Beniamino Schiavon, from Laigueglia, was the director for many years of the local Autonomous Hospitality Agency under whose impulse the Trofeo Laigueglia was born in 1964. Many stories from the first editions were collected by his sons Massimo and Roberto before Beniamino's passing in 2023. We present them in a sort of staged race towards the opening classification of Italian cycling.

1967 - SNOW ON TESTICO

The constant of the first editions was represented by the cold and snow on Testico. Every eve was accompanied by anxiety about the weather, snow on Testico during that period was unfortunately a constant.

That morning Beniamino Schiavon and Giancarlo Garassino immediately understood that the situation was complicated: the phone call to a collaborator living in the hinterland confirmed the presence of snow.

A group of volunteers went to Testico covered in snow and found that the descent leading to Stellanello was in terrible conditions. Arrived in Testico's square, Schiavon and Garassino asked the residents for help, hoping for collaboration given their enthusiasm at every passage of the caravan.

Unfortunately, there was not much help, only a few joined the volunteers, the others preferred to watch them clean the road with their arms crossed. The enterprise began along all 7 kilometers of descent separating Testico from Stellanello: on foot and "armed" with shovels, salt, and various tools to make the descent passable, the volunteers finally reached Stellanello and from there the phone call to Laigueglia headquarters finally started: "All ok, the Trophy can start".

5 - to be continued