L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano MARIELLA RADAELLI M y dad had a bright red Moto Guzzi that in its day was quite sporty and cool, w ith its s preading eagle wings on the motorbike logo.  He was dating my mother, who rode sidesaddle like women did in the 50s and 60s. My parents loved to travel by motorbike. It was a lot of fun during their courtship days and the first years of marriage with- out us kids. H e had bought his G uzzi directly from the plant in Mandello del Lario, where the Anonymous Moto Guzzi Society moved in 1921, few months after its formal registration in Genoa. The founders, Carlo Guzzi, an aircraft mech anic, and Vittorio Emanuele Parodi with his son Giorgio, a pilot, needed a quiet place away from the anxi- eties of Genoa's urban life to fine tune a motorcycle designed for success. Mandello was the perfect location. A picturesque town on the Lecco branch of Lake Como, Mandello is also an ideal base to explore the pretty villages on the lake, full of yellow and red hous- es. Mandello is only 11 km from Lecco, a bigger, indus trious town that was home to novelist A les s andro M anzoni. A s a young man, Manzoni lived at the beautiful V illa del Caleotto where he was inspired to write many pages of his masterpiece, the 19th-century clas s ic I Pr om es s i Spos i (The Betrothed).  M andello dates back to Roman times: you can tell easi- ly, as the town's old center clear- ly maintained the urban layout of a Roman castrum, with the addi- tion of several medieval build- ings. Part of its defensive walls are still visible today together with the Pretoria tower, where justice was administered, and the San Vittore gate. Its name, Mandello, comes from the Latin amandus, mean- ing "to be loved". U ntil the 70s , s ilkw orm breeding was a successful activi- ty in the picturesque hamlet of Maggianica, situated on a ter- raced hillside facing the lake.  La Torre del Barbarossa, a striking medieval tower, sits atop this graceful borough. Here, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, know n by his nickname "Barbarossa," sojourned in 1158 after conquering Milan. Mandello has enough activi- ties to sate the hunger of every outdo or enthus ias t: hiking, walks, canoeing, caving, climb- ing and history. Walk the romantic hiking route Sentiero del Viandante. Along its path, visit the Oratorio di San G ior gio, a beautiful Romanesque church that domi- nates the village. It is worth a vis it: S an G io rgio contains superb frescoes. The lakes ide promenade offers stunning views of the Pre- Alps across the lake. The Grigne Massif rises spectacularly from the lake and is located in M andello's territory. Generations of climbers learned their skills over there, where all the climbing is on white, com- pact limestone.  In September, you can still enjoy the Lido's sandy oasis, where a smattering of locals wile away their weekends dangling their feet in the lake waters and having drinks served in the out- door cafés on the beach. The local food is interesting. You will find the lake's indige- nous fish cropping up in risotto and pastas at local restaurants that embody the village's friend- ly atmosphere. Fishermen deliver le specialità Lariane fresh from the lake, ready to be smoked before your very eyes. Try crunchy alborelle, agoni and lavarelli, species of fish native to Lake Como. Polenta uncia, a local creamy meal based on buckwheat flour, cheese, melted butter, garlic and sage, is a classic. Conclude your dinner with three rustic desserts: gr igna cake, w ith toas ted almonds and hazelnuts, meascia, a cake made with corn flour, apples, pears, figs and nuts, or paradèl, a fried dessert made delicious by the addition of aro- matic herbs. Iconic Moto Guzzi, now a subsidiary of Piaggio & Co, is the reason behind the economic development of this seductive and productive Lombard area als o know n as the little Manchester of the Lario. Since its earliest days, the company follow ed a path of innovation. In the 1950s, the first wind tunnel in the world for test- ing motorcycles was inaugurated at the Moto Guzzi factory. You can visit the company's museum near the factory, a hidden gem that shelters an assortment of 150 vintage and rare bikes including racing motorcycles. The museum attracts more than 30,000 visitors a year. There is a fascinating display of Guzzis derived from the V7 military bike, a transverse engine and an incredible range of racing motorcycles. There is also the magnificent California Police bike designed in 1971 for the Los Angeles Police Department. Later other police departments us ed them, including the California Highway Patrol. Moto Guzzi has produced a version of the California almost continuously every year to the present day. The 2017 model based on the California 1400 is called the M G X -21 F lying Fortress: the American press defined as "the fastest bagger ever." The MGX-21 is the most non-conventional, refined and technological of the 1400 cc cruisers built at Mandello del Lario. It is unique for design, quality and detail. Few days ago, 15,000 Moto Guzzi enthusiasts flocked to Mandello for a three-day gather- ing that was a celebration of the iconic brand's motorcycle her- itage and performance. The community of M oto Guzzi owners, the Moto Guzzi Motorcycle Club, counts 25,000 members worldwide, with the largest group from the US.  Life on the lake can be charming and colorful ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Mandello del Lario: iconic Moto Guzzi, Manzoni and lakeside mountains Since the earliest days, Guzzi followed a path of innovation. In the 1950s, it created the first wind tunnel for motorbikes

• Cover