The International Association of Amateur Heralds

Wednesday's stage takes the cyclists from Molveno, out of the mountains, via Brescia to Cassano d'Adda near Milano. Molveno's arms are:



The crescents being the opposite ways round is correct according to the blazon:

Inquartato: nel 1° e 4° d'argento e di verde, l'argento caricato di una stella (5) di rosso; nel 2° pure di rosso ad un crescente d'argento; nel 3° pure di rosso al crescente rivoltato d'argento.

Brescias arms are:

D'argento al leone d'azzurro, armato, linguato e codato di rosso. Motto: Brixia fidelis. Ornamenti esteriori da città con la corona di 5 fioroni e 5 punte gemmate

Note that the Italian blazon does not state the attitude of the lion; it is apparently understood that rampant is correct unless otherwise stated.

The province of Brescia's arms bring together those of its five principal towns: 1) Chiari, 2) Breno, 3) Verolanuova, 4) Salo and an inescutcheon for Brescia itself (though in this illustration the lion is no longer red in tooth claw and tail):



Sadly the Lombardy region has opted for a logo (please try not to laugh you may injure yourself!):

Thursday's stage takes the riders through the province of Monza e Brianza whose arms (granted as recently as 2010) I find singularly difficult to blazon:



The riders then cross into the province of Torino whose arms are those of the former heirs of the Dukes of Savoy, entitled Princes of Piedmont:

Friday's stage starts from Pinerolo and crosses the border with France finishing at Risoul in the Département of Hautes-Alpes.

Pinerolo's arms are:



It is not clear (to me) why the usual wreath of oak and laurel has been replaced in this emblazonment by some sort of long grass.

The arms of Haute-Alpes display the two areas into which it was formerly divided, the County of Toulouse/Marquisate of Provence (a cross occitaine or cross of Toulouse) and Dauphiné, with a chief of France Ancient:

Parti, en 1 de gueules à la croix cléchée, vidée et pommetée de douze pièces d’or et en 2 d’or au dauphin d’azur crêté, barbé, loré, peautré et oreillé de gueules; au chef d’azur semé de fleurs de lys d’or

Sadly the arms of Risoul do not reach the same high standard:



A lion climbing a mountain ? Really?!

Chris Green wrote:
It is not clear (to me) why the usual wreath of oak and laurel has been replaced in this emblazonment by some sort of long grass.

They look to me like palm fronds.

Sadly the arms of Risoul do not reach the same high standard:

A lion climbing a mountain ? Really?!

Why ever not? A lion wielding a battle-axe? A lion brandishing a sword? A panther breathing flames?

Personally (although the emblazonment is terrible), I find the arms of Risoul far superior to the pastiche used by the department. No disputing taste, I suppose.

Chris Green wrote:It is not clear (to me) why the usual wreath of oak and laurel has been replaced in this emblazonment by some sort of long grass.

The artist's fancy, perhaps. The arms displayed on the municipal website show the customary olive and oak branches : http://www.comune.pinerolo.to.it/vivere_turi/storia/

Today (Saturday) is the last day but one of the Giro and starts from Guillestre, still in the Hautes-Alpes Département of France



The cyclists end up at Sant' Anna di Vinadio which is a frazione of the comune of Vinadio, whose arms display the area's affinity with wine:



Sant' Anna di Vinadio has the honour of hosting the place of worship that is highest (in terms of altitude) in Europe at 2,000 metres/6,600 feet.

Vinadio is one of three Italian comuni considered to be part of Occitania the area of southern France, northern Spain, Monaco, and western Italy where the "langue d'Oc" is spoken. There is an unofficial flag of Occitania which features the cross of Toulouse:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occitania

The Giro reaches its conclusion today (Sunday) at Turin (Torino), known to the Romans as Augusta Taurinorum (Augusta of the Bulls). Not surprising therefore that its CoA is:

D'azzurro al toro furioso d'oro cornato d'argento. Lo scudo sarà fregiato della corona comitale

I like the description of the bull "furioso" though (had I any skill at drawing) I would have emblazoned "furioso" as pawing the ground with its head down and steam coming from its nostrils, as if about to charge. As depicted the bull looks like boring old rampant to me (and it seems to be smiling).

The race is over; the winner Vincenzo Nibali who was born in Messina in the north-east corner of Sicily. It seems only right to celebrate his victory by displaying the arms of his native city (which may even now be considering replacing the grapes in its wreath with cycle wheels):



Nibali is a giant of cycling, having won the Vuelta a España in 2010, the Tour de France in 2014 and the Giro d'Italia in 2013 and now again this year.