Dream of Italy - Season 1

Romans have been making mosaics for thousands of years and artisan Nadia Ridolfini teaches Kathy the ancient craft. Food markets like the Campo dei Fiori are a vital part of daily life. Alessandro Volpetti takes Kathy on a tour of the new Testaccio market as well as his family deli Volpetti. Then the di Felice brothers, owners of Da Enzo, teach Kathy to make Rome's famous dish Cacio e Pepe. Then we get "the scoop" on gelato making with Gelateria del Teatro ai Coronari. Noted street artist Alice Pasquini shows us her work, a modern contrast to ancient frescoes. The episode ends at Palazzo Brancaccio with an historic ball performed by Campagna Nazionale di Danza Storica.

Umbria has long loomed in the shadow of neighboring Tuscany but visits to Assisi and Perugia introduce the viewers to the rich treasures of this region. In Perugia, we meet two women carrying on their family traditions-Maddalena Forenza creating stained glass and Marta Cucchia and her handmade textiles. Just outside Perugia, at the Perugina Chocolate School, 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 and learn about the local Sagrantino grape with Marco Caprai at the Arnaldo Caprai vineyard. Kathy enjoys a cooking lesson with Chef Salvatore Denaro. We are then off to a goat cheese farm to meet Diego Calcabrina and his goats and then it is time to harvest precious saffron and forage for greens with Marta Giampiccolo.

Neapolitans are serious about their coffee and we visit the historic Gran Caffe Gambrinus to taste what some say is the best espresso in the city. Naples is also famous for its tailoring tradition and we visit Rubinacci for an inside look. Kathy attends pizza school with Master Enzo Coccia and learns it isn't easy to make a perfect pizza. A visit to Via San Gregorio Armeno reveals a street full of Christmas creches and caricatures. Mount Vesuvius looms large over life here and we venture into the crater with guide Roberto Addeo. In the shadow of Vesuvius we enjoy a local folk music performance before venturing to the Amalfi Coast. We visit some very special vines at Tenuta San Francesco, learn how to make paper at Amatruda in the town of Amalfi, learn to make limoncello with a local, watch a cooking demonstration with Chef Christoph Bob at Monastero Santa Rosa and go fishing with local Costabile Laudano.

Piedmont is the land of truffles and wine. Kathy tries to get truffle hunters Natale and Giorgio Romagnolo to reveal their secret hunting grounds, then tastes the precious white truffles they find. Then it is time to attend the World Truffle Auction where the bidding gets frenzied for these rare tubers. We visit Cascina Bruciata vineyard to learn about the hearty Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera wines that are produced in Piedmont. 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 in the region of Lombardy to see fine Italian boat making-from masters big and small-at Riva yachts and a small fishing boat maker on Monte Isola.