In the footsteps of cycling champions: A day in Novi Ligure, Piedmont, Italy

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"Go Girardengo Vai great champion, no one follows you on the highway," sang Gregorian few years ago, and since the goal of our trip is just the birthplace of Girardengo Constant, one of the greatest champions of cycling Italian ever, it is natural to sing this song.
We were lucky enough to get to Novi Ligure in a warm and sunny day, despite the winter, and even if it is time of great races, the main road that leads from Ovada in Novi, we saw dozens of cyclists to train professionals, a clear sign of that the memory of the great champions for Novi is still more than alive. Fausto Coppi, even though he was born in nearby Castellania, it is often trained on the roads Novi and even his name is inextricably linked to the city.
The first stage of our day is, indeed, at the Museum of Champions, the largest museum of European cycling, of which three thousand square meters pays tribute to the world of two wheels. In the Hall of Champions we admired a number of relics and testimonies related to Coppi and Girardengo, while in the room of the Virtual Reality we improvised runners ourselves into riding a bike computer.
Approaching in Novi Ligure, a few large signs on the highway inform tourists of the city's major attractions, including the palaces and chocolate paintings. Novi, located on the northern slopes of the Ligurian Apennines, between the Monferrato hills, vine-covered woods and often untouched, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was the resort town of wealthy Genoese families such as the Doria, Balbi , and Spinola. Their palaces, all highly-decorated and painted in various colors, are a tourist attraction even mentioned in some chronicles of the French eighteenth century. The palace city's most important painting is Palazzo Negroni, also has two dials, one of which is based on the French revolutionary calendar. If Girardengo the way that leads here, is a lively shopping street, with many small shops from clothing to fancy, arriving in Piazza delle Piane, where there is Palazzo Negroni, but you live atmosphere of the past, full of art thanks to the presence of a beautiful fountain, in addition to the splendid Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Continuing our stroll downtown, we also admired the imposing Church of San Nicolò, in addition to the fourteenth-century Church of St. Andrew that once was probably related to the Castle. Going to the church leads to the ruins of the castle and ancient city walls, and on top of the hill you can admire the tower was built in the thirteenth century.
At this point we just have to make the acquaintance of chocolate and sweets, as suggested by the tourist sign. In addition to purchasing a lot 'of real chocolate bars in the center of Novi, even for our dinner we wanted to choose a place that inspired sweetness: thus we have arrived at the restaurant Bunet, Via Marconi. "This is a historic house, once here was the Ristorante Bologna. We have taken over this place three years ago, giving an impression of the restaurant fresh and young, "he told Martha and Joseph, the owners, while we sit in the lounge, furnished with refined elegance. In addition to the city of chocolate, we are also in the land of tasty Monferrato, rich Ligurian influences. So let's start with a hearty appetizer of raw fish, oysters, prawns, langoustines and truffles, which we follow an appetizer cooked au gratin with anchovies, scallops, razor clams, mussels and octopus. Some of our friends opting instead for a tasting on the ground with local products, including cheese and kissed the thread as Castelmagno and robiola. We continue with other seafood and meat, depending on your preference, choosing the noodles with seafood, pappardelle with lobster, the seafood paella, while our carnivorous friends take the very typical ravioli with truffles and home-made corsets " to touch ", or" touch ", a dish with sausage and mushrooms Novi. Follow the thread fassone and a nice cut of beef for his friends, while the rest of the group takes the grilled fish, mixed fried fish. Some of us fall into a great roar caught four people. Washed down with the excellent Barbera and Dolcetto in the area. We close this beautiful day on a sweet note with the bunet, which we enjoy in both its variety: in addition to bunet classic, white, even the one with the nuts.
We will return to Novi Ligure during the summer, and next time, than to enjoy again the goodness of this land, we'll maybe even a nice bike ride through the hills.

Frances Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

www.comune.noviligure.al.it
www.museodeicampionissimi.it
www.ristorantebunet.com
Restaurant Bunet
Via Marconi, 83 Novi Ligure (AL)
0143/79314
Closed on Thursday