I've gone to a few of LBS in my area that carries Bianchis, and I may be of no help like PJ since I've only stared and was leared away from it by the Infinito and Sempre. However, like PJ said, if you're looking for a bike that has the most bang for your bucks, Bianchi is the choice - that according to 2 of the LBS. I think I can say it's true to the likes of the Infinito Ultegra.

If your girlie is eyeing the Nirone, have her try it out and see if she's okay with it. When I asked this one guy about the comfort of the Nirone after thinking of a "cheaper purchase", the guy shut me down and said that it doesn't compare to the Infinito. I've checked the price difference of the 2 and it's $1,400 with 105's - I think it only comes in 105 for both "womens" version. I'm not trying to sell you the Infinito because I've fallen head over heels on it. I want her to try both to see if the aluminum and carbon ride has that much of a difference without having to worry about the price difference. Internal cable, all carbon frame and fork (including the the steerer), 10 spd over 9, more Celeste paint job... I dunno if those are enough to sell over the Nirone for your girl. Now if this is the first time she's getting into road biking, I say the Nirone is a good enough of an investment for a first road bike - especially if it caught her attention.