of recipe to prepare casunziei, the local homemade pasta filled with vegetables. We can quietly say that each family in Rocca Pietore has his own recipe handed down between generations.
That’s why we only list the main ingredients both for pasta and filling.

PASTA INGREDIENTS
Flour
Eggs
Water
Salt

DIFFERENT KIND OF FILLING
Giamèita or wild spinach
Ricotta cheese and spinach
Beetroot
Potatoes
Pumpkin

Casunziei must be boiled in hot water and served with melted butter and smoked ricotta cheese.
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