Racconigi is a town and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is located in the province of Cuneo, 40 km (25 mi) south of Turin, and 50 km (31 mi) north of Cuneo by rail.

The town was founded in medieval times. It was a possession of the marquisses of Saluzzo, of the princes of Acaia and of the Savoy-Carignano.

Racconigi is located in the northern borders of its province with the one of Turin. The town borders with the muncipalities of Caramagna Piemonte, Carmagnola (TO), Casalgrasso, Cavallerleone, Cavallermaggiore, Lombriasco (TO), Murello, Polonghera and Sommariva del Bosco. Its municipal hamlets (frazioni) are Canapile, Berroni, Migliabruna, Oia, Parruccia, San Lorenzo, Streppe and Tagliata.

The economy is mostly based on agriculture, production of milk and meat, and industrial working of metal sheets.

Media related to Racconigi at Wikimedia Commons

Giuseppe Piero Grillo, better known as Beppe Grillo (born 21 July 1948), is an Italian activist, blogger, comedian and actor. He has been involved in politics since 2009 as leader of the Five Star Movement.

Grillo was born in Genoa, Liguria.

After receiving his degree as an accountant, Grillo became a comedian by chance, improvising a monologue in an audition. Two weeks later he was discovered and launched by Italian TV presenter Pippo Baudo. He subsequently participated in the variety show Secondo Voi for two years (1977–78). Later, in 1979, he participated in Luna Park by Enzo Trapani, and Fantastico.

In the 1980s his success rose further, thanks to shows like Te la do io l'America (1982, 4 episodes) and Te lo do io il Brasile (1984, six episodes). In these shows, he narrated his experiences of his visits to the United States and Brazil, with anecdotes and witticisms about the culture, lifestyle and beauty of these places.

As a result, his popularity grew more and more, and he became the protagonist of another show developed especially for him, called Grillometro (Grillometer). In 1986, he was the star of prize-winning advertisements for a brand of yogurt.

Marco Pantani (13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing. He won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia in 1998, being the first Italian since Felice Gimondi in 1965 to win the Tour de France. He is the last cyclist to win the Giro and the Tour in the same year.

His attacking style and aggressive riding turned him into a fan favorite in the late 1990s. He was known as 'Il Pirata' because of his shaved head and the bandana and earrings he always wore. At 1.72 m and 57 kg, Marco Pantani had the classic build for a mountain climber. His style contrasted with that of time-trialling experts such as the five-times Tour winner Miguel Indurain.

Despite the fact that he never tested positive, his career was beset by doping allegations. In the 1999 Giro d'Italia, he was expelled due to his irregular blood values. Although he was disqualified for "health reasons", it was implied that Pantani's high haematocrit was the product of EPO use. Following later accusations, Pantani went into a depression from which he never fully recovered. He died of acute cocaine poisoning in 2004.