Sunday, June 30, 2024

Tour de France 2024 Stage 2: Cesenatico to Bologna

Where are we? Spending another day in Emilia Romagna

Cesenatico: The local tourist site tells me that: A row of old, unfurled sails along the Porto Canale separates the city in two and runs all the way to the open sea. It is surrounded by a picturesque old fishing village, which still retains its colourful houses and the warm, welcoming and smiling spirit of its inhabitants.

Cesenatico is a small artistic town in the heart of the Riviera Romagnola: a place where the warmth of ancient traditions embraces the freshness of continuous urban buzz. 
So a trip to Cesenatico is not just a simple holiday, but rather the best gift you can give yourself, that of immersing yourself for a while in this Romagna town dedicated to living well.


Le Tour specialties: fish from the Adriatic, kebabs, fried fish, passatelli with broth (typical pasta from Romagna), cuttlefish with peas, mussels, squacquerone from Romagna

Bologne (Bologna): Bologna, the capital and largest city of Emilia-Romagna and home of one of the oldest universities in Europe. The local tourist site has a few suggestions to get started: Take the time to visit and discover  the city, wandering and 'getting lost' through arcades, squares and market stalls, where human relationships and urban charm are inseparable. Starting from Piazza Maggiore, enclosed by the beautiful ancient palaces of Accursio, Re Enzo, Podestà and  Notai and by the majesty of Basilica di San Petronio, you will then continue your visit discovering the many towers in Bologna, and not only the “two sisters” Garisenda and Asinelli. From the top of the Asinelli tower you can admire the red roofs and the hills around the city. Once back on the ground, you will be embraced by kilometers of arcades, the longest in the world, animated by the voices of many Italian and foreign students who attend the  oldest university in Europe. When visiting the museums you will appreciate all the history of Bologna from the Etruscan and Roman origins to its modern and contemporary artists' paintings and writings.

Le Tour specialties: al ragu sauce. Bologna mortadella. Tortellini in brodo. Cotoletta alla bolognese. Zuppa Inglese (dessert)

Christian Prudhomme says: The passage across the Emilia-Romagna region is straightforward enough to begin with as it takes the peloton to Imola and its famous motor racing circuit. The final part of the stage, featuring the climb to the Sanctuary of San Luca (1.9km at 10.6%), the traditional finale of the Giro dell’Emilia, which will be tackled twice in the final 40km, offers fertile terrain for the peloton’s puncheurs.


The stage: First off: yes, Cav and Co made it in before the limit yesterday. As hard as it can be to watch suffering, it is also remarkable to see that sort of teamwork.

Today started with a large break of 11 riders and a gap that with 150 kms to go was at 7:35. 
Yikes, almost another "phone" incident. As always, the good news is that fans can get close to the action. The bad news is that fans can get close to the action. 
Under 90 kms to go and the gap was over 5 minutes. Small crash in the peloton, including Van Aert but everyone was back up riding. With the crash though, the gap to the break went back out to around 8 minutes. Would the break now have a chance for the stage win?  
Under 50 kms and the gap was around 8 minutes. But that gap would start to come down rapidly. Forty two to go and closer to 5 minutes. Thirty five to go and closer to 4 minutes. Nice to see the huge crowd along the road. Under 30 and still over 3 minutes.  
Up front, they had started to take turns attacking each other, as it looked like the stage win would come from that group. Could it be a second French winner? Vaquelin was looking very strong. 
Ahead, some splits in the gc group. And then, the Pogacar attack. The only to follow, Vinegegaard. Nice to see he was able to follow.  For those not following early races, he had suffered a serious injury earlier in the season. Their gap would grow.
Further ahead, Vaquelin had 49 seconds with 6 km to go.
Wonderful moment with Vaquelin with plenty of time to celebrate his victory. Two French victories to kick things off in Italy!
Great recovery from Evenepoel and Carapaz to catch the duo. 
And into yellow, Pogacar.

GC


The wine: Terraquila Terreblanche Col Fondo Il Methodo Ancestrale 2018
From the importer: Terraquilia is a 9 ha organically farmed estate run by Romano Mattioli and his daughter, Giorgia, and son-in-law, Francesco. The vines are located in the Apennine mountains and are planted at 400-500m. At this altitude the vines enjoy cool breezes as well as influence from the Panaro River. Terraquilia is the ancient name for Giulia, the area where the winery is located. The family has a history of producing Lambrusco in a manner that respects traditional since the 70’s. All the wines are produced in the ancestrale method, which involves a natural secondary fermentation in bottle. Romano’s imperative is to emphasize a natural way of production, with minimal intervention in the cellar and minimal SO2. With a staunch commitment to sustainability, the winery is constructed with all natural wood materials and includes a system that recovers rainwater. The wines are wildly expressive of their origin.


The food:  I am about to share something that makes me quite sad. Due to my "friend" rosacea, I can no longer eat tomatoes. My feelings about this are extreme.  But, you should 100% make a bolognese sauce, like this one from Marcella Hazan  or this one from the regional tourist site. If you are feeling really fancy, it will make the basis of a great lasagne. But no reason not to simply serve it with the pasta of your choice. 
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Saturday, June 29, 2024

Tour de France 2024 Stage 1 Florence to Rimini

Where are we? Italy! Heading from Tuscany to Emilia Romagna. 

Florence: The art, the renaissance, the bridges, the river. Or, if you have listened to me babble, the Medicis. But this time, let's turn to the local tourist site for a Last Supper tour of the city.  They says: Our new adventure features seven locations you can visit for FREE (all but one) and admire the most famous  Florentine cenacoli, or perhaps what is better known as the "Last Supper". These small gems of color, interpretation and history are spread across the city. Many monastries jealously conceal splendid frescoes depicting the theme of the Last Supper, safely kept in the same location where they were  painted in the Middle Ages or in the Renaissance.
Visit the site for more details, but plan on seven stops:
  1. Santa Croce: Taddeo Gaddi (1336-1366 circa) - visit is paid, includes the entire complex of Santa Croce
  2. Santo Spirito: Orcagna (1365)
  3. Sant'Apollonia: Andrea del Castagno (1445-50)
  4. Ognissanti: Domenico Ghirlandaio (1480-1482)
  5. Fuligno: Pietro Perugino (1495)
  6. San Salvi: Andrea del Sarto (1519-27)
  7. Convitto della Calza by Franciabigio (1514)

Le Tour specialties: Tuscan bread, chianti, olives, olive oil, bistecca alla fiorentina, trippa alla fiorentina, crostini toscani, panzanella (bread salad), prosciutto, schiacciata alla fiorentina, zuccotto (ice-cream bomb)

Rimini: Let's visit a museum: the Fellini Museum is a magical place of art: a venue that stirs emotions and entertainment where innovation, research and experimentation are measured against the classic spirit of art.
The Fellini Museum wants to interpret the cinema of the Rimini-based director not as a work in itself, as a shrine or tribute to the memory, but by exalting the cultural heritage of one of the most illustrious directors in the history of cinema, who was born in Rimini in 1920, and brings together through a conceptual and spatial bond, several locations in the heart of the city, creating a composite path of interactive narratives that make the visitor the protagonist of an immersive experience. A seamless dialogue is created between indoor and outdoor spaces where creativity and imagination positively contaminate Rimini and its journey into the present and future, as the key to accessing the world of "imagination is everything".
The Fellini Museum is spread out across three famous locations in the historical centre of Rimini, connecting them in a single continuum to convey knowledge and the creative spark that made the Italian director so extraordinary. The three areas are: Castel Sismondo, the fifteenth-century Malatesta fortress designed by Filippo Brunelleschi; the Fulgor Palace, an eighteenth-century building where the ground floor hosts the legendary cinema Fulgor immortalised in Amarcord and now renovated with a stage designed by three-time Oscar winner Dante Ferretti. Lastly, the two buildings are joined by Piazza Malatesta, a large urban area with gardens, event arenas, artistic installations, an immense pool of water reminding of the ancient moat of the castle and a large circular bench that, as at the end of the 8½ movie is meant as hymn to life, solidarity and the wish to be together.
Le Tour specialties: piadine, piada (bread), egg pasta, passatelli, strozzapreti (priest's stew, pasta), spit-roasted cockerel, mora romagnola (salami), ciambella (cake), piada dei morti (dried fruit brioche), fiocchetti (cheese-stuffed pasta), pagnotta (bread ball). 

Christian Prudhomme says: It’s rare for the Tour de France to start with more than 3,600 metres of climbing – in fact it’s never happened before! – and it’s also the first time that the race has visited the home city of Gino Bartali. The succession of hills in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna are likely to be the setting for an immediate and testing confrontation between the contenders for the title, particularly the climb into San Marino (7.1km at 4.8%), where the race will add a 13th name to its catalogue of foreign visits.


The stage: Off we go! 
Early break? Check. 
But the concerning early sight was Mark Cavendish struggling so much in the heat. Anyone following along knows that he is at the Tour chasing a record 35th stage win. Soon enough, riders would drop from both the break and main peloton. With 100 kms to go, the gap was around 4 minutes.
Speaking of Cavendish, the first abandonment of the race, his teammate Michele Gazzoli.
Seventy kms to go, UAE had gone to the front and the gap was down to around 3 minutes. UAE, of course, being the team of the pre race favorite, Pogacar.
Field art of the day nomination. Under 60 kms to go and the gap was under two minutes.
As they rode closer, Bardet and Healy would both jump from the peloton.
Hard to not root for Bardet.
Way behind, Cav and co were 26 minutes down, but were expected to make the time cut.
And, hi San Marino! Apparently this is the first time the Tour de France has passed through San Marino, and the thirteenth country.
Just about 20 kms to go and the gap was just under 2 minutes for Bardet and Van Den Broek. Thirteen to go and just over a minute.
Under 10 and 48 seconds. Under 5 and 30 seconds. It was very much looking like they would be caught in the final km.
Wow! They made it. A frenchman into yellow to start the Tour!


The wine: Pacina Rosso Toscana (Chianti) 2014 from Copake Wine Works
From the producer: Pācina is an old monastery of the 10th century surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, fields, and wooded areas and nestled on the Chianti hills in Castelnuovo Berardenga just a few kilometres east of Siena.
Pācina is a special place with a long history, agricultural and otherwise, which has maintained it’s traditions since time immemorial. It’s origins lie in Etruscan times, from which the very name is derived from Pacha, or Pachna, the name of the Etruscan god of wine, the equivalent of the Greek Bacchus. 
Today Pācina is a farm which produces organic wine, olive oil, cereals and pulses. 
The Tiezzi-Borsa family has been the happy custodian of this wonderful place for almost a century. Giovanna and Steafano have been the current custodians for 30 years now, and along with their children, Maria and Carlo, work to maintain the natural and cultural richness of Pācina.

The food:  Piadina from Italy Magazine
Ingredients: 
flour 500 gr
lard (if you really do not want to use lard try with olive oil) 100 gr
bicarbonate of sodium a pinch
salt 15 gr
water

Place flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain, mix in the lard and baking soda using as much lukewarm water as you need to get a compact dough. Cut into balls and flatten them out with a rolling pin into 0.5cm thick circles with roughly a 15cm diametre. 

Cooking method: Piadine are usually cooked on very hot metal surfaces or on terracotta. Try using a nonstick pan, warm it up and cook it on each side, pricking the surface with a fork to avoid air-bubbles. Nowadays piadine can be served as bread substitute, snacks, or as a full meal depending on how you serve them. The best options for the filling are the many typical specialties of Emilia-Romagna; try it with Parma ham, with salame felino, coppa, culatello and other cured cuts or the typical spreadable cheese called "Squaqquerone". Anyway, remember that piadine need to be eaten on the spot, when they are still warm. Piadine make for perfect street food as you can eat them with your hands and the landscape of Romagna is dotted with Piadinerie (street kiosks) where you can choose the filling you prefer and they will cook them on the spot for you. So, if you have the chance to visit the area, do not miss to try this fantastic specialty.
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