ED'S LETTER
France has wonderful food, Britain has a rich history, Switzerland has beautiful scenery, Spain has a great climate, but Italy… Italy has it all. If ever a nation was truly blessed, it is Italy. Apart from a questionable taste in music and the occasional dodgy politician, everything about life in Italy is enviable to my British eyes (or perhaps I’m just feeling jaded from a winter that refuses to quit). Italy is my default destination for holidays and it never fails to deliver. For spectacle you can’t beat Rome; for culture it’s Florence; for rural splendour it’s Tuscany; for epic landscapes it’s the Dolomites. The youths all look effortlessly cool, buzzing around on their scooters, while the pensioners all look healthy and contented, sitting around in town squares and chatting to their neighbours.
And then there’s the cycling. France may have the biggest race, but Italy is the true home of cycling. It has the most prestigious brands – Colnago, Bianchi, Campagnolo, Cinelli. It has the most enigmatic stars – Coppi, Gimondi, Pantani, Cipollini. And, of course, it has the Giro d’italia, the connoisseur’s Grand Tour.
With the Corsa Rosa just around the corner, this issue is dedicated to all things Italian. We have a Big Ride that takes in two classic climbs of the Giro: the majestic Gavia and the ferocious Mortirolo. We have a gran fondo on the shores of Lake Como. We take a visit to Bianchi to wallow in the nostalgia of its most famous bikes. We chat to the grand old man of Italian framebuilding, Ugo De Rosa. And we have three of Italy’s finest bikes on test, from Colnago, Passoni and 3T.
So pull up a pizza, pour yourself a large Valpolicella, shine up your patent leather loafers and settle in for a feast of Italian fare. I’m off to decide where to go on holiday this year.