Giro d'Italia 2018

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Chris Green
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Chris Green » 24 May 2018, 12:21

Thursday's stage starts from Abbiategrasso, a commune (and honorary city) in the metropolitan city of Milano. Its arms are very simple, but formally granted only in 1930.

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Blazon:
D'azzurro al leone d'oro, lampassato di rosso, coronato all'antica del secondo.


Strangely, I was thinking only this morning of using as an example Azure a Lion Rampant Or as the sort of design on which some DAR client might be keen, until gently guided into something less obviously "done before".

The cyclists head south-westerly through well-known wine country (Barolo, Asti, etc) to Pratonevoso in Piedmont. This ski resort has been the finishing line for the Tour de France more recently (2008) than the Giro d'Italia (1996 and 2000). The coat of arms illustrated below is that of Frabosa Sottana, the commune in which Pratonevoso lies:

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Blazon:
Di rosso alla croce d’argento, accantonata nel 1° da un castello d’argento, merlato alla guelfa, torricellato di due pezzi dello stesso e nel 4° da tre pini sradicati d’oro, posti uno accanto all’altro. Ornamenti esteriori da Comune.


These arms date only from 1974. The white cross on red ground is of course for Savoy, of which Piedmont was a significant part. I can find no evidence of Frabosa having a castle, and I would have expected its pines to be green, though having been eradicated, I suppose yellow is as good a colour as any. Note that the castle is crenellated in the Guelph style while the coronet is Ghibelline.
Chris Green
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Bertilak de Hautdesert

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Chris Green
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Chris Green » 25 May 2018, 08:33

Friday sees the last but one mountainous stage of the Giro, starting at Venaria Reale, now part of the Metropolitan City of Turin. Its name refers to the hunting palace of Duke Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy. Building started in 1675, unfortunately the same year as the Duke died. The arms are ornamented with the Sabauda crown of Savoy. The deer is not surprising for a royal hunting area, but why the ladder for it to sit on?


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Blazon:
Di rosso alla cervia d’oro, rivolta ed accovacciata sopra una scala d’argento posta in fascia. Lo scudo sarà per concessione speciale sormontato dalla corona reale Sabauda, e fregiato dal Collare dell’Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata.Sostegni: due rami, a destra di quercia, a sinistra di olivo, al naturale, decussati sotto la punta dello scudo. Motto: “pacem cum inimicis, bellum cum vitiis”.


The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata) originated in Savoy in 1362 (as the Order of the Collar), the Count of Savoy clearly being influenced by the founding a few years earlier of the Order of the Garter and other similar orders of chivalry.

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It became in due course the principal Order of united Italy, but ceased to be a national Order when Italy became a republic in 1946. It is now a dynastic Order headed by the Prince of Naples, head of the House of Savoy.

The finishing line is still in the boundaries of the Metropolitan City of Turin, at Bardonecchia, whose arms get my vote as the best to date - simple (but not too simple) and memorable design, most un-civic!

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Blazon:
D’argento cancellato di rosso, inchiodato d’oro.


In English the blazon would be either Argent a Trellis Gules cloué Or, or Argent Fretty Gules cloué Or. Boutell says that "trellis" requires all the pieces in bend to overlie those in bend sinister and to be "cloué", whereas "fretty" requires interlacing but no "cloué". This example mixes the two versions.
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Bertilak de Hautdesert

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JMcMillan
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby JMcMillan » 25 May 2018, 16:09

Both of these last two are lovely, whatever the mystical significance of the ladder that the deer is lying on.

Thanks for posting this series. I really enjoy it every year.
Joseph McMillan
Alexandra, Virginia, USA

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Terry Baldwin
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Terry Baldwin » 26 May 2018, 02:10

I also very much enjoy these heraldic tours thru parts of Europe and beyond in this case.

Thank you Chris,
Regards,

Terry Baldwin
IAAH Vice President: Heraldic Design

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Michael F. McCartney
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Michael F. McCartney » 26 May 2018, 10:54

Amen!!!
Michael F. McCartney
Fremont, California

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Chris Green
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Chris Green » 26 May 2018, 12:25

The last stage before the finale continues the visit to Savoy and the Cottian Alps, starting at Susa whose arms might be expected to feature the Arch of Augustus, the city's principal tourist attraction. Although the castle in the arms includes an open Roman archway, it clearly is not the Augustan arch.

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Blazon:
Due torri, rossa l’una in campo d’argento, d’argento l’altra in campo rosso, le due torri fiancheggiano una porta sormontata da un piano con due finestre; le torri, che sono merlate, hanno tre finestre caduna, lo scudo è sormontato da corona marchionale a cui è unita in basso la croce di Savoia, due rami di quercia adornano ai fianchi lo stemma, sotto al quale sopra un nastro sta scritta la legenda “In flammis probatus amor”.


The motto "In Flammis Probatus Amor" may be translated as "Love is tested in (the) flames", which is a nice motto but seems a little odd for a city.

The finishing line is at Cervinia at the foot of the Matterhorn (in Italian Monte Cervino), which is in the commune of Valtournenche, whose arms feature the Matterhorn proper.

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Blazon:
Partito: nel PRIMO, di azzurro, al monte Cervino, di argento, fondato in punta e uscente dai lembi del campo, sormontato dalla piccozza, posta in palo, col ferro di nero e manicata di rosso, il manico attraversato dal nodo di Savoia, posto in fascia, di argento; nel SECONDO, di rosso, alle tre spighe di grano, d'oro, accollate, le spighe laterali concave verso i lembi, al capo di nero, caricato di tre mezzelune calanti, d'oro. Ornamenti esteriori da Comune.


According to the Italian blazon the knot is a Savoyard one. I bet someone can tell us what it is in English!

I am afraid I can offer no explanation of the sinister half, perhaps the arms of a former local landowner?
Chris Green
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Bertilak de Hautdesert

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Chris Green
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Chris Green » 27 May 2018, 06:48

I'll let you guess where the final stage of the Giro is to be held!

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Blazon:
Scudo di forma appuntata di rosso alla croce bizantina posta in capo a destra, seguita dalle lettere maiuscole SPQR poste in banda e scalinate, il tutto d'oro.


Why a Byzantine cross I cannot imagine.
Chris Green
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Bertilak de Hautdesert

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Chris Green
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Chris Green » 27 May 2018, 21:36

And the winner is ...... Chris Froome (didn't see that coming a fortnight ago). Tour de France - tick, Vuelta a España - tick, Giro d'Italia - tick.

Chris comes from Nairobi (but you knew that, having followed the Vuelta last year).

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That's all folks!
Chris Green
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Bertilak de Hautdesert

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Michael F. McCartney
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Re: Giro d'Italia 2018

Postby Michael F. McCartney » 28 May 2018, 07:30

Thank you for another annual treat!!!
Michael F. McCartney
Fremont, California


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