Passion rides a bike, pedals through the hills, weaving through the brilliant green of the vineyards and painting them with an emotion that lasts over time. One last curve, a sigh, and then the road becomes a vertical spectacle. A pink brushstroke on a full sunny Sunday, after last year's rain.

Here is the Wall of Ca' del Poggio. Here is the climb that unites rather than divides. Here is the symbol of a shared passion. Here is the enthusiasm of thousands of fans that the Giro d'Italia has once again called together, the eighth time since 2009, at the top of the iconic climb of the Prosecco hills. "At least twenty thousand, never seen so many people," the organizers smile.

The fifteenth stage of the 108th Giro d'Italia, the 219 kilometers from Fiume Veneto to Asiago, reaches the Wall just before 12:30, slightly ahead of schedule. We are at kilometer 44.7 of the second longest stage of this Giro edition, the one preceding the mountain stage arrivals. After the initial skirmishes, the group climbs the Wall in a compact formation, with the pink jersey Del Toro well protected.

The crowd is impressive, a record even for a climb that has long carved out a space in the hearts of many fans. The riders push on the pedals, raise their eyes towards the strip of asphalt that rears up and seems to tower over them: the magic of the Ca' del Poggio Wall envelops them, flows under the bikes before projecting them towards Grappa and the Asiago finish. The fan thermometer, under the hot sun of an anticipated summer, rises to warning levels: the Giro fever truly conquers everyone.

The Wall (1.1 km with an average gradient of 12.3% and peaks of 19%), through curves and counter-curves, rises to an altitude of 242: we are in the hills, but the setting welcoming the riders seems like that of a Dolomite mountain stage. The fans, many camped on the Wall since the day before, set up gazebos, prepare tables, light fires. The atmosphere is that of a great popular festival. There is no tree, wall, or vineyard that hasn't hung a banner, a photo, an encouragement. The road is a kaleidoscope of colors, drawings, slogans. Poggy, the pink lion, mascot of Ca' del Poggio, turns one year old and is among the most photographed, even when hugging Corty, the red squirrel symbol of the Cortina Foundation. A bond, that between the Prosecco hills and the Dolomites, under the sign of UNESCO and the uniqueness of Veneto.

The volume of fan support reaches very high peaks for the local star, Andrea Vendrame. The passage of the Treviso native unleashes the fan club perched on the lawn with banners and flags. Screams and applause, photos and trumpets, bikes and houses colored pink, tricolor flags and non-stop toasts. On the last curve before the summit, as is customary, there is also the lively station of the Fortissimi team. Pink shirt as standard. They will remain among the vineyards all day: pure passion.

For the Ca' del Poggio Wall, this is the fourth passage of the Giro d'Italia since - in 2019 - the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene received the UNESCO recognition. The event thus becomes the best synthesis of a territory that, on the pinkest day of the year, expresses the pride of being there, of showing its own beauty.

The Great Pink Celebration, at the top of the Wall, is also a showcase for distinguished guests: Luca Zaia spends a good part of the morning at Ca' del Poggio, between photos and handshakes. "A unique spectacle. It's easy to say that the Wall is always the Wall, but there's nothing taken for granted: when the Stocco family started, there was nothing here," commented the Governor, flanked, among others, by the Mayor of Treviso, Mario Conte, and the President of the Province of Belluno, Roberto Padrin. Then Zaia gives an appointment for next year, because "there is no Giro without Veneto and there is no Veneto without Giro". Francesco Moser was also very applauded, recognized even by the large group of Belgian fans who came to the Wall to support Wout Van Aert.

After the riders' passage, Zaia, together with the president of the Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, Marina Montedoro, awards a plaque to Latteria Soligo for "142 years of activity in protecting producers and consumers". Meanwhile, the generosity of Ca' del Poggio sponsors allows a donation of 5 thousand euros to the A.I.Pro.Sa.B association, founded by Sammy Basso to support the fight against progeria, a rare disease that causes premature aging. A memory for a great friend of the Wall, with Sammy's parents, Laura and Amerigo, receiving the maxi-check handed over by Alberto and Marco Stocco, along with paintings created by artists Paolo Socal and Roberto Bertazzon. The works will be auctioned and the proceeds will also go to supporting the association founded by the small, great Sammy.

A Wall of solidarity also for Collagene VI Italia Aps, represented by president Giulia Da Re, who recalled the purposes of the association founded in 2017 to support and represent people affected by pathologies related to sixth collagen deficiency. A set of emotions and values, well synthesized also by the many bricks that made up the symbolic wall created by Cartimballo and completed precisely on the day of the Giro's passage.

A Sunday that will remain unforgettable, together with the record attendance on the Wall. A nice way to celebrate the twelfth transit of a great tour on a climb that for years has been contributing to writing the history of great cycling. Now the mountains are coming, other emotions. But meanwhile, the Giro, in Veneto, is pinker than ever. While at Ca' del Poggio they are already thinking about the next appointment, the Giro Women, which will climb the Wall on July 9.