Cyclists Turned Manufacturer: Battaglin

Watched Fabio Aru win the 2015 edition of the Vuelta a Espana earlier today and glanced at past general classification winners at this Grand Tour race. I came across 1981's winner Giovanni Battaglin. Turns out after retirement he founded Battaglin Cicli.

Handsome looking bikes indeed including the retro one.

Aru, for his part, won the race (for those of you interested) riding a Specialized just like his compatriot Vincenzo Nibali did when he won the Tour de France in 2014.

Battaglin bicycles are not without its triumphs. It's a bike tailored for champions in the all to familiar and legendary Made in Italy way. 

Italy Rising In Internet Of Things Network

Italy has made impressive strides in 'Internet of Things' networks but there remains room to grow.

More often than not, Italy has been a laggard for too long among its Big Three competitors in technology as well as other European nations. Hopefully, the country will somehow find its footing and do honor to a nation so often at the forefront of human advancement. Whenever there's a top list compiled, an Italian city or the country itself needs to be placed among the leaders. Not hovering or lumbering around wallowing in the lower levels.

Internet Technology is one area Italy can rejuvenate its economy and propel it out of this lethargic malaise it is experiencing.

Trento in Northern Italy is internationally recognized for its efforts on Smart Cities initiatives.

From ZDNet:

"Italy has been pioneering the use of smart electricity meters since 2001 (first country in the world).
Soon, smart metering is likely to be extended to water and gas monitoring. An early trial, promoted by the Italian Energy Authority, is currently taking place in nine cities - Turin, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, Genoa, Verona, Bari, Salerno and Catania."

IoT doesn't come without significant concerns first among them security and vulnerability to hacking. 

Nonetheless, it's a good start. If soccer clubs in Serie A starting to construct state of the art stadiums is any indication, maybe Italy may be finally ready to reinvigorate itself.

 

First Non-Italian Appointed Head Of Uffizi

Finally I get back, albeit for a brief moment, I'm in the middle of training for the marathon next month (hopefully I avoid an injury) and it's zapping all of my mental and physical energy it looks like.

This article caught my eye if anything it reveals more of the recent trend of Germans being appointed to important positions within some of Italy's most cherished entities and organizations.

Its most recent is Eike Schmidt who has been hired to take over the Uffizi in Florence. Schmidt will become the first non-Italian to head the museum since its opening in 1769 and enters a critical period of cultural reforms in the country.

I know things are not all they can be in Italy economically but there's no excuse for the continued mishandling of their cultural heritage.

Schmidt's challenges will be interesting if not unique.

Bikes At The 2015 Tour de France

With the 2015 Tour de France in full swing, let's have a quick look at what bikes and drivetrains (groupsets) times are using.

There are essentially three main drivetrain companies: Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM. Shimano dominates having outfitted 17 bikes. Campagnolo has four and SRAM one.

This year, three teams (second most among nations) have opted for Italian racing bikes. All three happen to be legends in cycling.

French team Europcar uses exclusively Campagnolo for its Colnago bikes. The V1-r model was designed in collaboration with Ferrari.

Lotto NL Jumbo out of Holland opted to compete in the tour on a Bianchi (with its magnificent famous celeste colored bikes. Just like Ferrari red has become iconic, so too Bianchi's celeste ) while Pinarello represents British squad Team Sky.

Meanwhile, Canada supplied two brands for the first time in Cervelo and first time participants Argon. The United States for its part has the most manufacturers with five on the list. Other countries represented are Germany, Taiwan, France (2), Belgium, Spain, Switzerland (1).

Maserati's Plans: Interview With Harald Wester

Interview with Maserati/Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester from Super Street:

"What does Maserati mean to you and what are your ambitions for the future?

I'm not with Maserati to change any of its aims. Maserati is the symbol of Italian style, involving performance and elegance, no one wants to change that. We only want to bring these values to our cars more effectively."

Can he be anymore German?

On a serious note, worth the read. Interesting to see how Maserati fits itself between names like Alfa, BMW and Mercedes.

 

As such, how Maserati transitions from a unique niche brand to branching out to a different market segment will be something to watch.

Ferrari Enters SUV Market

Interesting development in the evolution of the world's greatest and most mystical racing brand.

Photovoltaic Deal In Africa For Italian Company

I'm what the Gaiantician zealots call a 'climate denier', but hey, technology is tech I suppose. I have no idea how much subsidies impact Italian business, however, I imagine it's not unlike most countries in the West.

Either way, Italian companies are carving their piece of the pie.

"On Monday, Italian independent power producer Building Energy announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) for two 50MW solar photovoltaic plants in Benban, Upper Egypt."

At least Egypt is sunny. Iceland, less so. Thus concludes my editorial.

Italian Flavor Spices Top Sports Cars From the 70s and 80s

Six Italian cars - plus one designed by Italians (Aston Martin) - make the list of Top 20 sports cars of the 1970s and 1980s.

 Pictured Maserati Khamsin.

Fiat Plans To Revive Alfa Romeo Brand

"...The carmaker plans to invest 5 billion euros in Alfa Romeo to boost sales more than fivefold to 400,000 vehicles in 2018 by adding eight new models and ramping up production.

The engines, to be produced at the group's Termoli factory in southern Italy, include an advanced high output four-cylinder engine developed for Alfa Romeo, the company said.
The second product will be a Ferrari-derived six-cylinder engine developed specifically for Alfa Romeo.

Fiat bought Alfa from state holding company IRI in 1986, but several attempts at reviving the brand have stalled, leaving just three models. Only 74,000 Alfa Romeos were sold in 2013."

2015 Giro d'Italia Falls Into Spanish Hands

I'm way late on presenting even a cursory post of the 2015 Giro d'Italia but something is better than nothing I submit. Right? Right.

This year's edition of the Giro was impressively won by Spaniard Alberto Contador with a gutsy performance ahead of young rider stud Fabio Aru of Italy. Aru's team mate Mikel Landa won third spot giving Spain two riders in the top 3. It was another impressive Giro for Canadian Ryder Hesjedal.

There were some wonderful scenic routes this year as well. It was, again, an exciting race to watch.

You can read a nice report here about the race.

Some detailed statistics.

Today In Italian Tourism

A little tour into the 'Made in Italy' brand including the world of spas in Trentino-Alto Adige.

Touring Emilia-Romagna in a vintage 1962 Alfa-Romeo.

A 1000 Year Virtual Tour Of Science In Italy

"A Thousand Years of Science in Italy (Mille anni di scienza in Italia) is both a virtual exhibition and an actual show organised across all of Italy and promoted by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica. The unprecedented development of scientific research and subsequent applications represent one of the distinctive characteristics of the last millennium. No other milieu or field of human activity has known such a radical transformation as natural sciences and technology had during the last thousand years..." 

Dear oh me, I've been naughty not posting enough, eh?

Ferrari 458 Italia

The Ferrari 458 convertible.

And the M458T - 670 horsepower behemoth.

Bond's Italian Bond

"...Haider is the founder of Aspetto, a custom bulletproof clothier, which he runs along with Robert Davis. The front room of their small store in Fredericksburg, Virginia, is littered with silk swatches from Italy, wool remnants from leftover suiting and lists of measurements, all the makings of an old-school tailor shop. The back, however, is covered in what the owners call "ballistics", but most of us would refer to it as bulletproof gear..."

Of course, arguably Italy's greatest contribution to the Bond legend is the Aston Martin DB5 designed by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. 

Once again, we see not too far strays Italian influence. 

Two Mighty Civilizations Look To Boost Cooperation

China and Italy have come a long way since Marco Polo.

"Italy is the convergence point between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Thus the Sino-Italian cooperation in the construction of One Belt, One Road will be a reference for all countries along the route," Fan pointed out.

In 2014, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad increased by 19.5 percent year on year to 109 million, topping a threshold of 100 million for the first time in history, according to CNTA.
Onofrio Cutaia, Director General for tourism policies of the Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MIBACT), said "The rise of China and connected demand for tourism arouse great expectations..."


"...For this reason, he underlined, Italy, the country with highest number of UNESCO world culture sites besides to more than 6,000 palaces and castles and nearly 4,000 protected natural areas, cannot miss the opportunity to strengthen tourism relations with China by "easing visa policies, offering convenient and diversified solutions, and becoming familiar with the needs of Chinese tourists."

And 40% of the world's and 60% of Europe's art treasures lie within its borders.

Which is baffling why, a country with staggering offerings would lag Spain and even France in tourism.