We start in the heart of Tuscany - Chianti - with a visit to Castello di Ama to learn how true Chianti wine is made. At Busatti in Anghiari, we watch 100-year-old looms craft fine fabrics. Then it is off to Panzano for a wild boar hunt and a visit with philosophical butcher Dario Cecchini. The episode ends on the coast of Tuscany in Maremma with a stunning ride with the butteri (cowboys).
Artisan Nadia Ridolfini teaches Kathy the ancient craft of mosaics. Alessandro Volpetti takes Kathy on a tour of the new Testaccio market. Then the di Felice brothers teach Kathy to make Rome's famous dish Cacio e Pepe. Then we get "the scoop" on gelato making. The episode ends at Palazzo Brancaccio with an historic ball performed by Campagna Nazionale di Danza Storica.
In Perugia, we meet two women carrying on their family traditions (stained glass and handmade textiles). Chocolate maestro Massimiliano Guidubaldi teaches Kathy to make the famous Baci candy. Then it is into the countryside around Montefalco to visit the ultra-modern winery Tenuta Castelbuono. Kathy enjoys a cooking lesson with Chef Salvatore Denaro. We are then off to a goat cheese farm.
Neapolitans are serious about their coffee, and we visit the historic Gran Caffe Gambrinus. Naples is also famous for its tailoring tradition, and we visit Rubinacci for an inside look. Kathy attends pizza school and visits a street full of Christmas creches and caricatures. Then it's into the crater of Mount Vesuvius. We also learn to make paper, watch a cooking demonstration and go fishing.
Kathy tries to get truffle hunters to reveal their secret hunting grounds. Then it is time to attend the World Truffle Auction. We visit Cascina Bruciata vineyard to learn about the hearty wines. Piedmont is also home to hot springs, and Kathy goes to Lago delle Sorgenti to find out about the unique medicinal qualities of these baths. We also visit Lake Iseo to see fine Italian boat making.
Kathy gets an introduction to the Baroque city of Lecce with a classic car ride. Lecce is famous for its paper maché, and we see how nativity scene figures are crafted. In the town of Squinzano, Kathy goes to an olive mill where the locals are dancing the pizzica in celebration of the harvest. Kathy's friend Antonello Losito introduces her to an old man who makes beautiful model boats.
There is simply no other place in the world like Venice. Host Kathy McCabe takes a gondola rowing lesson from an 8 th -generation gondolier. She learns how Venice is fighting rising water levels with a special ecology tour. Kathy meets an impiraressa – a bead stringer – who is bringing Venice’s ancient art into modern times. Chef Riccardo takes Kathy to Venice’s thousand-year old Rialto Market and teaches her how to cook up some eel. Plus much more…
Bologna is one of Italy’s lesser-known big cities but is one of its more charming. Known its cuisine (this is where Italians go to eat) and as home to the oldest university in the Western World. It also the center of Italy’s “motor valley” and host Kathy McCabe gets a test drive in a Lamborghini. Not only does she learn how to make Bologna’s famous tortellini but she attends Gelato University, yes it is real. Kathy and her friend Alessandro head for the Bologna Hills, La Dolce Vita-style in a convertible and meet the nonna (grandmother) who makes some of the best ragu in the world. Plus much more…
Florence is known for its Renaissance art and architecture. But the city isn’t stuck in the past, it is always evolving. Host Kathy McCabe gets to see the restoration of the Duomo from a unique perspective – a crane! She visits the only Last Supper painted by a woman – a Renaissance nun nonetheless – and she’s how it is being brought to life. Florence is also home to modern street artist Clet Abraham and Kathy joins him for an artistic caper of sorts. There are fresco-making and cooking lessons and a unique, historic boat trip on the Arno River. Plus much more…
Just two hours from Rome, but a world away, the region of Abruzzo is filled with mountains, national parks and beautiful beaches. Host Kathy McCabe takes viewers from coast to countryside. She catches her lunch in nets on an historic fishing hut before listening to traditional music with a modern twist. In Sulmona, Kathy sees how the famous confetti (candy-covered almonds) are made and heads to a farm for some unusual donkey therapy.
Deep in the south of Italy, the region of Basilicata is timeless and otherworldly. It is home to one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, Matera, a city of caves. Hollywood Director Francis Ford Coppola introduces host Kathy McCabe to his ancestral hometown of Bernalda and talks about how he rediscovered his Italian roots and opened a hotel here. Kathy digs for clams on the coast, learns to make mozzarella with a very special treat inside and learns about the difficult past of this beautiful land.
Ten percent of Americans have some Italian blood and many of them could qualify for Italian citizenship by birth. Host Kathy McCabe travels to the ancestral village of her maternal great-grandfather – Castelvtere sul Calore in the region of Campania– to trace her roots and see if she can qualify for citizenship by blood line. This has always been a place of mystery and miracles for her family. Kathy takes part in an ancient procession honoring the town’s patron saint Madonna delle Grazie. Her visit is full of surprises and the kind of magic that can only take place in Southern Italy.
We visit the seaside home of famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany to learn how this region has influenced Bocelli's life and music, exploring his deep faith and love of dogs. We visit the people and places that defined him including Forte dei Marmi, Lajatico and Lucca and experience a special performance from Bocelli himself!
As Americans expand their horizons for more adventurous lives and retirements abroad, we return to one of our favorite regions - Abruzzo - filled with stunning mountains and coastlines. We meet four Americans who have moved to Abruzzo not only for the beautiful sights but for the affordable real estate and healthcare. We also visit a town selling 1-euro homes to see what the hype is all about.
Did you know that there's a 1,000-room palace in southern Italy that rivals Versailles? We travel to Caserta to visit this very special Reggia (it even made an appearance in Star Wars). The province is also home to captivating ancient ruins where gladiators once fought. And a little town nearby just might be home to the world's best pizza made by the lauded Chef Franco Pepe.
When we visited with 3-Michelin star Chef Massimo Bottura and his wife Lara Gilmore in Modena, a town in the "slow food, fast cars" region of Emilia Romagna, we had such fun we turned it into two very special episodes. In part 1, we explore Massimo’s rise to fame from his appearance on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” and the culinary empire he has built in the land of balsamic and Parmigiano Regiano.
In part 2 of our visit with Chef Massimo Bottura in Modena, we explore the charming city and delve into the philanthropic side of Modena and the Botturas. Lara Gilmore introduces us to Tortellante and Food for Soul. We can't visit Modena without learning more about its most famous son, late tenor Luciano Pavarotti and the theater that is carrying on his legacy by training young opera stars.
Academy Award-winning actress Marisa Tomei and Black Madonna expert Alessandra Belloni join us for this unique episode in search of the revered and mysterious Madonna Nera in Campania, the region that both Marisa's and Kathy's families hail from. We attend two incredible celebrations for the Madonna in Moiano and Montevergine, complete with chanting, fireworks, and incredible acts of veneration.
The Dream of Italy series captures the essence of what travelers and viewers are looking for. In the Tuscan Sun Special, host Kathy McCabe travels to Cortona to meet Frances Mayes, best-selling author of Under the Tuscan Sun. Mayes reveals the Italy she knows and loves. The author and her husband invite Kathy for a tour of their villa, and introduce her to the neighborhood artisans.
