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technical info
The route
A short but intense stage, which leaves little time for the riders to catch their breath. The overall elevation gain, when compared to the stage length, is worthy of an Alpine stage. The opening kilometres from Santena to the foot of the first climb are the only flat stretch of the stage. The route ascends from Rivodora to Superga, taking in two laps of a 36.4‑km circuit that includes climbs up to Superga and the Colle della Maddalena. The former is 5 km long, with gradients hovering around 10%, and topping out at 14%. The latter is much shorter; it winds its way along a narrow road across the woods, with maximum 20% gradients. A technical descent then leads all the way to the finish.
Final kilometres
After clearing the Colle della Maddalena, the route drops into Valsalice, with some challenging bits as it passes through urban areas. The gradients then go up again, up to Parco del Nobile. The last 4 km run entirely downhill, mostly on narrow roads. The road then opens out past the last kilometre, in urban Torino, and levels out with approx. 700 m to go. The home straight is on tarmac road.
start / finish
climb detail
final kilometres
itinerary timetable
tourist info
Host city:
Santena
Touristic Information
Santena is an Italian municipality of 10 736 inhabitants of the metropolitan city of Turin in Piedmont. It is famous for asparagus as well as for the Cavourian Pole, with the Cavour Memorial, the tomb and the park.
Santena is a crossroads of ancient roads that connect it from south to north with Carmagnola and Chieri and from east to west with Asti and Turin. A geolocation that connects this territory to the major highways and railways confirming the function of logistic platform extended to Europe. Thanks to the Cavourian Pole, it is also a crossroads of culture and history because it preserves and preserves the memories of the main creator of the Unification of Italy. In recent years it is also taking a central role in food and wine, both for international companies that are based there and because leader of the future Food District.
Gastronomy
Asparagus, King of the Table.
Among the Traditional Agri-food Products (PAT)
It has a Seal that certifies the traceability of the chain (ISO 22005)
Since 2004 it has been recognized by an Association, which defines a production disciplinary to follow in order to present its product as Asparagus Santena (21 associates to 2018).
With 170 tonnes of production per year
Product of excellence of Italian and Piedmontese agriculture is a position won with the work and constancy of farmers who, from generation to generation, have been able to select, produce, enhance, protect and promote the delicious tourism, King of the spring table. Asparagus owes its fame to its sweet and delicate taste and low fibrousness, the result of freshness and sandy soil in which it grows. The notoriety is increased by the wisdom with which they prepare the many dishes of course elaborated over the centuries, that today can be tasted in the restaurants and trattorias that expose the mark of quality.
The large companies
From the historic Lenti Spa, which has been producing quality cooked hams for over a century, to Caffè Vergnano, there are dozens of nationally and internationally renowned companies based in the City of Santena. Growing brands that give prestige to Made in Italy and pride to the territory.
The brand De.Co
There are over a dozen gastronomic products identified by the Town Denomination brand that guarantees the quality and safeguard the productive peculiarities of the City.
It includes: La Focaccia Dolce del Fornaio di Tetti Giro – alias Pollone Walter – of the bakery “Il Forno”. The Piemonteìsa of the butchery “Carne Dì”, which prefers raw materials of territorial origin. Can 100% Arabica from 250 grams grind Moka “House of coffee Vergnano”, born from the slow roasting of the finest varieties of Arabica. Swiss red meat and white meat of the “Crivello Butchery”, which prefers raw materials of local origin. Pure saffron in the stammi of the farm “Rocca Roberto”, sold to private and restaurateurs santenesi and not. Pure saffron in the stigmata of the farm “Zafferano Fratelli Palazzolo”, sold to private and restaurateurs santenesi and not. Liquori Bicerin Originale di gianduiotto, Bicerin originale White, Bicerin originale Dark, Vermouth di Torino bianco Camillo and Vermouth di Torino rosso Camillo delle Nuove Distillerie Vincenzi srl. Spanotto Cavour, from the pizzeria “Lo Snack”
The Food District
The Metropolitan City bets on the Food District of Chieri and Carmagnola. Peperone e Salame di Giora di Carmagnola, Tinca gobba dorata del Pianalto di Poirino, Asparago di Santena, Ciliegie di Pecetto, Cipolla Piatlina bionda di Andezeno, Freisa di Chieri: these and many others are the agricultural and wine excellences of the 22 municipalities that are part of the homogeneous zone Chierese-Carmagnolese (one of 11 in which is divided the territory of the Metropolitan City of Turin) on which it is worth focusing in order to enhance agricultural and agri-food production and the landscape. The Food Districts are understood by the regional legislator as a tool to combine economic activities with culture, history, tradition and local tourist offer.
Main sights
The City of Camillo Cavour. Commemorating Camillo Benso di Cavour (1810-1861) is an easy task to accomplish. Since that tragic June 6, 1861, the city has been a pilgrimage destination for those who want to commemorate the figure and work of the greatest Italian statesman. Between the Memorial and the Parish Church there is the tomb, also visually reminding one of the pillars of the Weaver’s political action: that idea of “Free Church in Free State”so modern and disruptive that it deeply affects the history and culture of our country throughout the nineteenth century, the twentieth century, to the present day.
THE CAVOUR CASTLE Located in an environment of refined beauty, it captures and seduces the visitor, inserting it in a unique and original plot that tells the context in which Cavour lived, formed and operated the character capable of permanently placing Italy in the system of western democracies.
THE CAVOUR MEMORIAL The memorial built inside the Castle, which opens after four years of renovation, offers interactive paths that tell on three floors the life of Cavour and the history of the Italian Risorgimento. On the top floor the chamber where the statesman died. Outside the Castle the family tomb was restored where Cavour was buried and there is the mortuary tombstone of the Countess of Castiglione originally in Paris at the cemetery de la Père-Lachaise .
THE DIPLOMATIC ROOM The Diplomatic Room, also called the Council Room, was so called because it was used for the political meetings of Cavour with colleagues of the Ministry. It is located in a detached building connected to the Castle with a terrace. 20 meters long and 9 meters wide, it was commissioned in 1780/90 by the Marquises of Cavour who succeeded the Benso di Santena. The walls are decorated with bright stucco representing the arts and crafts, with trophies representative of the arts and sciences, such as tools for sculpture, the bagpipe for poetry, the palette for painting, symbolic motifs for geometry, astronomy, natural sciences, geography, theatre and music. Today the entrance is surmounted by the Benso coat of arms.
THE TOWER. It is the ancient remainder of the fifteenth-century Castellazzo of the Marquis Tana, purchased by Carlo Ottavio Benso in 1714. The Tower was restored in 1887-1889, under the direction of Melchior Pulciano: on the first floor is the Sala delle Corone, where the crowns that hundred Italian cities brought in 1886 for the 25th anniversary of the death of Cavour are preserved. In the room there is a large fireplace, added with the nineteenth-century restorations, which bears on the hood the painting of the coat of arms of the Benso and their motto “Gott will reicht”. The coat of arms is surmounted by the figure of a pilgrim carrying a banner with the inscription “Militia et Peregrinatio”. In the nearby room there are other crowns and memorabilia arrived over the years, such as the olive branch sent by Mussolini in 1929.
The Tomb. Declared a national monument in 1911, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Camillo Cavour stands on the left side of the church. Built in 1715 by Count Carlo Ottavio Benso, it contains the remains of Count Camillo Benso di Cavour and many of his family. Originally the tomb of the Benso family was in the church of San Francesco a Chieri and when the Napoleonic army destroyed the church, the Benso built a mortuary crypt under the chapel of the castle of Santena. The facade of the chapel is in Doric order, the internal walls are covered in marble and the altar is bronze.Located in an environment of refined beauty, captures and seduces the visitor, inserting it in a unique and original plot that tells the context in which Cavour lived, formed and operated the character capable of permanently placing Italy in the system of western democracies.
The Park. Next to the castle lies a large park of 23 hectares wanted by the Marquis Michele Benso di Cavour at the beginning of the nineteenth century and designed by Xavier Kurten. It is a typical English garden, with hillocks and curved paths, useful to provide at each step a different perspective view of the park. The park, bordered to the south by the banks of the Banna stream, is rich in centuries-old native plants, including beech, elm, oak, fir and plane trees of important height (up to 35 m).
TWINNING: Santena and Plombières Les Bains
In May 2018 was signed the long-awaited twinning between the City of Santena and the French city Plombières-les-Bains the two municipalities, Italian and French, united by the life of the great statesman Piedmont. A journey started by the Santenese administration almost twenty years ago and that was finally completed with the naming of the square at the intersection of Via Cavour, Via Tana and Via Torino. The ceremony was held in the diplomatic hall of the Cavourian complex, in the presence of the entire city council of Santenese, the French delegation and many citizens and associations Santenesi. Also present was a Spanish delegation of entrepreneurs from Burguillos del Cerro, the region Sur Extremadura typical area of wild asparagus.
Torino
Overview
Capital of Piedmont and defined by Le Corbusier as the city with the most beautiful natural position, Turin is surrounded by a lush hillside, dominated by the Juvarrian Basilica of Superga, crossed by the great river, the Po, and surrounded by the Western Alps. Its history begins more than two thousand years ago with a small village “Taurasia” which, in Roman times, became Augusta Taurinorum, hence the name. In 1280 the Savoy dynasty conquered Turin and under their reign the city experienced one of the most important transformations in its history, becoming one of the major capitals of the Baroque, thanks to the great architects of the court (from Vitozzi to Guarini and Juvarra) as well as guardian of the Holy Shroud. First capital of Italy in 1861 with many records behind it, from cars to cinema to design, it is a city of discreet, regal charm, to be discovered walking through its elegant baroque squares and arcaded streets: 12 kilometers of continuous arcades on a total of 18, that accompany the visitor on a fascinating journey through historic cafes, old bookstores and Royal Residences (Unesco heritage since 1997) sumptuous palaces of the court or holiday. In Turin, art is also at home with over 40 museums, including the Egyptian Museum, second in the world for importance of collections, and four National museums, the Museum of Cinema, the Automobile, the Mountain and the Risorgimento as well as prestigious venues for contemporary art.
Speciality food
Turin’s cuisine boasts a long and refined tradition, making Turin one of the world capitals of taste. Great use is made of vegetables, meats, cheeses, irreplaceable ingredients for refined and tasty recipes. Appetizers are the lion’s share: from vitello tonnato (veal in tuna sauce) to anchovies in green sauce, from meat and fish in carpione to more delicate dishes such as vegetable flans and tomini, small fresh cheeses. As first courses, stands out bagna caôda, ancient peasant recipe based on a sauce with oil, anchovies and garlic where raw and boiled vegetables are dipped, agnolotti, gnocchi and risottos and as second courses, mixed boiled meat, braised meat and mixed fried food, just to mention some of them. The table never lacks breadsticks in the variants “stirato”, crumbly and with a delicate taste, and “rubatà”, full-bodied and lightly leavened, stick-shaped, an all-Turin invention, and cheeses, the list of which is endless and delicious: from robiole, to tome, from tomini to straw cheeses with a firm or doughy consistency. And to end on a sweet note, Turin’s confectionery industry boasts the invention of zabaglione, egg yolks beaten with sugar and Marsala wine, and bignole, delicate and irresistible little bundles covered in icing, and chocolate with the iconic giandujotto, obtained by mixing chocolate with toasted hazelnut flour, cremini, alpini with liqueur, pralines and other delights.
Drinks
It is obvious that Piedmont is a land of great wines: among the most renowned reds, his majesty Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and among whites, Arneis, Gavi and Malvasia. But it is not well known that the province of Turin is the custodian of many great wines. The territory around Turin is the homeland of an important and ancient viticultural tradition: along about 600 kilometers (600 miles) there is the area of Canavese, Collina Torinese, Pinerolese and Valsusa where to appreciate 25 DOC wines, produced by 11 characteristic vines. Among them, the most Turinese of all is Freisa, a ruby red wine, slightly sparkling, produced in the area of Chieri and in the urban vineyard next to Villa della Regina, a few hundred meters from the city center. Turin has another record: aperitif. Known all over the world, Vermouth was born in Turin in 1786 by Antonio Benedetto Carpano, and was initially sold in a liquor store in Piazza Castello. For its recipe are used Moscato from Piedmont and full bodied wines from the South, with extracts and infusions of about 30 aromatic herbs. There are many types of Vermouth: red, white, rose, sweet and dry. In Turin it is a real aperitif.
Main sights
Turin is a city of a thousand souls, a perfect blend of past and present, which looks to the future while retaining its charm of the ancient capital of Italy. In the historical center alone, there are six Royal Residences (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997), some of which house prestigious museums: Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Chiablese, which are part of the Royal Museums, Palazzo Carignano, which houses the National Museum of the Risorgimento, Palazzo Madama (unique in its baroque and medieval style) with its Museum of Ancient Art, Villa della Regina and Valentino Castle. And then, just a few kilometers from the city center, the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, the Reggia di Venaria Reale and the Castello di Rivoli, home to the prestigious Museum of Contemporary Art. There are also imposing religious buildings such as the Duomo where the Holy Shroud is kept. From the heart of Turin, Piazza Castello, branch out the main city streets: Via Roma embellished by Piazza San Carlo, the baroque lounge, Via Garibaldi, the longest pedestrian street in Europe, and Via Po that leads to the Church of the Gran Madre di Dio at the foot of the hill, a large green lung dominated by the Basilica of Superga, a work of Juvarra, which contributes to making Turin one of the greenest cities in Italy. Walking along via Po, we meet the symbol of the city, the Mole Antonelliana, guardian of the National Museum of Cinema, a real “temple” dedicated to the seventh art. There are also many spaces dedicated to contemporary art, including the GAM (Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art) and the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Merz Foundations. Between a residence and a museum, the city should be admired along the banks of the Po until reaching, among the lush nature of Valentino Park, the Borgo and the Rocca Medievale, built for the Italian General Exhibition of 1884. From here, the view of the great river and the hill is breathtaking. Turin also has a design soul, so much so that it has been declared a Creative City by Unesco precisely because of its ability to reinvent spaces and places to be discovered by walking in more peripheral neighborhoods: from the Intesa San Paolo skyscraper, whose 35th floor houses the highest restaurant and cocktail bar in Italy, to the Officine Grandi Riparazioni, once a train shelter and now a museum, food and tech center, up to the new Lavazza headquarters, Nuvola, with the museum dedicated to Lavazza coffee.
