Missing Italy’s Biggest Bike Race, a Neapolitan Chef in L.A. Tours his Home Country Through Food
Marino Ristorante’s Giro d’Italia menu is a taste of Italy from Sicily to Lombardy
You can think of the Giro d’Italia as a 21-day crash course in Italian biodiversity. Known as Italy’s Tour de France, the cycling race starts at Mount Etna of Sicily, climbs north along the coastal farmland of Puglia and Emila-Romagna, and winds through the lakes and snow-capped mountains of Lombardy and Veneto before finishing triumphantly in Milan.
From a cyclist’s point of view, it’s a dreamscape of challenging and ever-changing terrain. Through a chef’s eyes, it’s a fascinating opportunity to explore the wildly different and well-preserved culinary traditions of 10 Italian regions.
Through a chef’s eyes, it’s a fascinating opportunity to explore the wildly different and well-preserved culinary traditions of 10 Italian regions.
Los Angeles-based Sal Marino has both perspectives. In a typical year, the Neapolitan American chef and cycling enthusiast would be “shadowing” the Giro (postponed this year from May to October 3-25 because of the pandemic), appreciating the…
