Saturday, May 13, 2023

Giro 2023 Stage 8: Terni to Fossombre

Where are we? Heading from Umbria to the Marche.

Terni: Umbria Tourism tells me that located in southeastern Umbria, Terni is spread over a large plain at the confluence of the Serra and Nera rivers, surrounded by a natural amphitheater of hills. In the latter half of the 19th century Terni was one of the first cities in Italy to take part in the industrial revolution, and thanks to the enormous amount of power provided by Marmore Falls, it earned the nickname of "Manchester of Italy."
Also, One building definitely worthy of a visit in Terni is the Basilica of San Valentino, which holds the body of St. Valentine, patron saint of lovers, who was bishop of Terni and martyred in the 3rd century AD.

Regional Specialties: The city and its surroundings offer a genuine and tasty cuisine with an influence of the Etruscan and Roman tradition that we find above all in the game, such as the wild wood pigeon or the “ghiotta pigeon”, both cooked on a spit. A typical dish is the “guinea fowl alla leccarda”, stuffed with diced bacon covered with a liver purée and served on a toasted bread crust. Even the processing of pork has, in this land, ancient roots derived from those great butcher masters. Cured meats and hams have unique characteristics, unmistakable aroma and flavour. Typical products are also those derived from the processing of wild boar, which abounds in the woods of the area. You can also taste dishes based on freshwater fish such as trout or the typical carbonaretti, char cooked over an open flame until they become toasted and seasoned with oil and salt, typical of Piediluco. Among the first courses, the traditional “ciriole alla Ternana”, a mixture of water and flour in the shape of earthworms seasoned with a spicy sauce, sometimes enriched with asparagus, mushrooms or truffles. Another first course from Terni are the gnocchetti alla collescipolana, small gnocchi made with flour and breadcrumbs, served with sausage sauce, tomato, bacon and beans. Also renowned outside the region is the “pane di Terni”, a typical salt-free bread prepared exclusively with water, flour and natural yeast and cooked in wood-burning ovens according to ancient methods. Terni bread is suitable for the traditional “bruschetta”,  with local extra virgin olive oil.
 The “King” of Terni pastry is Pampepato PGI, a typical Christmas cake, a balanced mixture of no less than 16 ingredients, including must, dried fruit, chocolate and spices. Pepper is the fundamental ingredient from which the name derives. To sweetly end a meal, don’t miss the tozzetti, hard biscuits with almonds or hazelnuts, well accompanied with a good Vinsanto DOC.

Fossombre: Turismo Marche tells me that Fossombrone, once the Roman settlement of Forum Sempronii, looks splendid from afar on the slopes of the Metauro Valley. Named after the plebeian tribune Gaius Sempronius Gracco who built the forum between 133 and 126 BC, the town was laid out on a grid-like plan which ran parallel with the Flaminian Way. Excavations have brought to light the remains of a domus, or family house, with thermal heating system, and a long stretch of basalt paving running parallel to the Flaminian Way.

The most remarkable religious sites include: the Church of St. Philip, the fourteenth-century Church of St. Augustine, the Church of San Francesco and the Cathedral with its neoclassical facade. Church towers and the upper storeys of larger noble palaces peep out through the terracotta roofs of the town's terraced streets, while above it stands the 15th Century Corte Alta Palace, now home of Art Gallery the Civic Museum, housing prehistoric finds and a large collection of finds dating back to Roman Forum Sempronii; must see attractions are also the sixteenth-century Palazzo Cattabeni and Palazzo Dedi. In the fortified citadel that dominates the city are the remains of the pentagonal Malatesta fortress, whose courtyard boasts the Church of S. Aldebrando. Along Via Pergamino -  in the direction of Urbino -  is the Palazzo Pergamini - Negri, which houses the  Quadreria Cesarini, containing over 60 paintings and graphic works made by Anselmo Bucci, as well as works of modern and contemporary art. Safely locked up on the edge of the town is one of Italy's most secure prisons.

Regional Specialties: The Truffle Festival in Fossombrone has been celebrating the Bianchetto (“white”) truffle for over 35 years, a DOP product of the Marche Region. In March the Tuber Albidum Pico is the star of the menu; it comes from a land rich in nature, gastronomic specialities and an outstanding artistic and cultural heritage. The Festival gives you the chance to taste the Bianchetto truffle in the numerous stands along the historic Corso Garibaldi and in the restaurants of the town.


The stage: A sign that some think this could be a day for the breakaway: there are 13 riders in that group. It took 84 kilometers for that group to form. 
The group consisted of: Valentin Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Carlos Verona (Movistar), Derek Gee (Israel-PremierTech), Toms Skujiņš (Trek-Segafredo), Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan), François Bidard (Cofidis), Mattia Bais (Eolo-Kometa), Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Alessandro Iacchi (Team Corratec-SelleItalia), Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla) and Warren Barguil (Arké-Samsic).
With 77 kilometers to go, their gap was 5:15.
Again today, it was beautiful:
The other news of the morning, to me at least, was the departure of Ganna due to a Covid positive, right before the time trial. He was the 4th rider to test positive, so it was likely there would be more to come. 
Back on the race, Healy had gone solo from the break. An ambitious attempt. He would get a gap of over one minute.

One never likes to jinx a rider, but it was looking very good for Healy. Twenty kilometers to go and his gap was 1:38. He would hold on.
Eventually, some GC action with Roglic gaining some time back on Remco.




The wine: Bea 07 Pipparello from Dig 
From 2017: 
If it is Umbria it must be time for a Bea wine.  

From Italian Wine Merchants
As with all of Paolo Bea's wines, the estate uses non-interventionist techniques to grow grapes for its Montefalco Riserva Pipparello--a blend of about 60 percent Sangiovese with the rest split evenly between indigenous Umbrian grapes Montepulciano and Sagrantino. This natural wine is traditional in spirit, undergoing a long and unusual maceration of six weeks, extended aging in large neutral casks and delivered to market with additional bottle aging for approachability. Offering aromas of ripe blackberry layered with black pepper and licorice, this wine offers a soft, structured palate with a distinct streak of acidity and notes of ripe Morello cherry, blackcurrant, game, truffles and baked earth. An exceptional vintage in Umbria, this ’07 Montefalco Riserva Pipparello presents immediate drinkability combined with age-worthiness; soft, round, herbaceous and juicy, it’s a delicious bottle from one of IWM’s favorite cult producers.

The food: Pane di Terni
Recipe from Umbria Tourism
Ingredients: 800 g wheat flour
200g natural yeast
440g of room temperature still mineral water
8g of fresh beer yeast
A pinch of salt
Wheat bran
Mix the flour with some of the water until you obtain a lumpy and moist composite. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Then add salt, the remaining water, and the beer yeast, whilst constantly mixing. The result will be a homogenous and smooth mass which needs to ferment for 2 to 4 hours. After kneading the composite by hand, break off and smooth out portions of about 800g each. Dust these off with the wheat bran and cover them with a cloth. Put everything in the oven heated to 220 C and let it cook until brown.

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