Italy Unpacked

The first episode in the three-part series ‘The Art of the Feast’ sees Graham-Dixon and Locatelli begin their journey through Italy in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, one of the richest regions in Italy. They find out why the city is know as la Dotta (the Learned), la Grassa (the Fat) and la Rossa (the Red), while visiting its shops, art institutions and the oldest university in the world. From there, they go on to Ferrara where they discover the legacy left by the famous dynasty d’Este, and to Modena, home of balsamic vinegar and Ferrari. Finally, they visit Parma, where Locatelli reveals the source of modern Italian cuisine at the Palatina Library and views an original copy of the first cookbook of the newly united Italy, while Graham-Dixon admires Correggio’s magnificent fresco in the dome of Parma Cathedral.

The second leg of Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli's journey takes Giorgio home, to Lombardy, a region brimming with engineering innovations and the influences brought by the proximity to Northern Europe, always with an eye to the future.

The final leg of Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli's journey moves north to Piedmont, a land of luxuriant forests and tall mountains. They visit an abbey along the Via Francigena, an ancient road running from Rome to Canterbury, to reflect with the monks who live there, and to admire the fresco in their chapel.