New Wine 2024

 And then there's the drinking part...

Eating well includes drinking well, right? At our house it does!

We enjoy this time of year as the new wines arrive. "Novello" isn't fancy, refined and certainly not aged, but it's FUN! We bought a box of assorted varieties, 2 from Sicilia (which if we like we'll get 6 more) plus one from Puglia, one from Veneto, one from Marche and for some real fun, a Lambrusco for the next time we get out a plate of what would be called "cold-cuts" in the USA.

Wait! There's some freshly sliced mortadella here, right!?

Cin-Cin!

Piedmont Vacation 2024

 Piedmont Vacation 2024

We escaped the tourist crowds in Siracusa for a few weeks recently and enjoyed cycling (and eating and drinking) at our old CycleItalia HQ, Hotel Ariotto in the Monferrato hills, just an hour from the Milan/Malpensa airport.

First, our stuff is up there. The owners kindly let us store some bikes, clothing and equipment there even though we've stopped running Piedmont Cycling Resort. The cycling's still great, the food's still wonderful and the staff is still friendly. What's not to like?

Some of the Giro stuff is still there

Three weeks to enjoy most of the routes we've mapped over the years, visit many of our favorite eateries and even explore some new venues.

Like this one! "Hic e Nunc" (Latin for here and now) was created not too long ago but their grape vines have been growing a long, long time. We'd sampled their wines a time or two but only now did we find the time to visit...

..with our friends (and long-time CycleItalia clients) Don and Cindy.

Heather was there for the first week before heading off to Greece and then  back home to Siracusa for some academic projects, but not before we enjoyed a pranzo or two, this one at one of their favorites La Ca Nova.

We'll finish with a view of the Monferrato hills. It was a great vacation and we're already making plans to return next year!

Grazie Tutti!!!

Buon Natale 2023

 Buon Natale 2023

This should be good with a holiday meal, no? Some roasted red peppers to start, followed by a zucchini zuppa with fresh croutons and extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top? Then a grilled pork chop since the sun's out and the grill is ready on the terrace.

Buon Appetito!

Anniversary

 33 Years Ago

Doesn't seem all that long ago, even though it was half-a-lifetime. Our wedding anniversary was yesterday so we took a little trip to Napoli to celebrate.

The view above will seem familiar to many, especially fans of the TV series The Soprano's, right? Zio's favorite episode shows it when Tony and the boys visit Napoli. Click HERE for a link to their arrival scene about 45 seconds in.

We stayed at Hotel Excelsior just like the "Commendatori" enjoying a wonderful Sunday lunch at Umberto 

Where we were pleased to discover 1/2 bottles (375 ml) on their wine list! That way we could enjoy some local bubbly with our antipasto followed by two local reds (chosen with help from the founder's granddaughter) to pair with our first and second plates, all without wasting a bunch of good vino or drinking too much. It was great to enjoy real Neapolitan food in a lively "Sunday lunch" atmosphere.

Our final day included pizza at our favorite place, Attanasio and a visit to our favorite museum. We might have to make this an annual ritual!!

Giro d'Italia - TORINO

 We go to the circus...again!

First things first, we always say when it's time to see a race live, in-person. That means lunch! We headed off from our base in Monferrato Saturday morning towards Torino for Giro d'Italia Stage 14, around the hills surrounding "the Detroit of Italy"

The eatery Heather scoped out, right on the course as they arrived and very close to the loop they'd do twice, turned out to be sort-of closed. As in the cook had the day off since the owner figured road closures would kill her business for the day. But she relented, saying she just couldn't turn people away on this warm day, so out back we went to enjoy cold-cuts, etc. NOBODY complained, least of all us!

The race arrived before we could even pay the bill, but we soon were over where they'd pass by twice, setting out our "W Magro" banner as usual. This shady spot would soon become popular. An older man on a red DeRosa rolled up and explained he was a friend of Magrini's, asking if he could take a photo to show Magro? "Ma certo!" was our answer to a guy who turned out to be (too late for Zio Lorenzo to get a photo) none other than Cristiano DeRosa! Yep, one of the sons of Ugo himself.

The race came by soon enough, with attacks all over the course. A very exciting stage to say the least, especially as Vincenzo Nibali did well. Once the course was clear we headed down the hill towards nearby Volpiano for Sunday's GIOS Raduno.

Drink up!

 A proper victory celebration!

Amazingly in the land of Champagne (where the leader of that big race in July wears a yellow shirt) it is no longer legal to celebrate winning a bike (or any other) race with an alcoholic drink. Yep, no more spraying sparkling wine around there, but not here in Italy, grazie Dio!!

They say the first to spray was Dan Gurney at LeMans 1967 and La Corsa Rosa has Astoria as their official bubbly. Of course this is Prosecco but it sprays just the same.

Last year we ordered some of the officially-branded bottles from Astoria and before La Corsa Rosa was over we'd enjoyed them all and ordered more! We enjoyed one of the last of those during the Giro d'Italia team presentation earlier this week, so it was time to re-order. We keep at least one for a souvenir of course. It might still contain wine...or maybe not.

Some friends of ours saved us a bottle from 2019, one of the big ones with Astoria decals on the side, just like the ones sprayed on the podium. As you can see above it looks good with a matching lampshade in our living room.

One way or another, enjoy some Prosecco over the next three weeks, OK? We keep a bottle in our fridge at all times...you never know when it's time to celebrate!

Giro di Sicilia 2022

 Another chapter in the "living the dream" series

This race once showed a route that featured Siracusa with starts and finishes but somehow that never happened, so when 2022's official route was announced we were kind-of lukewarm on seeing it live, especially when we noted the price of rental cars post (well, sort-of) pandemic. No starts or finishes anywhere near us vs the "front-door" access promised before but when both Damiano Caruso (on the Italian National Team since his Bahrain squad did not enter) and Vincenzo Nibali were announced as entrants Zio Lorenzo perked up a bit.

The final stage on ETNA was the one to see, maybe we could score a last-minute deal on a car? Four days before the race we began shopping and soon scored a fully-electric Renault Zoe that included the juice, so Friday morning we hopped in and zoomed off to ETNA. The car showed a range of 300+ kilometers on a 99% charge when we left. The rental agency gave us a charging cable and card to pay for any extra jolts so we figured what's the worst that could happen? We'd have to stop and charge the thing somewhere along the way back - maybe enjoying an aperitivo for an hour, just to get enough juice to get back home?

There was a nice "Garabaldi-like" program with an amazing amount of details on the race. This was downloadable from the race website, but it's always nice to have a souvenir, especially a free one!

We got up there easily enough, there wasn't much going on this long before the race' arrival so the obligatory finish-line photo was easy. The car showed just under 50% of the battery left as we parked just off the race course, not too far from a ristorante. This ain't our first BBQ!

We weren't VIPS, Zio's only been one one time with our friend Celeste Milani at the Giro, so we could only think about the VIP's enjoying the free prosecco from Astoria.

We're not sure whose car this was, but families of the Sicilian riders were all over the finish area. We checked out (and bought) some great photos of the volcano from Dario Lo Scavo.

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We'd already scoped out the ristorante and tried to reserve a table, thinking plenty of others, maybe including the race organizers would take this place over at pranzo time, but we were almost the only ones there!

They had their TV on the RAI channel so we knew we'd be able to watch the race as it came closer so we asked for a table with a good view and sat down. You can see our antipasto plate here. All the good Sicilian specialties, as it should be.

But we weren't the ONLY folks with this idea! There were some VIP's here doing the same thing. Zio recognized the ever-green Torinese boss of the team most know as Androni, now sponsored by Drone Hopper, Gianni Savio right away. We have some mutual friends as one of ours worked for his ZG team back-in-the-day, so Zio started talking with Savio, complementing him on keeping his team going through thick and thin and congratulations on his team stage win at the Tour of Turkey.

By now the race had come on live and we laughed as Savio got race updates on his telephone from the team car in the race and the other guy at the table tuned-in Eurosport coverage on his phone. When we heard Riccardo Magrini talk about Paolo Alberati, it dawned on us that it was Alberati himself tuning-in Eurosport! We knew him from years ago, so of course Zio then butted-in to say CIAO, show him our W Magro banner and catch up a bit. He writes for various magazines, has written a book on Gino Bartali and has friends and colleagues in Heather's world of philosophy as well. He also runs Parco Ciclistico ETNA (photo of car above) as well. If we're not VIP's at least we can talk to some!

The race was now coming close so it was time to say arrivederci and get out there! Above you see stage and race-winner Damiano Caruso getting ready to cross the finish line.

The Shark of the Straits was behind, losing a couple seconds too many to remain on the podium, but looking like his form is coming back, perhaps just-in-time for the Giro, which also has some stages here in Sicily?

With small crowds at the finish and no way to get into the VIP area, we soon hit the road, with one eye on the car's range-estimator (how far we could go before the battery's charge was exhausted) and the other on the GPS showing how many kilometers it was back to the rental car office.

As we headed down the mountain with a battery charge level under 50% and more kilometers on the GPS unit than the car's estimator said we could go, we hoped the regenerative-braking system could somehow make up the difference? We'd used the ECO mode the entire time and now Zio played around with braking vs just letting the car roll down the hill. If the slope wasn't too steep the re-gen's resistance would almost stop the car if you didn't have a foot on the brake or accelerator.

It didn't seem to make much sense to go around the corners any faster than needed, better to brake and get extra battery charging? As we descended it was interesting to watch the battery charge level rise along with the estimated distance we could go vs the actual distance we had to travel. Before we hit the coast the car showed more than 150 kms left in the battery while we had only 100 kms left to travel - we turned the car in with 25% of the battery's charge remaining!

BRAVI to Damiano Caruso and the Italian National Team!

Two Buck Chuck in Sicilia

 Cheap everyday wine

We haven't had any "Two Buck Chuck" in years, but the idea of a low-cost everyday wine must be universal, no?

We did a blind-tasting with some other Trader Joe's low-cost bottles, including some from Italia, during a visit to Santa Barbara years ago when the TBC craze was going strong - but Chuckie's vino didn't fare well. But the old "Hey, what do you expect for $2?" question is still valid.

Here in Sicily our answer is the two wines shown above. Puglisi's 5-liter boxes costs us less than $17 (15 euros here) fairly close to the price of TBC, but we can say both the white and red are pretty good. We'll get our hands on some Puglisi rosato* soon to complete our daily wine selection. Having fewer glass bottles to recycle each week is a bonus!

*Update: We got some rosato and it's good, so now we have three boxes on our shelf and use far less glass.

Cheap Ruche!

 Cheap Ruche...can it be real?

Anyone who has joined us at Piedmont Cycling Resort is aware of our fondness for this wine. Ruche is a rare wine from Piedmont and the production zone is within easy riding distance from the resort. 

There's a sign along the roadside as you enter the town of Castagnole Monferrato (the center of the wine production with only 100 acres devoted to this grape) that says: "If someone offers you a Ruche, it's because they like you."

That's our philosophy and most of the dinners we host at the resort's ristorante feature this wine. The taste is unique and pairs well with the foods of the Monferrato region. One year we had enough groups for enough dinners to exhaust the ristorante's supply! We begged for more but were told the bottling can be done only around the full moon so we'd have to wait!

Eventually the supply was replenished but the joke about how the CycleItalia guests drank up ALL the Ruche persists. We're not ashamed as this wine deserves its cult status. Some of our clients have told us it can even be found in the USA and they delight in sharing something they're pretty sure their friends have never tasted.

We were up in the region last summer and bought up a selection of Ruche wines to bring back to Sicily to go with our Piedmont-themed dinners. Sicilian wines are great but sometimes we want something different, especially to go with the food from the Piedmont region like risotto.

Not too long ago we found some cheap Ruche wine here in Sicily, at LIDL of all places! This store is kind of like the Trader Joe's of Europe you might say - they have products from all over the world as well as specialties from the local region and elsewhere.

They have a regular promotion called "American Week" where we score bottles of real maple syrup (from Canada) as well as some pretty decent peanut butter, all at very reasonable prices.

So when we saw this Bricchidorati Ruche at about 1/2 of what we'd pay in a supermarket in Monferrato (and you can't find it here in Sicily) we bought a case! Today Zio Lorenzo grabbed what he thought was one of them to go with our pranzo of Carlo Zarri's "Enchanting Langa Salad" followed by a vegetable risotto.

The label looked similar but not quite the same, so after lunch down he went to our "wine cellar" to compare. You can see the two bottles in the photos and upon close inspection notice the description on the back is identical so it's a reasonable guess the LIDL cheap version was produced and bottled for them by Luca Ferraris, a name you can see along the road we take out of Castagnole Monferrato, for us one of the most scenic stretches of road you'll ever cycle. Their version is called Terre del Parroco and our guess is they supply the bottles filled and sealed with just the DOCG strips on the neck so LIDL can add their Bricchidorati labels and sell 'em in their stores.

We'll be on the lookout for more of this at LIDL and if you ever see this wine at your local wine shop, be assured that it's the real thing and it's good, as the DOCG should suggest.

Cin-Cin!

Vino Quotidiano (Everyday Wine)

VINO QUOTIDIANO (Everyday Wine)

Everyday wine? "Does that mean you drink wine every day?" you ask? In Italian we'd say "Ma certo!" (but of course!)

Wine is far from an extravagance here unless you enjoy high-priced bottles from famous makers. We like those as much as anyone but reserve them for Sunday pranzo and/or special occasions.

For everyday there's vino sfuso, bulk wine put into your own container. Our favorite source is just off the island of Ortigia where we can purchase what you see in the photo (3 magnum-sized, screw-top bottles we use over and over again + a regular-sized, corked bottle) for the equivalent of $15. 

This time of year we drink far less red wine, so two magnums of rosato (a blend of nero d'avola and nerello mascalese) and another of bianco (in this case inzolia) + the rosso (nero d'avola) will keep our wine glasses full for awhile.

Yep, more than 5 liters of good-quality, enjoyable everyday wine for barely $15 at a place 5 minutes from our house via our shopping bike(s).

Even closer to home is the water fountain. Here you can get 6-liters of cold, sparkling drinking water for the equivalent of 50 cents provided you bring your own containers. Ours, just like for wine, are glass because...well....you know.

La vita e bella!!!

PS-no word yet as to when visitors from the USA might be allowed into the EU. We'll post something here as soon as announcements are made in case you're interested in enjoying Piedmont Cycling Resort this season. Rumors are flying about something being announced July 1.

Amici sportivi e piu (Sporting friends and more)

Amici Sportivi

Our new friend Salvo DiNoto poses with Harry & Leather in the Giudeca neighborhood of Ortigia.

Salvo and his family run a tiny market just past the water fountain which means Zio Lorenzo stops there more often than not to get our daily bread. Sometimes he gets more than just bread, like this wine, which he's embarrassed to reveal the price of because it's so inexpensive, but really enjoyable.

Yesterday morning Zio picked up a bottle of this vino and some cheese and fruit to go with our daily bread, but somehow the fruit didn't get into his shopping bag. On the way back home from a bike ride we swung by to get it - Salvo had set it aside and as soon as Zio walked in he handed him the bag with a smile. 

He then came outside to admire our bicycles. One thing led to another and a time was set to ride together this afternoon. Off we went for 50 kms, some of it on roads he said he'd not been on in years! Salvo's been riding MTB's for years but scored a good deal on a road bike so he's learning about another facet of the sport. We're happy to help him and hope to enjoy riding with him regularly.

He's also our "go-to" guy here locally for bottled wine, always with something interesting that he can describe in detail and always at a fair price. 

BRAVO SALVO!!

Another Sortino Sunday

Another Sortino Sunday

You can sing that to the tune of The Eagles "Tequila Sunrise" if you want. This time Heather was out there with Zio Lorenzo.

Hard to believe this was the 1st of December but it was sunny, clear and warm enough for very enjoyable cycling.....

...though we DID encounter a sort of "traffic jam" along the way, but otherwise these roads are almost traffic-free.

Heather did don a windvest and arm warmers for the ride down from Sortino but those were ditched as soon as we finished the descent.

Post-ride it was time for Sunday pranzo - bruschetta al pomodoro (with bread grilled outside on the gas grill) followed by some wonderful Ribollita Heather made awhile back and stashed in our freezer with a second plate of grilled sausage, onions and peppers washed down with a Nero d'Avola from Tasca da Almerita.

Buona Domenica!!!

La Langarola 2019

La Langarola 2019

The third in the 2019 epoca trilogy for us was this past Sunday. La Langarola has arguably the best scenery to work with since it starts and ends in Grinzane Cavour after a few versions in nearby Barolo. Zio Lorenzo's been to 'em all!

This year's event was held the same day as one at the Museo Ghisallo, which seems silly to us but there are only so many Sundays on the calendar. We hope that's fixed for next year as we missed some friends that would likely have been here.

The recent heat wave in Europe has moved on, but it's still warm...

...as you can see above.

At the first rest stop Zio Lorenzo said CIAO to friend Luciano Rizzo who really looks the epoca part, no?

He not only looks the part, he paints it as well.

lucianorizzo1950@libero.it

Larry says someday when/if we have a permanent place to live here in Italy, he'll spring for some original art for the walls as so many Italians do. Why not start with a painting like one of these?

Our next stop was the famous FONTANAFREDDA who always put on a nice spread, complete with chilled, sparkling vino! Larry can never imagine a place in the USA offering chilled bubbly in a proper glass to a group of sweaty cyclists, can you?

The "pasta party" at the end is always enjoyable, especially when you get far more than just pasta. Before the tajarin (piemontese for tagliarini) ragu there was carne cruda  (think of steak tartare) and after, roasted potatoes, roasted meat and dessert. It goes without saying there was plenty of water and wine as well.

The awards ceremonies are always enjoyable with the women participants called up for gifts followed by the oldest, youngest and those who came from the greatest distance. Our award was kind of fake since we live in Italy now, but we didn't protest too much - would YOU turn down a magnum of 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo? We didn't think so!

Mille grazie tutti!! Ci vediamo prossimo anno!

(Thanks to everyone! We'll see you next year!)

How to Watch a Bike Race: Lesson 1

How to Watch a Bike Race: CycleItalia Style

First, choose the right stage. For us Stage 12 from Cuneo to Pinerolo had a lot of appeal with the location not too far from Piedmont Cycling Resort and a circuit which would let us see the riders more than once.

We drove up in the late morning with the idea of being up there in time to enjoy a proper pranzo before the race came by.  First we parked the car and walked along the route to the finish line, then up the short, but insanely steep San Maurizio climb with the idea to see the race pass by then head down to the finish.

Once we'd scoped out a great viewing spot (and escape route) it was time to find the perfect pranzo spot. PIAZZA DUOMO was right at the bottom of our escape route and had a Giro lunch special going, but we wanted a proper meal with all the courses. They had it!

A wonderful lunch in a sunny piazza, looked after by a caring staff. What more could you wish for? GRAZIE!!

OK, now back to the race! This climb was like one of the murs of Flanders!

We were jammed in with the masses of spectators as the racers struggled up this cobbled climb. Once the race passed...

....we headed back down to see the vintage bike displays

.

In Piedmont they are very much in-touch with the history and heritage of cycling.

Especially 100 years after Il Campionissimo Fausto Coppi was born.

Next, find a spot where you can see the action on the big screen, in this case along the finishing straight...

...close enough to see the prize presentations.

Pinerolo was dressed in pink with lots of creative displays for both the finish and the next day's start.