Sky-high enthusiasm for the passage of the Corsa Rosa on the iconic climb of Ca’ del Poggio. Luca Zaia – This road deserves to be colored in pink. The author Mauro Corona – I experience the cyclists’ effort as if I were in their place. On Sunday, May 31, it’s time for the Giro d’Italia Women.
There is a thin pink ribbon that weaves through the green of the vineyards, climbing until it touches the sky, throbbing with the passion of thousands of fans and coloring the Prosecco hills with an emotion that defies time. A roundabout, the final curve. Then the road rears up and becomes a vertical spectacle: here is the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, here is the great cycling community (an estimated 25,000 people along the one-kilometer climb through the vineyards) here is the spectacle awaited for a year: the ninth passage of the Giro d’Italia (the third consecutive one) from 2009 to today.
Stage number 18, 171 kilometers from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo, reaches Ca’ del Poggio just a few minutes after 5:00 p.m. The day is muggy, the sun shines over the vineyards, and then even a few drops of rain fall. The riders push hard on the pedals, looking up at the ribbon of asphalt that suddenly takes the path to the sky and seems to almost tower over them: the magic of the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio envelops them, flowing under their bikes, before projecting them toward the fourth-to-last finish line, tomorrow features the Dolomites, then Piancavallo, and the grand finale in Rome, of a Giro edition that, barring any surprises, will go down in history for the crowning of its new king, Jonas Vingegaard.
Following a breakaway by a quartet composed of the Belgian Geens, the Maltese Mifsud, the British rider Shaw, and the Italian Bais, the groups rejoins just before the attack on the Muro. The Portuguese rider Eulalio attacks, but before the summit of the climb, the maglia rosa Vingegaard catches him and crosses the King of the Mountains (Gpm) peak in first place.
The Muro (1.1 km with an average gradient of 12.3% and peaks of 19%), amidst curves and counter-curves, climbs up to an altitude of 242 meters: we are in the hills, but the setting feels like that of a major Dolomite stage. The first fans arrive at dawn: they set up gazebos, prepare tables, and light fires. The atmosphere is that of a great folk festival. There isn’t a tree, vineyard, or house that hasn’t hung a banner, a photo, or words of encouragement. The road through the vineyards is a palette of colors, drawings, and slogans. Shouts and applause, photos and horns, bikes, flags, and houses colored in pink. Even Poggy, the pink lion and lovable mascot of Ca’ del Poggio, does his part in his third appearance at the Giro.
At the start of the morning, shortly before the passage of the Pedalata Mediolanum (around a hundred cyclists led by former cycling greats Alessandro Ballan and Paolo Bettini), there was room for the inauguration of the celebratory milestone created by sculptor Valentino Moro. The piece recalls the stones placed by the ancient Romans along roads to indicate progressive distances. The milestone displays the maximum gradient (19%) of the Muro; the iron profile outlines the steepness of the stretches, and the vertical arrangement, accentuated by the marble slab, gives the work the value of a totem, standing as a testament to a significant venue for spectacular landscapes and for the cycling and running climbs that engage thousands of enthusiasts.
For the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, this marks the fifth passage of the Giro d’Italia since the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene received UNESCO recognition in 2019. The event thus becomes, once again, the perfect synthesis of a territory that, on the pinkest day of the year, expresses its pride in being there and showcasing its beauty.
Organized by Alberto and Marco Stocco, the heart and soul of Ca’ del Poggio, the Grande Festa Rosa (Great Pink Festival) at the top of the Muro is also a runway for distinguished guests. Urbano Cairo, president of RCS, accompanied by Paolo Bellino and Matteo Zoppas, is a powerhouse of enthusiasm – I had never been to the Muro, I am truly impressed, it’s a wonderful place. We must return next year to make it the tenth passage: it’s a promise, and I keep my promises. Luca Zaia, amid thousands of selfies and handshakes, throws down a challenge – After nine passages of the Giro, the Muro deserves to leave behind the black of the asphalt to become pink. An idea that San Pietro di Feletto doesn’t mind at all. Who knows… The epic nature of the Muro also strikes the writer Mauro Corona – As a kid, I lived through the rivalry between Coppi and Bartali; I love cycling. And the Muro is so tough that when I see the riders climbing, I put myself in their shoes and suffer the exhaustion for them.
Applause also went to the mayor of Treviso, Mario Conte – I arrived by car, but sooner or later I want to tackle the Muro by bike – and the president of the Regional Council, Alberto Stefani. Then came the athletes: Andrea Vendrame (who retired from the Giro after a crash during one of the stages in Bulgaria), Jan Ullrich, Rudy Pevenage, Gianni Motta, Sasha Modolo, Silvio Fauner, Alessandro Troncon, former football referees Daniele Orsato and Gabriele Gava, as well as Fausto Pinarello. Also present were influencers Massimo Barco and Federica Negrin. Rock-infused emotions flowed during the concert by Maurizio Solieri, legendary guitarist for Vasco Rossi, while former motorcycle racer Marco Melandri showed champion talent in his new role as a DJ.
The passage of the Giro d’Italia over the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio was also a major occasion for solidarity, featuring a fundraiser benefiting three important causes: the Bone Marrow Transplant Center of the Complex Hematology Unit at Ca’ Foncello Hospital, the “New School” project aimed at building a new school building in Cambodia, and the “Forza non è violenza” (Strength is not violence) initiative, an awareness campaign against gender-based violence developed through the language of sport and the involvement of local sports organizations.
A wall of shared emotions on a day that will remain unforgettable. Now, everyone head to the mountains. And then onward to Rome. With one certainty: the Giro in Veneto, thanks also to the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, is pinker than ever. And on Sunday, it’s time for the Giro d’Italia Women, with the Roncade-Caorle stage and a brand-new passage over the Muro. A magic that renews itself.
ABOUT CA’ DEL POGGIO
There’s Prosecco. And there’s the sea. Ca’ del Poggio Ristorante & Resort in San Pietro di Feletto, in the Treviso area, perfectly blends the two sides of the Stocco family. The maritime spirit, which led Fortunato and his wife Maria Stella to embark on a distinguished culinary journey in Bibione before moving to San Pietro di Feletto. And the hill country spirit, embodied by their sons Alberto and Marco, who, with their parents’ help, have embraced the family tradition, reinterpreting it with a touch of modernity and elegance. Ca’ del Poggio Ristorante & Resort has been open in San Pietro di Feletto, along the Strada del Prosecco Superiore DOCG, since October 18, 1994, and in 2024 celebrated its 30th anniversary.
While the view of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019, which can be admired from the dining rooms of Ca’ del Poggio Ristorante & Resort, goes straight to the heart, the palates of the Stocco family’s guests are delighted by a seafood-focused cuisine that, thanks to the creativity of chefs Marco Stocco and Vincenzo Vairo, has now captured the attention of even the most discerning gourmets.
Well known in sporting circles—Via dei Pascoli, the only climb certified by the Italian Cycling Federation, renamed the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio and twinned with the Muro di Grammont and the Mûr-de-Bretagne—has already hosted the 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025 editions of the Giro d’Italia, the 2010 Italian Professional Championship, and the 2018 and 2021 editions of the Giro d’Italia Under 23 – Ca’ del Poggio Ristorante & Resort seats 80 guests in an elegant yet welcoming setting, where Alberto Stocco and his team make guests feel right at home.
Since May 2013, Ca’ del Poggio’s offerings have been enhanced by the Hotel Villa del Poggio, a property equipped with every comfort (and featuring a wonderful panoramic terrace) that perfectly complements the hospitality offered by the restaurant, transforming this corner of the Marca Trevigiana—60 km from Venice—into a sort of paradise for guests who love to immerse themselves in the relaxed and elegant atmosphere of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG hills. Nearby, there are golf courses and horseback riding facilities, as well as nature trails to explore on foot or by mountain bike—provided by the hotel—for a vacation dedicated to wellness and relaxation.
The area is also home to the Pope John XXIII Trail, a path of meditation, peace, and spirituality dedicated to the memory of the “Good Pope,” who, when he was still Patriarch of Venice, loved to retreat to the hills of San Pietro di Feletto to rest and renew his spirit.
The research of Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli’s personal secretary since his Venetian years, and of Don Nilo Faldon, a distinguished local historian, combined with the testimonies of local residents, has made it possible to identify the sites along the customary route of the future Saint John XXIII during his stays in San Pietro di Feletto, where there is also a thousand-year-old parish church visited by thousands of faithful each year.
