Nature Parks in South Tyrol

The Administration of Nature Parks
The Province of South Tyrol has not created separate institutions for each nature park. A department of the province has been given the task to administer all the parks in a uniform fashion. This department works in close collaboration with the Forest Authority of the Province.Apposite laws are passed in order to reach the goals of the nature parks. For each nature park separate management committees are instituted. These committees include representatives of the territorially concerned municipalities, of environmental associations, of the land owners and of the province government. Christian Ortner

Nature Park Houses
Among the primary goals of the South Tyrolean concept of nature parks are the protection of nature and landscape, scientific research and landscape maintenance, as well as the environmental education of the visitors and the promotion of a wider understanding of nature and landscape among the population. The Nature Park Houses are pivotal to this educational effort. At least one of these visitors' centers is planned for each nature park. The Nature Park Houses are attractively equipped structures managed by experts. In order to grant a deeper insight to the interested public, each Nature Park House concentrates on a main issue, which is presented to the visitors through exhibitions, the display of habitats and geological peculiarities, dioramas, reliefs and other means.

History of Italian Tour

THE PINK JERSEY AND THE OTHER JERSEYS
The pink jersey (color of the paper) becomes an institution and symbol of the first classified in 1931. The first to wear it is Learco Guerra, winner of the inaugural lap of the 19th Giro d'Italia, i.e. Milan-Mantua. The first Mountain Grand Prize is dated 1933 and includes four up hill slopes for which points are assigned. Alfredo Binda had the best of the race. From 1974 on the jersey for the special G.P.M. score becomes green. The classification established on points was laid out in 1966. From 1967 to 1969 the leader of this classification wears a red jersey, and from 1970 on the points classification's leader wears the cyclamen jersey. The creation of the sky-blue jersey related to the Intergiro is dated 1989. At the time of intermediate passages two kind of bonuses are granted : one valid for the general classification and the second for the Intergiro classification.
A QUEEN AND A TYRANT
In its honor list the Giro d'Italia counts also a queen, leader during the twenties: Alfonsine Strada created a scandal when the Gazzetta dello Sport Director, Emilio Colombo, announced that she would compete with men at the Giro. The year was 1925. She started wearing number 72, going through falls, tumbles, and various ups and downs she overran the maximum allowed time but went on without her back number and reached nevertheless Milan, greeted by the applause of the crowd. Another episode of these old times deserves to be reminded and concerns a man: Alfredo Binda. After easily winning the Giro for four consecutive years (from 1926 to 1929) he was kindly asked to remain home because of its evident superiority. In 1930 he got - for not participating - the prize he would have won in case of victory, i.e. 22.500 Lire.
THE BOSSES
From the beginning and until 1948 Armando Cougnet has been the key-person of the Giro d'Italia, the true boss. After him comes Vincenzo Torriani who walked in Cougnet's shoes since 1946. Torriani will manage the Giro until 1992, helped since 1989 by Carmine Castellano to whom he passed the baton.
THE SHOW AND THE MEDIA
In 1923, witnessing the success of the Giro, the filming of the arrival makes its appearance. At the beginning soundless filming. Then in the thirties the passion for cycling and especially for the Giro involves the expanding movie-news, more and more interested in the "pedal sport". In 1947 Radio RAI becomes partner of the Giro and the technical-agonistic transmission is coupled with a variety show : after dinner time is dedicated to the "Girino in love". In 1949 the after race revue was named "Il Girigiro" and every evening the voice of the pink jersey winner of the day whispered "goodnight girini" to the audience. 1953 year of the 36th Giro, after the precedent year experimental transmissions, sees the first event live, while the 1954 edition corresponds to the first radio interviews from the starting point. "Il Processo alla Tappa" or "Process of the lap" was born in 1963, anchored by Serge Zavoli and was so successful that it was still on the air in recent years. Owing to the cession of its TV rights to foreign companies, the Giro has an audience of at least 100 million people daily all around the world. The last edition, the 84th showed an average share of audience of 32,97% (more than one TV set over three connections on the Giro during the 2 hours of transmission live on the RAI 3 channel). The 2001 Giro accounted 954 journalists with accreditation, representing 510 different papers or other media.
THE GREAT RIVALRIES
Cycle racing and Giro d'Italia are founded from the beginning on big rivalries. The first hero was Costante Girardengo, better known as "The little man from Novi", and his big opponent was the Frenchman Henry Pelissier. The third man in the company was Tano Belloni. During the twenties Pelissier's star tarnishes and he is quickly replaced by Alfredo Binda who brings to the cycling races a touch of elegance and the adoration of women. Binda who plays cornet in the Cittiglio band brings a sense of modernity binding two different periods. With Girardengo there is no dialogue, he only beats him regularly on the up hill slopes. Binda is courageous and lucky when the competitor who could endanger him is forced to emigrate to France because Italian patron don't appreciate him. And in France he would win the Tour in the years 1924 and 1925. Learco Guerra from Mantua, a fantastic all-rounder, better known as the "human locomotive" is the adversary of Binda, a Binda in the finishing period of his career, in the beginning of the twenties, whereas Giuseppe Olmo plays the spoil-sport in the story. Everybody loves Guerra for his frank smile, his friendliness and of course for his athletic capacities. In 1935 a new star is born : Gino Bartali, "the pious" who will dominate the scene for a long time. The man from Tuscany is riding the wave until 1940 when the Legnano company who runs his team hires the most dangerous rival. Fausto Coppi, bearer of the hopes of cycling races centers the target immediately and wins the first of his five Giri to the big prejudice of his captain, Bartali who will never accept his defeat. In 1946 after the war Bartali defeats his rival; Coppi instead will get the victories of the odd years (1947-1949-1953) adding however an even pearl in 1952. As usual in such stories in the Bartali-Coppi rivalry appears the third man Fiorenzo Magni, also a man from Tuscany capable to win three Giri d'Italia independently of his bad climbing capacity. Such episode are to be found again with the Adorni-Gimondi rivalry followed by the Gimondi-Motta one, but the venue of Merckx the big ace will destroy many ambitions. The last known rivalry is the one between Moser and Saronni when for the first time fans will assemble into clubs. Francesco Moser's fan club amounts 53000 in his magic year of 1984 when he wins the hour record in Mexico, the Milan-Sanremo and - after many essays - the Giro d'Italia, reducing the distance with Saronni who won the Giro in the years 1981 and 1983).
http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2006/en/