Giro 2024 Stage 6: Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) to Rapolano Terme

Where are we? Hanging out in Tuscany

Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio):  

The local tourist site tells me that Viareggio: where there’s sea on one side and the white peaks of the Apuan Alps on the other. Hasn’t everyone seen the classic snapshot of Viareggio? Stroll through the centre’s narrow streets, have an ice cream in the Pineta pine forest, take a trip to the sea in the Darsena quarter or, going even further, head to the most untouched part of the beach, the Lecciona (which is almost in Torre del Lago), and eat fish in one of the typical seafood trattorias, spending the day enjoying the authentic taste of the sea.

The most important city in Versilia, created as Lucca’s sea port, owes its name to the Via Regia, the road from the Middle Ages that passed from the city walls to the sea. 

We should apparently visit the carnival, to see the world's largest papier-mache floats. 

Giro Specialties: Traditional dishes that must be tried during a stay in Viareggio

Pasta alla trabaccolara “Trabaccolara” is a traditional Viareggio dish made using fish that hasn’t sold at the market. The name derives from the lugger, “trabaccolo”, used by the fishermen from San Benedetto del Tronto, some of whom moved to Viareggio between the 1920s and the end of the 1930s. Fish such as gurnard, scorpion fish and weever are needed to prepare the dish, to which some cooks add shellfish (although not part of the traditional recipe). The fish is cooked with tomatoes and flavoured with wine and aromatic herbs.

Risotto with squid and chardThis risotto unites the flavours of the land and the sea and is a favourite served by the local festival street kitchens during the Carnival period. To prepare the risotto, brown the squid, add the chard cut into strips and, once this has softened, add the rice and continue until the rice is cooked; finish the dish with the chopped parsley. Buon appetito!

Viareggio style “Cacciucco” Strictly with the double “C”s! A simple, traditional fishermen’s dish, this fish stew has been made since the 1500s. Cacciucco, from the Turkish “kuchuk” meaning “small”, would be prepared by fishermen as they returned to port from a fishing trip. The distinguishing feature of Viareggio cacciucco is that it uses the fish of little market value and which the fishermen on landing their catch would otherwise have discarded. To be served accompanied by toasted home made bread, preferably rubbed with garlic. Cacciucco fish stew has a strong and slightly spicy flavour.

Spaghetti “con i nicchi”So what are “nicchi”? Nicchi are what people from Viareggio call the clams or cockles found on sandy seabeds. They are cooked very simply but are extremely tasty. After purging the “nicchi” of sand by placing them in a bowl of seawater for at least 12 hours, they’re sautéed in a frying pan before adding freshly cooked spaghetti. White wine, garlic and chilli pepper are used to flavour the clams and parsley is added as a final touch.S

paghetti “con i coltellacci”“Coltellacci” in Viareggio vernacular are otherwise known as razor shells, which owe their name to the elongated, knife-like form of these molluscs that are found along the shoreline and on rocks after storms at sea. They are prepared plain or with the addition of tomatoes and have a strong, intense flavour.“

Scarpaccia”Finally, a dessert that isn’t sweet at all but which is usually eaten not only at the end of a meal but also as a snack during the day. A cake featuring finely sliced courgettes as the main ingredient. The resulting flavour, a mixture of sweet and savoury, delights the taste buds. Discover it for yourself!

Rapolano Terme: The Giro tells me that: The municipality of Rapolano Terme extends between the wooded hills of Chianti, the Val di Chiana and the Crete Senesi. This stretch of land is a work of art created by the effort and hard work of farmers, artisans and the ingenuity of its inhabitants. An endless piece of land made of villages, parish churches, castles and farms.

Giro Specialties:  This land grows high quality products such as cereals, olives, vines, or can also be left for grazing. Excellent oil, delicious vegetables, top quality meat and fragrant pecorino cheese, made from the milk of sheep that are lucky enough to feed on the variety of herbs available in the area. The cuisine is the traditional and essential one of rural Tuscany. Vegetable soups, bread soups that become “ribollite” the next day, fresh handmade pasta, and barbecued meat. Rapolano boasts a dessert called the “focaccia rapolanese”, a delicacy that can only be tasted in local bakeries and restaurants. Two disks of short pastry and almonds enclosing a mouth-watering pastry cream.

The stage: The white roads of Tuscany await the peloton today. More than 50 kms of racing and there still had been no successful breakaway. Finally though, there was a break.

At 30 kilometers we ended up Alaphilippe, Plapp, and  Sanchez at the front with Groves, Vendrame, Trentin and Fiorelli in chase. Behind them, Honore and then the peloton.

Sixteen kilometers to go and the lead group had 135 as they rode on gravel. Under 10 kms to go and the gap was still around a minute. Under 5 kms to go and they had about 30 seconds.

Alas, they would stay away but not the victor I was hoping for. Nice win for Sanchez. 

The wine: from 2021 Do.T.E Nouveau Rosato 2020

More pink! From Biondivino: From Filippo Calabresi's irreverant and psychedelic Tuscan project that is Do.T.E. Vini, the 'Nouveau' is another rose in our line up that walks the tightrope between juicy, chillable red and fleshy, substantive rosato. A red grape/white grape co-ferment of Syrah and Viognier that receives the classic Beaujolais Nouveau treatment  - whole cluster, carbonic maceration and just 1 month "aging" in  tanks. The result: strawberry lemonade (minus the fizz), golden kiwi fruits, red apple skin, and watermelon taffy. Chug-a-lug!

The food: Foccacia Raolanese

A local website shares this recipe

Ingredients

• 150 g. of almonds
• 150 g. of butter
• 150 g. of sugar
• 270 g. of white flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon icing sugar
• Vin Santo to taste

 
For the custard:

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• ½ liter of milk
• A pinch of vanilla sugar
• The zest of a lemon

 

The name can be misleading. Focaccia di Rapolano is a simple and delicious traditional dessert. Two discs of shortcrust pastry and almonds joined by custard. Each Rapolanese family makes it differently, small details that make the recipe unique.

 
PREPARATION
1. Chop the almonds and add butter, sugar, flour and eggs. Knead until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
2. Divide the dough into two equal parts and shape two ½ cm high discs.
3. Cook the discs in a preheated oven at 180° for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are golden brown.
4. Now prepare the custard. Heat the milk and add the lemon zest and vanilla sugar. 
5. Pour the egg yolks and sugar into a pan. Beat with a whisk until you obtain a frothy mixture. Add the sifted flour and mix to incorporate it.
6. Pour the hot (not boiling) milk slowly into the mixture. Place on the heat and, without stopping stirring, bring to the boil, lower the heat and continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
7. Pour the cream into a bowl to stop cooking. 
8. Wet a disc with Vin Santo and cover it with custard. Then place the other disc on top, previously moistened with Vin Santo on the part in contact with the cream.
9. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

 

Giro 2024 Stage 5: Genova to Lucca

Where are we? Heading from Liguria to Tuscany

Genova: Tourist website here.  The folks at Michelin tell me that it is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and capital of Liguria. Genova features picturesque districts huddled on the slopes of the surrounding mountains. The city revolves around its port (re-designed by the architect Renzo Piano) and the sea, to which it owes its wealth and reputation. Genova “la Superba” is a city of contrasts where splendid palaces and ornate churches stand alongside more modest buildings, criss-crossed by a network of narrow streets known as carruggi.“The most winding and incoherent of cities, the most entangled topographical ravel in the world,” Henry James called it.

Giro specialities: Genoa is a city worth tasting. Its culinary tradition has ancient roots and reveals the character of the territory and the cleverness of its people who have been able to invent genuine, tasty and attractive cuisine, using simple ingredients.

Walking through the historic centre it’s impossible to resist the temptation of a piece of Genoese focaccia, a real delight for the palate, ideal for a snack at any time of the day!

At lunchtime nothing like stopping in one of the ancient sciamadde (the term comes from “flame” and identifies the ancient street chip shop with wood oven), where you can taste delicious specialties such as farinata, made with chickpea flour and baked in a wood oven, stuffed anchovies, frisceu (tasty salty fritters made with batter) and numerous vegetable pies.

At dinner time, there are many restaurants where you can spend the evening and enjoy the specialties of Genoese cuisine, first of all the pesto, the undisputed king of local food, which here has a unique flavour, also thanks to the Genoese D.O.P. (denomination of controlled origin) basil.

And if after tasting it, you will not be able to do without it, there are many opportunities to attend courses and cooking lessons to learn all the secrets to prepare a pesto like a real Genoese!

Typical Genoese cuisine is also rich in fish dishes, such as cappon magro, a scenic and appetizing fish salad; the stockfish is excellent both “accomodato” (stewed with potatoes, olives and pine nuts) and like a salad, called brandacujun. And then the anchovies, prepared in a thousand different ways!To end on a sweet note, not to be missed the pànera, a typical coffe-flavored parfait and the Genoese pandolce, a typical Christmas dessert that can be found in the pastry shops all year round!

Lucca: Discover Tuscany tells me that:  Lucca is one of the cities most loved all of Tuscany, a stop that can not really miss in a classic itinerary to the discovery of the region. Most of the attractions in Lucca today show its ancient history: from the trace of the Roman amphiteater that can be seen in the shape of the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro to the archeological remains under the 12th century church of Saints Giovanni and Reparata (the first city cathedral, located just around the corner from the present-day cathedral of San Martino), to the various towers and villas from the 12th to 16th centuries.

Extraordinarily, as the city grew and modernized, the walls that surrounded the old town were maintained which was not the case for many other cities in Tuscany, including Florence. As the walls lost their military importance, the top of the walls became a pedestrian promenade, today one of Lucca's main attractions. The area around the walls is well taken care of, with green grass and trees everywhere along the walls. They have in essence become a park that surrounds the city and blocks out more modern life. Here you can enjoy a bike ride around the entire perimeter, a stroll as you enjoy a gelato or simply a period of rest from sightseeing on one of the many shaded benches that line the main walkway.

Giro Specialties: The territory of Lucca offers a wide variety of culinary excellences. On the table, two cornerstones of traditional cuisine are the zuppa frantoiana, a soup made with vegetables and aromatic herbs combined with a puree of beans and laid bread, to be seasoned strictly with extra virgin olive oil fresh from the mill. Another typical dish par excellence, served on the tables of restaurants and families on feast days, are the tordelli lucchesi (spelled with a “d” instead of the usual “t”), pasta stuffed with meat and seasoned with beef and pork ragout. Then, springtime means Garmugia, a soup of noble origins with seasonal vegetables and ground meat. Also not to be missed is spelt soup, very creamy, prepared with different types of beans. Among the Slow Food presidia are red beans.

Main courses include rovellina (beef repassed in tomato and caper sauce), fried poultry and vegetable stews, simple but tasty, accompanied by the fragrant DOC wines of the Lucchesi Hills and Montecarlo.Other specialities include buccellato, a simple, bread-like cake, rich in sultanas and aniseed, and torta co’ becchi, a shortcrust pastry base filled with chard, pine nuts, sultanas, stale bread and spices, which is also available in a chocolate version. Typical liqueurs to pleasantly end a meal are biadina and china Massagli, with a slightly bitter herbal taste.

The stage: Another should be a sprint stage. The likely doomed break of the day consisted of Geschke, Askey, Bais and Tarozzi. They would indeed by caught and we would have a second quartet: Pietrobon, Thomas, Paleni and Valgren. 

Under 30 kilometers to go and their gap was under a minute. Nearing 25 kilometers to go and several riders down in yet another crash in the middle of the peloton. Under 20 kilometers to go and the gap was still hovering around a minute.

Lots of gabbing at the front of the peloton was a sign that things were looking good for the break. But, as we have seen, they can make up a lot of time quickly, if they get organized. But as the kilometers counted down, the break appeared more organized than the bunch. Four kilometers to to and still 39 seconds. One kilometer to go and it was time to see who would jump first.

Wow! Benjamin Thomas from Cofidis. That is a shocker. 

The wine: From 2022  Punta Crena Pigato Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vigneto Ca’ da Rena

from Dig

From the importer: A bottle that empties so quickly you’re surprised to see the bottom. The first time Kermit tasted this Pigato, the bottle was gone before the fish course arrived. He then ordered a second bottle—the ultimate compliment.

The food: Farinata (Chickpea Flour Pancake)

Recipe courtesy of Eataly
1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing & finishing
½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Whisk the chickpea flour with 1 3/4 cups water, then whisk in the salt and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Cover the mixture, and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour or as long as 12 hours; the longer the better.
If you're using the onion, sauté the thin slices in extra virgin olive oil until soft and translucent but not brown. Just before finishing, stir in the herbs to cook for a few moments, then add the cooked onions to the mixture.
Heat an oven to 400°F. Heat a few teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in a 12-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour and onion mixture to the skillet. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. Check the "doneness" by inserting a knife in the center; if the knife comes out clean, it's done. If the top has not already browned, place the pancake under a broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until it is flecked with tasty brown spots.
Remove the skillet from the oven, and let it cool for a minute. Carefully transfer the farinata from to a cutting board. Cut it into wedges, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (points if it's Ligurian), and top with a ridiculous and obscene amount of freshly and coarsely ground black pepper. Serve warm.

Recipe from Eataly

Giro 2024 Stage 4: Acqui Terme to Andora

Where are we? Heading from Piedmont to Liguria

Acqui Terme: From the Giro: Acqui Terme is a fascinating spa town already renowned in Roman times for its steaming waters. It is surrounded by vineyards and landscapes recognized in 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their breathtaking beauty. Located in the province of Alessandria, a borderland between Piedmont and Liguria in the Alto Monferrato area, this town is rich in environmental, landscape, artistic and eno-gastronomic attractions, not far from the large cities of Genoa, Milan and Turin. The imposing remains of the Roman aqueduct bear witness to the importance that water has always had for this town, which offers its visitors an enviable combination of art, culture, history, gastronomic excellence, charm and Italian hospitality that make it a unique and captivating destination .

Giro Specialties:   This is a land to savor through its food and wine treasures. The gastronomy, though characterized by simplicity, is very rich, consisting of dishes based on local seasonal ingredients. Most dishes have poor origins derived from the modest economic conditions of the area during past centuries, and despite having been enriched over time, they have never lost their primary ingredient: authenticity.

Typical of the local cuisine are a rich selection of starters, including the “filetto bacito” salami, an absolute delight, passatelli, lard, peppers with bagna cauda and a variety of savory pies. Among the first courses, tajarin with mushrooms or game sauces, agnolotti al plin, polenta, cisrò – farinata – deserve a special mention, and among the second courses, the local meats, mixed boiled meat, rabbit, braised meat, tripe, but also stockfish, financiera, Piedmontese fritto misto and bagna cauda, ​​the convivial dish par excellence, all represent unforgettable dining experiences. Hence the birth of a renowned specialty such as Stockfish all'Acqui, an iconic recipe handed down from generation to generation and present on several menus in Acqui's restaurants.
Other local specialties include amaretti biscuits, baci di dama (lady's kisses), brut e bon, Acquesi al Rhum and Canelin's award-winning turrón, recognized together with the local artisanal ice cream as one of Italy's best products!
The highly appreciated truffle , one of the top products of the region, grows underground throughout the local area, in harmony with oak, willow, linden and poplar trees.
Porcini mushrooms, delicious and abundant in our valleys, are much sought after by gourmets in the autumn months.
Roccaverano DOP – (literally “Protected Designation of Origin”) – A product that symbolizes the hard work behind mountain sheep/goat farming. This goat's cheese – a blend of the fragrances, flowers and herbs of the area, produced fresh or matured – appears to this day to be the only one capable of equaling if not surpassing the legendary French cheeses.
Fillet kissed – a renowned product of Aquitaine gastronomy, the fillet kissed is a unique kind of cured meat, invented by the Malò (Ponzone) family at the beginning of the last century and obtained by stuffing salami paste around the pork fillet.

Andora: Let's visit the sea!

Giro Specialties: If you love the pleasures of gastronomy, don’t miss the fish market in the harbour or a visit to the agricultural producers of the plain, who are the source of many excellent food and wine products that can be tasted in renowned restaurants.

Andora is the second most important plain for the production of Genovese D.O.P. basil, whose intense aroma fills the air at peak harvest time. Extra virgin olive oil is produced in the nearby hinterland, where local estates await visitors to introduce them to the so-called yellow gold and the cultivation and production techniques of the Val Merula. Also worth tasting is the Belendina onion, a recent Slow Food Presidium.

The stage: A sprint stage with a bump in the middle? Maybe.

The break of the day consisted of De Bod, Muñoz and Calmejane. 

Behind them there would be several crashes on the stage, including two involving Girmay, who would abandon.

There was also a peloton split with regrouping.

Under 40 kilometers to go and the gap to the remaining break riders was under 2 minutes. Nearing 20 kilometers to go and it had dropped to just about a minute. It would continue to drop rapidly. At 10 kilometers it was 23 seconds. Under 5 to go and there was the catch.

Attack Ganna! Behind, counter attacks. He would be caught, though it was fun for a little while. 

Milan from the sprint. Nice win for him.

The wine: From 2012:

Claudio Vio 2008  Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC Pigato

From the importer:

This is old-school, high-altitude (300mt.) Pigato from the hills of Vedone above Albenga. A steep and curvy ride up the hillside, and you arrive perched between sea and mountains. The sun sets there on the sporadic outcroppings of mountain scrub, olive trees, and, of course, vines. If you were a Giant, skipping regions from Piemonte to Liguria, it'd be a good place to cool off for a picnic lunch with some Pigato and Pesto before heading to sea.

Claudio Vio has taken the reigns form his father, Ettore, in what amounts to only a patch-work of vineyards, gathered from rows of vines that seems more like they're trying to walk off the steep hillsides than form a vineyard.

There's but two Hectares total; just drops of wine to be had; one bad hail storm can wipe out everything. It's a rare, magical, place, and we have Claudio to thank for this rare example of heroic viticulture in Liguria. Very Limited. Sustainable.

Tasting Notes:A subtle wine but with plenty of high-altitude nerve and mountain minerals to it. In fact, we reserve the wines a year in advance and wait to ship them; Vio's wines are always to tightly wound when young. Peppery salad notes: Japanese mizuna and watercress; slate fountain of lime. Grüner Veltliner comparisons will get you a one way high-speed train to Austria.

Vineyard:Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC. 12 km from the sea; 300 meters. Harvest mid-September.

Vinification:Heroically hand-harvested form mountain side. Steel. Wine is not released until it settles and unwinds.

The food:   Genovese Pesto

This seemed the obvious choice.  Have some pasta, top a pizza, use it as a dip. The world is your. . .pesto. 

from Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/best-pesto-recipe

Giro 2024 Stage 3: Novara to Fossano

Where are we? Still in Piedmont!

Novara: 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 Specialties: Surrounded by rice paddies, Novara’s traditional dish can only be rice-based: Paniscia, as a matter of fact, is a risotto with beans, cabbage and salame della duja (a salami preserved in fat) as well as pretty much anything that the vegetable garden offers at any time of the year.

Gorgonzola cheese, in both its sweet and spicy versions, is a constant element on Novara’s tables; the city is in fact the seat of its Protection Consortium and the bulk of production is concentrated in the area.
And to end on a sweet note, the city certainly has no shortage of desserts. Novara biscuits are an ancient treat: made only with eggs, sugar and flour, they have been delighting local residents for more than 500 years. During the Patron Saint’s day (22 January), on the other hand, tasting San Gaudenzio bread – a cake with sultanas or chestnuts, enclosed in a shortcrust pastry shell and with dried fruit grains on the surface – is basically a must.

Fossano: Let's visit a castle! Symbol of the city of Fossano, the Castle of the Acaja rises behind the central Via Roma, and is today surrounded by a large square. Its construction marks a turning point in the history of the city. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, the people of Fossano made an act of commitment to the Acaja, the cadet branch of the Savoy family to be protected from the attacks of neighbouring powers. Because of this submission, the prince undertook to building a fortress at his own expense, which was completed in 1332: Four towers with a square plan rose towards the sky, connected by crenelated curtains; a wide moat surrounded the fortress on three sides, which could be crossed with a drawbridge. After the extinction of the Acaja, possessions passed to the Savoy family who, around 1485, promoted the transformation of the castle into a palace; from that moment the building would be used mainly as a residence.

Giro Specialties: Fossano is the capital of Piedmontese Fassona raw meat. Panettone and Fossanesi chocolates, Chiacchere di meliga, Brut and Bun pastries are also a must.

The stage: A straight forward looking sprint stage for our Monday.

But is rarely a truly straight forward stage on the Giro.

We had an early break, a regrouping, further attacks and further regrouping. Plus reports of rain at what would likely be a super hectic finish.

Wet road service, anxious peloton, the nerves were up for both riders and viewers. 

A reminder: GC riders are mainly riding until the 3 kilometer to go point in sprint stages. So once they pass that stage, at which they will all be given the same time if there are not significant gaps, it becomes much more focused on the sprinters. 

Instead though, as they reached that point, attacks! Pogacar, Thomas and Honore.

Getting head, Pogacar, with only Thomas for company. 

They would be caught! It would end in a sprint after all.

Coming in with the win, Merlier.

That was fun indeed. If you can, try to find video of the last few minutes.

The wine: From 2021

 2019 Langhe Freisa “alla mia Gioia” Piero Benevelli

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.

Giro 2024 Stage 2: San Francesco al Campo to Santuaria di Iropa

Where are we? More Piedmont!

San Francesco al Campo: The Giro tells me that the town lies at the meeting point between the metropolitan area of north-western Turin, the plain that leads to the Lanzo Valleys and the morainic plateau entering the Canavese area. It is a municipality with an ancient agricultural tradition which has grown remarkably over the years, following the fate of numerous other towns in the province of Turin. Its proximity to the latter (about 20 km) has unquestionably favoured its development, welcoming over the years several families who chose to move out of the crowded city. The Sandro Pertini airport is located just out of town. Despite its small size, the municipality boasts a very active social and cultural network, with numerous sports, educational and recreational associations. Since 1996, it has been home to the Velodromo Francone (Francone Velodrome), a point of reference for cycling as well as the headquarters of the Centro federale di Avviamento alla Pista.

Giro Specialties: The typical product for which this town is known throughout the region is ‘L Canaveis’ panettone, produced by a historic artisan workshop in San Francesco al Campo. It is a traditional Piedmontese panettone, therefore slightly lower than the Lombard version, glazed and baked according to a very special recipe that has made it an exclusive and particularly sought-after Christmas cake for decades.

In addition to this local product, the town – thanks to its position straddling three areas (Torinese, Valli di Lanzo and Canavese) – offers a wide range of typical products, from Torcetti di Lanzo to Paste di Meliga (cornflour cookies) and the now widespread Pusa, the Piedmontese herbal liqueur (so-called “Amaro”) made with extracts and natural aromas typical of the area, such as genepy, serpyll thyme, chamomile, lavender, sage and mint.

Santuaria di Oropa: A UNESCO World Heritage site, Oropa is the most important and largest  sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary to be found in the Alps. It is located in a unique, natural and unspoilt setting at 1200 mt. a.m.s.l, at only 20 minutes drive from the centre of Biella.

Giro specialites:  The local cuisine is distinctly Piedmontese, supported by nationally and internationally renowned companies and many small producers who keep the local tradition alive. Biella’s “enoLocal cusine” is rightfully counted among the excellences of this region.

Among the best known cheeses is Toma, a hard, cow’s milk cheese of ancient Alpine tradition. It is produced both with whole milk (Maccagno type) and partially skimmed milk. Toma cheeses from the valleys around Biella have the D.O.C. mark awarded by the Piedmont Region. These cheeses are also the main ingredients for two delicious local dishes: ‘pulenta cunscia’, a soft maize cream cooked at length in the pot, with plenty of local cheese and tasty farmhouse butter melted in it, and ‘ris an cagnùn’, with toma cheese and butter sautéed.
Some of the most popular cured meats of the area are the ‘salam ‘d l’ula’, i.e. preserved in fat, made with pork, salt, pepper and sometimes red wine. Also characteristic are the ‘salam ‘d vaca’, i.e. made from beef, the ‘salam d’asu’ made from donkey meat and those made from goat meat.
More localised is the production of ‘salam ‘d patata’, in which boiled potatoes and a little blood are added to the mixture, or the ‘paletta di Coggiola’, a shoulder ham flavoured with salt and pepper, stuffed into a bladder and air-dried.
There is no shortage of sweets in Biella: ‘torcetti’ are leavened, crumbly, oval-shaped biscuits. The ‘paste ‘d melia’ are biscuits made with maize flour. Canestrelli are fragrant wafers with chocolate and hazelnuts.
The wide variety of flowers in the area enables the production of a wide range of honey types: acacia, chestnut, linden, rhododendron, dandelion and millefiori, to name but the most popular.

The stage: Look at that summit finish on only day two of the race!

I do like the fancy Giro stage "tweets."  

A long break of the day to start things off featuring Scaroni, Piccolo, Bais, Fiorelli, and Marcellusi. Under 70 kilometers to go and their gap was still over 3 minutes.

Closer to 50 and it was dropping. 

As their gap started to drop, Piccolo would attack his former mates, getting a small gap.  With 40 kms to go, Piccolo had 47 secs over the chase, and 2.41 over the peloton.

I would say it is all uphill from here, but there are a few dips. That said, it was time to see who was ready for some early race climbing. 

Meanwhile, Piccolo's gap was growing. With 25 km to go, he had 1:42 over the chasing group and 2:19 over the peloton. Under twenty to go and he still had close to 2 minutes over the peloton. Thirteen kms to go and he still had almost 2 minutes. He may have been beginning to believe. That said, the gap could drop very quickly.

Puncture Pogacar, with a slight fall. Not ideal at all, as he would have to chase back to a peloton that was moving with speed, though would make it without panic.

Under 10 kms to go and Piccolo's lead was down to just about one minute. 

Under 7 kms to go and Piccolo would be caught. Great ride for him today.

After the catch, many shots of riders dripping from the shrinking peloton, as they went up and further up.

Under 5 kms to go and there went Pogacar. Time to see who could hold on and the answer very quickly was no one. Not that far behind were Thomas and O'Connor, followed by a larger bunch. Three kms to go and Pogacar had 17 seconds. That gap would grow as the chase group behind caught Thomas and O'Connor.

Under a km to go and the gap was around 30 seconds.

Into pink he would go. Would he now keep it for the entire race?

The wine: Back to 2014 for this one: The wine: Sottimano Mate 2012

From Biondivino $23.00
Ceri says: A rare example of brachetto made into a dry, still wine. Sottimano made wine for years from this patch of old vines before learning exactly what it was.

From the producer:

Grapes: Brachetto.
Location of the vineyard: Neive.
Age of the vineyards: 35 years.
Size: 1.20 ha.
Average production: 5.000 btls/year.

The vineyard:The Maté is a small vineyard of Brachetto in the zone of Neive.

The vinification: The fermentation and the maceration on the skins normally takes about 7-8 days. No selected yeasts are used. The malolactical fermentation is completed in stainless steel, where the wine remains for approximately 8 months. There is no filtering and no fining prior to bottling.

The Maté has a very intense color, an elegant nose of spices and rose and a fresh and refined taste.
The acidity is well balanced by the good concentration of this vintage.

The food: Biscotti di Meliga

Because polenta cookies sounded kind of great to me as an afternoon tea snack.

I found a recipe here.

Giro 2024 Stage 1 Venaria Reale to Torino

 Where are we? Piedmont

Venaria Reale: Time to visit a palace:
La Venaria Reale is a grandiose estate just outside Turin. In comprises 80,000 square meters of floor surface in the Reggia and 60 hectares of Gardens, adjacent to the 17th century ancient village of Venaria and the 3,000 fenced hectares of the Park of La Mandria. It is a natural and architectural masterpiece that was declared part of the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1997. It reopened to the public in 2007 after completing the EU’s largest cultural restoration project to date.
The monumental palace or Reggia boasts some of the finest examples of universal Baroque: the elegant Hall of Diana designed by Amedeo di Castellamonte, the solemn Great Gallery and the Church of St. Hubert, the imposing complex of the Juvarra Stables designed by Filippo Juvarra in the 18th century, the sumptuous decorations and the spectacular Fountain of the Stag in the Court of Honor and the spectacular Fountain of the Stag in the Court of Honor provide a unique setting for the Theater of History and Magnificence, the permanent display - almost 2,000 m long - devoted to the House of Savoy, that spans from the basement level to the piano nobile of the Reggia.

Giro specialties: None listed

Torino: Torino, also known as Turin is the capital city of Piedmont. The local visitor's bureau tells me that: Torino is an aristocratic “old lady” more than two thousand years old, whose vestiges are still visible in “her” main monuments, streets, squares and underground... an “old lady” reborn out of “her” own ashes, more dynamic, innovative and modern than ever but always proud of “her” great past. The first capital of Italia invites you to discover its ancient and modern history, the Royal Residences, the palaces and museums, the parks and tree-lined avenues, the river and the mountains, the historic restaurants and cafes, the long arcaded streets and the multiethnic neighborhoods, the great events and the many small pleasures that have always made it unique, in a harmonious balance among the rational Roman urban planning, the moderate splendor of the Piemonte baroque and the originality of modern and contemporary architecture.

Giro specialties: Turin, like the whole of Piedmont, offers a cuisine with deep roots in folk and court tradition, genuine and rich in flavours: appetisers and starters accompanied by grissini breadsticks – invented in the 17th century for Prince Victor Amadeus II of Savoy -, agnolotti, Piedmontese-style mixed fried food, bagna cauda (warm oil, garlic and anchovy based dipping sauce), mixed boiled meats with their sauces, and cheeses from the Alpine valleys. All washed down with local red and white DOC and DOCG wines: Carema, Doux D’Henry, Freisa, Bonarda, Cari, Erbaluce, Ramie, Caluso Passito…

An authentic Turin dinner, however, must be preceded by the ritual of the aperitif, perhaps enjoying a vermouth. This famous and indispensable component of some of the most appreciated cocktails in the world was invented in Turin in 1786 from an idea of Antonio Benedetto Carpano.
The oldest national coffee roasters and the most important coffee brands also originate from here, and the first patent for an ‘espresso’ coffee machine (1884) was granted to Mr. Angelo Moriondo of Turin. What about chocolate and confectionery? Just a few words: gianduiotti (created by Michele Prochet), ‘bignole’, zabaglione, bicerin…

The stage: Before we get to the stage, I just have to say how amazing it is that I can watch this race on tv! Thank you, Max.
No prologue or easy stage to start this year's Giro. Instead 140 kilometers with a couple of kicks along the way. 

Soon enough, our first break of the Giro: Ghebreigzabhier, Barré, Calmejane,, Debeaumarché, Fiorelli, and Pietrobo. 

They would not get a large gap. UAE Team Emirates, the team of race favorite, Pogacar, seemed determined to not let there be a surprise winner from the break. Along the way, we'd see Fioreilli take a few points and the gap grew to over three minutes.

Not surprisingly, as they rode closer, the break fell apart. Left out front were Ghebreigzabhier and Calmejane. Thirty kilometers to go and their gap was under 2 minutes.

A small crash in the group, but everyone would be back up riding.

In the group, riders were continuing to be dropped as the climb continued.

Indeed, the group would get very small as they closed in. 

A group of 8 would take off but as  they closed in on 4 kilometers, Conci was ahead solo. 

Finally, an attack by Pogacar. Cue renewed talk of him spending the entire race in the pink leader's jersey. He would have company, Narvaez and Schachmann. 

Wow! In the sprint, Narvaez. Well done indeed. 

The wine: The wine: Ettore Germano Rosanna Brut Rosé

Back to 2022 for this one! 

Pink bubbles! From Dig: Italian men are rather famously attached to their mothers. Rosanna is the name of Barolo producer Sergio Germano’s mamma, for whom he named this beautiful Brut Rosé. It’s 100% young-vines Barolo-grown Nebbiolo made in the classic method. Zero dosage as well, so it’s fresh, dry, complex, and absolutely delicious stuff. 

The food: Grissini

Grissini because doesn't everyone love a breadstick? 

I used the recipe here from Thekitchn. 
It is simple enough to follow and you can add herbs and spices to your own preference. 

I wrote a book!

 

A real book!

Dropping in briefly during non cycling season to say that I wrote a book:  Date Night: San Francisco: 50 Creative, Budget-Friendly Dates for the Golden City and I'd love it if you could read it!

The book is a love letter to San Francisco and a guide to some of the best things to do in the city with a date or friends or family, on a budget. From the intro, “the hope is that these dates will help you not only fall in like, or love, or grow your existing relationship with your date, but also to fall in love, or fall in love again, with San Francisco. Working on this project I did as I was visiting new-to-me spots and old favorites. “ Not surprisingly, there is a lot of food and drink, but also walks, rose gardens, and the Alcatraz Night Tour. 

The Amazon listing is here (but please buy from your local bookstore if you can), the publisher page here and a silly video of me talking about the book is here: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/california-live/here-are-5-romantic-affordable-sf-date-ideas/3328339/.