2024 will mark the 'Grande Partenza' for Italy. The Tour will start 100 years after Italy's first tour win in the mecca of cycling. Although the Emilia-Romagna region coughs up most of the start money, the circus starts in Florence. Right, which is in Tuscany. The third stage, after a start in Piacenza, also finishes in Turin. That is in Piedmont, just outside Emilia-Romagna. Anyway, it's in Emilia-Romagna to do. With a big tribute to Pantani, during a finish and start in Cesenatico and Rimini. While every village and town cries out for attention, Parma is also doing its bit. With a first edite of l'etape Parma by Tour de France, the well-known concept of the A.S.O. colours the city a little yellow after all. In the run-up, we first rode the Food Valley Bike Tour. To lick your fingers!
Text and photos: Sander Kolsloot
Solo una
A man with a gaudy face and an almost carnival-like suit on, joins us at the table. What we want to eat? With a small grin, he starts listing a number of pastas. 'Traditional, with pumpkin, ragu?' Whatever we want. The head of our group, Andrea, cuts the knot: 'some of everything, so we can share'. The cheerful waiter disappears to the back again. Some time later, he comes proudly to show us the first semi-finished product. The pasta here is handmade and that is to write home about. A little later, when the first bowls emerge from the kitchen, little is left of the "sharing principle". There is so much, there is enough of everything for everyone. The dishes keep coming, I keep eating. 'Solo Una' is the credo. After four bowls of pasta, all four of which are super tasty, the waiter comes back into the picture: another main course? No thanks, 'dolce per tutti'. And that too is finger-licking good. La Filoma in Parma is the number one spot.
Eating, drinking and cycling go hand in hand
That Italy, and Emilia-Romagna in particular, is known for its fine cuisine should almost no longer be a secret. What's hot: Modena is home to one of the best restaurants in the world, Parma itself is proudly namesake of delicious ham and cheese, and the local wines are only talked about with praise. Before race day, we first head into the region by train. The goal: to ride the Food Valley bike tour.
From Piacenza, where we are first welcomed by mayor Katia Tarasconi, dressed in moody yellow for the occasion. Piacenza wants to put itself on the map with the arrival of the Tour and a lot of money is being put into it. Rightly so? We will see. Everyone is positive and the hotels are full around the Tour weekend. Winner winner, pasta dinner! We gladly grab the Italian coffee and 'brioche' to set course for Busseto.
Beautiful industrial estates and boring roads
Ahead, the praise of Italy cannot stay busy. To get from Piacenza to the start of the Food Valley, we have to pass through an unsightly stretch of land. Piacenza's industrial area is a must; the following roads are pretty straightforward. Additional disadvantage: the win is punishingly uphill and it's just 'stupid grinding'. Fortunately, a climax soon awaits. We ride into 'Verdi land', near Busseto. Here is the birthplace of the famous Italian composer and you can still find many references to him. The large statue in the central square is not to be missed. Busseto is also the point where we pick up the Food Valley Bike tour.
Rural route
The Food Valley Bike Tour is meant to be a nod to the region. It is a great way to discover the region's somewhat lesser-known spots. The route reasonably follows the train line, so you can almost always shorten the route if you are tired, or do a variation. We ride it in reverse, i.e. from Busseto to Parma. The river Po is the guiding light. The river is also the division between Emilia-Romagna and neighbouring Lombardy. We follow the route and everywhere you can see the effort that has gone into it: signs along the way, directions sprayed on the road. Top. We meander through the country and the wind is once again not in our favour. Tilted to the head, so we try to ride a nice fan.
Wedding crashers
When, after a winding route, we arrive at Antica Grancia Benedettina after about 40 kilometres, we fall head over heels. Literally and figuratively. We drop in on a Sicilian wedding, where the bride is just arriving. Meanwhile, we disappear to a dining room somewhere else and there the hot bowls of pasta, in butter sauce, are swiftly served. My goodness, I thought I had already eaten well, but here too I catch myself eating more and more: solo una. Nonna keeps bringing up new things, and I just can't get enough. Dessert is just as tasty and with another little Dutch greeting in the guest book we pull on our struts. On to Parma
Parma, ci vediamo
We have to process lunch and what better way to do that than pedalling for 20 kilometres. The final destination is the Parco Ducale in the heart of Parma, where we can collect start numbers and where the cyclosportive will also start. The many banners and the village with exhibitors show that something is about to happen. This does get you in the mood for a great ride. We return to our hotel, the Grand Hotel di Parma, which is located near the start. This former psychiatric hospital is the perfect base for your exploration of the city and for riding this l'etape Parma.
