Biking from Trento to Bassano del Grappa on the Valsugana Path

The Valsugana connects Trento with the Bassano della Grappa, and has been a nature migration route from the north to the Veneto plain for centuries.· Sections of the via Caludia Augusta Roman road runs through the valley.· The Valsugan bike route offers plenty to see along the route or utilize the route to move up and down the valley to ride some of the classic climbs.· There is a project to extend the route all the way down into Trento, from Tezza up toward Feltre following the Caludia Augusta route, and make a designated path all the way to Bassano della Grappa.

Length	81 km
Route	Marked bike path mixed with secondary roads
Elevation gain	Bassano della Grappa to Caldonazzo 290 meters Caldonazzo to Bassano della Grappa 55 meters
Best time to ride	From spring to fall.
Road Conditions	The entire route is paved

Most of the route is sign posted.  The actual path ends at the regional border between Trentino and  Veneto from there you are secondary roads.

Rock Climbing at Lumignano, located south of Vicenza

The largest and best developed climbing area in the Vicenza Province is Lumignano, it is located above the town of Lumignano, a small village south of Vicenza and located in the Berici Hills. The numerous cliffs in the valley have been a major climbing destination since the early 1970. At one time Lumignano hosted some of the hardest climbs in Italy and routes such as Orient Express, Atomic Cafe, and Arco d'Ora were top·projects on a lot of climbers tick list. Today with so many sites throughout Europe and the expansion of the difficulty rating Lumignano no longer host the hardest routes but many individuals are surprised at the stiffness of the grades are in the older sectors. Lumignano offers a wide variety of climbs but is not the best area for first time climbers.

I first climbed in Lumignano in 1986 and found the routes to be challenging, the rock top quality, and the village of Lumignano a quite county village. Since that first experience the area has changed, the village has become a community of new subdivisions, there are lots of new sectors to climb, and the rock is very polished on many of the popular routes. However, the area still has a special appeal, the rating for the climbs have not changed and seem stiff compared to other sites in Europe. You can no longer can you climb in mid day in July or August and expect to find good grip and rock texture and it is a bit more crowded in the town and area. However there are still great routes to climb and just knowing the season and time of day there are plenty challenges. It is best to forget about grades and stuff and just climb for fun.

NEAREST CITY	Vicenza
TYPE OF SITE	Sport Climbing
TYPE OF ROCK	limestone - red/grey pockets
BEST TIME OF YEAR	all year but best is cooler times of the day and month
DIFFICULTY RANGE	4-8B?
TYPE OF PROTECTION	expansion bolts, glued rings
MAP OR GUIDEBOOK
Reachable by Public Trans	City bus number 8

Biking the Prosecco Wine Zone of Valdobbiadene

Prosecco Wine Road

 This week I have been riding in the Valdobbiadene area and Colli Congeliano hills while taking a few breaks, the one wine you will continue to encounter is Prosecco.  I have been learning alot about wines in the past years; one thing is that a style of Prosecco has been made as far back as the 1100’s,  but the wine does not resemble today’s version.

Prosecco as we know it today can trace its roots back to the 1868 with the founding of the Carpené Malvoti winery by Antonio Carpené, a winemaker and a chemist. He began to make his Prosecco in large tanks instead of allowing the fermentations to occur in bottles. This was possible by using  pressurized tanks, that had been created in France, to make wine, this is now known as the Charmat (named after the inventor) style.  In order to list the DOC name on the label, the wines must be at least 85% Prosecco grapes with up to 15% being Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and/or Verdiso. A maximum limit of 10% was set only for the use of the Verdisio grape. Wines must be at least 10.5% Alcohol by volume. Now the rules have changed and for a Prosecco to be labeled a Prosecco it must have orginated in the Colli Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Zone-  Any wine made outside this zone is now must be labeled vino fizzate.

The old style of Prosecco was a faintly effervescent wine that was made and consumed locally (similar to Moscato d’Asti). The wine is made from the prosecco grape (thought to hail from two possible orgins, one group contends it originated in the region of Friuli, another group believes the grape from the Friuli started as the Serprino grape, that was brought north by the Romans to the town of Este, that sits at the southern portion of the Eugenai Hills). The prosecco grape is a white grape that naturally ripens very late in the season, so growers were forced to wait until late in the harvest season to pick the grapes. The winemakers would crush the grapes and then their fermentations would be initiated. However, in the days before temperature control, winter would set in and the lower temperatures would halt the fermentation. The wine was then bottled. When the temperatures warmed the following spring, there would be carbon dioxide bubbles trapped in the wine giving it a light fizzy quality. Because the fermentations were not complete, the wine often was sweet from residual sugar left in the wine. That is, the yeast cells were killed by the cold before they converted all the sugar in the must to alcohol and CO2.

There are some differences between the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene areas. Conegliano wines are from the lower lying areas and they tend to be a bit fruitier especially showing more of a peach quality than a citrus one. The ones marked Valdobbiadene are from the higher elevations and tend to be crisper and citrusier. I prefer the Valdobbiadene wine because the crispness and refreshing nature of these wines is, in my opinion, one of its most positive characteristic.  

A smaller area also exists within the Valdobbiadene DOC zone called Cartizze, this wine is considered one of Italy’s “Grand Cru”. The vineary is made up of  about 205 acres the has become the source for the very best grape, that Prosecco has to offer. The wines are big, well made, and more serious, also the alcohol content must be at least 11%.  These wines do not fit into the usual Prosecco mold in terms of style, price or when to drink them, instead they are similar to lower level Champagnesand priced accordingly.  These wines are worth trying, and here in the Veneto we tend to use as a special occasion, where as best part of Prosecco is its refreshing qualities as an inexpensive aperitif.

If you are visiting the Veneto this area is one of the "not to miss" if you like biking or prosecco.

Foods to Try While in Venice and the Veneto

Next time you are bike touring in the Venice and the Veneto there are a few foods you should try.

Venice's seafood: delicious!

If you’re heading to Italy’s Veneto region anytime soon (say, for the Mid Mountains Bike Tour or the Giro Venice and Veneto), there’s something very important you need to know: what to eat.

In and around Venice, here are the foods you just can’t miss!

A twist on Venice's sardee in saor

Sardee in saor. One of our favorite Venetian dishes, this delicious antipasto features sweet-and-sour sardines with onions, pine nuts and raisins. Sounds odd, tastes amazing.

Risi e bisi. A Venetian dish of rice and peas, somewhere between a risotto and a soup. So traditional, it used to be offered to the Doge every St. Mark’s Feast Day.

Pasta e fasioi. In Italian, this would be “pasta e fagioli,” or pasta and beans. But this is the Venetian version… so you just have to order it in Venetian dialect!

Scampi alla veneziana. Venetian shrimp that have been boiled and are served with a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

Vermicelli with squid ink, a Venetian specialty

Caparossoi a scota deo. Large, plump clams, cooked with lemon and pepper. They’re so good, people can’t resist reaching for them as soon as they’re on the table, even when they’re hot… hence “a scota deo” – hot fingers!

Risotto or vermicelli al nero di seppia. Risotto or vermicelli (long, thin noodles) with black squid ink, popular in Venice.

Bigoi in salsa. Spaghetti in a sauce of sardines or anchovies.

Scampetti with polenta in Venice

Scampetti con polenta. Little shrimps with polenta, a dish made out of boiled cornmeal.

Carpaccio. Raw meat, sliced thin, with a sauce made out of mayo, mustard, cream, and tomato. Invented by the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice.

Bacala mantecato. Cod, crushed with parsley and olive oil.

Fritole venessiane. Fritters, made of everything from cornflour to pumpkin. Popular around Carnevale.

Pincia. A pastry with eggs, sugar and raisins.

Marostica and the Human Chess Match

Sitting at the foothills of the Asiago Plateau and not far from Vicenza and Bassano del Grappa is the town of Marostica. A lovely town is enclosed within the ancient walls of its castles and still retains the magical atmosphere of the past. The merloned wall built by the Scaligeri in the 14th century connects the castle on the hill (Castello Superiore) above the town with the castle (Castello Inferiore) below. Because there were two castles, the town could be defended more easily and it had complete control over local trade routes. The town, which has been awarded the TCI's "Bandiera Arancione" (Orange Flag), is famous for a human chess tournament. The Museo dei Costumi delia Partita a Scacchi is an exhibition of the costumes used in the game of chess.

The game takes place every even year so September 2012 is the time to see. 

The lower castle of Marostica

A few meters away from Castello Superiore is the Museo Ornitologico "Angelo Fabris", with one of the largest collections of birds in Europe, (more than a thousand specimens). It organizes flying demonstrations with specially trained birds of prey and guided tours of important bird sites in the area.

The Museo "Cappelli di Paglia di Marostica" is an exhibition about the local tradition of making straw hats. The craft skill of plaiting straw to make hats and bags was so important by the mid-17th century that the town's products were exported allover Italy, to Europe and North America.

The outer walls of the city of Marostica, Italy

The famous chess game is the ultimate expression of tradition, a magical moment for this town that is also known as the City of Chess. It is a medieval re-enactment that takes place every two years in the famous Chess Square, opposite the Lower Castle, which takes its cue from a legend. It is said that in 1454 two noble warriors were both in love with Lionora, the daughter of the Castellan of Marostica.

These warriors were forbidden to fight a bloody duel and a singular chess game was played instead. The live game of chess takes place on the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month of September in even-numbered years and involves more than five hundred players dressed in period costumes.

In the spring Marostica’s rolling hills are encased in an enchanting expanse of cherry trees in bloom, a soft white color gives the foliage a fabulous candor. Roana, Sandra, Francese, Bella Italia, Milanese and Romana: are some of the varieties produced in the area and are so good that they bear the PGI (protected geographical indication) mark.