Wonders - The Peninsula of Treasures

In this episode Alberto Angela takes us through the extraordinary scenery of Castel del Monte and the Trulli of Alberobello in Puglia. We will explore the forgotten world of the Etruscans by discovering the treasures of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia - gold, jewels, the moving sarcophagus of the spouses...- and the magnificent tombs of Cerveteri and Tarquinia with paintings that have remained intact which describe a world full of colors and love for life. The panorama changes decidedly in the last stage of Meraviglie's journey. We are in Veneto, with the splendid Palladian Villas, the jewel in the crown of our heritage and the fruit of the genius of Andrea Palladio, the Renaissance architect who was responsible for the refuge villas of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie of the time but also production centers with their fields, vineyards, warehouses, stables.

Pisa and its Piazza dei Miracoli, the Sassi of Matera and the Dolomites are the three sites, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, protagonists of the third episode of "Meraviglie, the peninsula of treasures", the program hosted by Alberto Angela. In the Piazza dei Miracoli Alberto Angela will illustrate the history and particularities of the famous Leaning Tower, you can admire the Cathedral with the lamp which, according to legend, provided Galileo Galilei with inspiration for his theories. In the Baptistery the particular acoustics will surprise you, and you will understand why the cemetery of Pisa is an extraordinary tourist attraction. Andrea Bocelli will talk about the deep bond that he has always felt with his city. The panorama changes in the second stage, in Matera, one of the oldest cities in the world.

The route through the treasures of our country starts from the Royal Palace of Caserta, the splendid royal residence of the Bourbons. In addition to the magnificent rooms, Alberto Angela will show the gardens of the Palace, a true masterpiece of art and engineering: just think of the Carolino Aqueduct which brought the necessary water to the palace and gardens from 38 kilometers away. Toni Servillo will talk about the emotions he felt as a child on his first visit and what the palace represents for the city of Caserta. The second stop on the journey through the wonders of Italy is the Piedmontese Langhe region, designated a world heritage site by UNESCO as an "exceptional example of man's integration with his natural environment". Between the Grinzane Cavour Castle and the Fontanafredda estate you will see the close link between this territory and the events of the Italian Risorgimento.

The first episode starts from the work of a genius symbol of national creativity: the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Alberto Angela will illustrate its history and importance, while Philippe Leroy, the unforgettable interpreter of the television Leonardo, will remember the emotion he felt in taking on the role of the painter. From Leonardo's Milan you will go to the heart of Tuscany, to Siena, an entire city recognized as a world heritage site. From Piazza del Campo to the Palazzo Pubblico, from the Cathedral to the Historical Archives, there are many splendors that the host will propose to viewers. A true Sienese, Gianna Nannini, will revive the character and passions that animate the city and its inhabitants. It ends in Sicily, in the splendid "Valley of the Temples" of Agrigento, which has always been a destination for Grand Tour travelers in search of the art and culture of Magna Graecia.

The journey through the treasures of our country starts from a gem set in the hills of the Marche, Urbino, a city rich in history, art and culture, a wonder of the Italian Renaissance. We will visit the majestic Palazzo Ducale, built by Federico da Montefeltro with its hidden treasures, and then we will go to what was the house where one of the most famous artists of all time was born: Raffaello Sanzio, one of the masters of the Renaissance who began his extraordinary career right in Urbino. The second stop of the episode is the highest peak in Italy: Mont Blanc, a sort of stone cathedral with many peaks that exceed 4000 metres. It is there that mountaineering was born, the heroic times of which will be relived by recalling the Duke of Abruzzi, one of the pioneers of this activity.

The journey through the treasures of our country will start from Parma, where you can admire Correggio's pictorial audacity in the dome of the Cathedral with the breakthrough of space and the opening towards the sky. At the palace of Colorno, we will then meet Maria Luigia of Habsburg Lorraine, the duchess who remained in the hearts of the people of Parma despite the centuries that have passed. And at the Teatro Regio, the liveliest in Italy, you will relive the arias and harmonies of one of the greatest Italian musicians: Giuseppe Verdi. The second stage of the episode will see Alberto Angela discover a unique site in the world: the Frasassi Caves, a complex of caves and tunnels that extends for kilometers within the mountains of the Marche Apennines. A fairytale landscape, where you will explore some of the most spectacular environments, such as the impressive Abyss Ancona or the famous Sala delle Candeline.

The journey through the treasures of our country will start from Ravenna, a city which alone houses eight monuments protected by UNESCO as unique testimonies of a distant era in which Italy transitioned from antiquity to the Middle Ages. The first stop will be the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, where the story of one of the last Roman empresses still echoes. Then it will be the turn of Theodoric's tomb, with the black legends that surround his story, and the precious mosaics of San Vitale, where the gold still shines today as it did 1500 years ago. The final stop will be in front of Dante's tomb, whose remains have been at the center of an intricate story. Witness from the city, the motorcycling champion Marco Melandri. Alberto Angela will then move to Sardinia, to discover a unique land.

A journey into Italian genius through the eras, cultures and styles that have characterized our territory. First stop, Mantua, one of the main Italian Renaissance centers, with its Palazzo Te, frescoed by the artist Giulio Romano, the Palazzo Ducale and the Camera degli Sposi painted by Andrea Mantegna. Alberto Angela moves to Piazza Navona in Rome, accompanied by childhood memories of Gigi Proietti, and then reaches the splendid Amalfi Coast, walking between the Amalfi Cathedral, symbol of the maritime power of medieval Italy and the Bay, to discover of a real submerged archaeological site. As a witness, Renzo Arbore who will tell his intimate memory of the thriving coast.

The last episode of Alberto Angela's trip to Italy presents a special trend. In fact, we will start from a privileged place: the Quirinale, the seat of the Presidency of the Republic. Ours will be a discovery not so much of this magnificent palace but of what it represents, that is, of our heritage, of the many natural and artistic riches scattered throughout Italy. It's as if we were here, in the Italian house, taking inventory of the family possessions. From Palazzo Alberto Angela will move to show the wonders of Italy. After a look at the engravings of Val Camonica, the first site in our country protected by UNESCO, we will go to Genoa, the superb city, the ruler of the seas, with its lantern and Palazzo Doria. The best man will be a Genoese in love with his city: Luca Bizzarri. We will move to the south, to Sicily, among the lunar landscapes of Etna, the most active volcano in the world, an alternation of fire and snow.

In this third episode we will find Alberto Angela among the spiers of the Milan Cathedral, symbol of the entire city. Passing from the tangle of spiers, pinnacles and statues to the majestic interior with the splendid windows we will take a journey that starts from the end of the 1300s to the present day with a characteristic thread: Candoglia marble, the material with which it was built and which still today it is used for restoration. The journey continues in Abruzzo, where above all it is nature that shows its wonders. Alberto Angela travels through the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, where the peak of Corno Grande rises. Finally we will go to Catania, telling the history and beauty of two large and rich buildings.

In this second episode we will find Alberto Angela in a magical and unusual place: we are among the domes of San Marco, on the roof of the Basilica of Venice. From there we will set off to discover the lagoon city. We will move along the lesser-known routes of the Doge's Palace and delve into the darkest aspects of the history of Venice. In the Piombi prison we will meet Giacomo Casanova, played by Fabio Troiano, while Ottavia Piccolo will tell us about her experiences as a Venetian by choice. We will then move to Campania, to Paestum, a piece of Magna Graecia in Southern Italy, where it seems that mythical gods and heroes still roam among the great temples of Hera, Athena, and Neptune.

The first episode starts from Capri, an island where Greek myths and Roman history were intertwined. We will enter Villa Jovis, chosen by Tiberius as the command center of the Roman Empire, and Villa Lysis, the setting of a tragic love. Then we will be at the Royal Palace of Turin, the place where meetings took place and decisions were made that marked the history of the Unification of Italy. Crossing its immense, magnificent and sumptuous rooms is like taking a journey into the past, into the five centuries of history that have taken place here. The last stop is in Rome among its fountains and aqueducts. Exceptional witnesses: Carlo Verdone in Rome, Mario Martone in Capri and Arturo Brachetti in Turin.

We will leave Padua from one of the city's symbolic places: Palazzo della Ragione, a jewel of medieval art and architecture. We will then visit the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, with its unmistakable Byzantine style domes, and here, in the "Basilica of the Saint" as the people of Padua call it, we will admire absolute masterpieces of art, such as the seven bronze statues by Donatello which they decorate the large central altar. The Scrovegni Chapel, frescoed by Giotto and recently included in the list of world heritage sites, is unmissable.

In this new appointment we will start from the magnificent Villa Reale in Monza. We will discover the history of the grandiose residence commissioned by the Empress of Austria Maria Teresa for her son Ferdinand, governor general of Lombardy. From the Lombard treasures we will then move to Tivoli, a name that since the 16th century has been synonymous with wonder due to the presence of two jewels declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO: Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este. The Meraviglie cameras will then move to Palermo. City with a thousand faces, a crossroads of different cultures yet so integrated with each other. We will visit the Zisa castle known as La splendid, and then the splendid Cathedral of Monreale, both commissioned by William II.

In this episode the journey to discover the beauties of Italy starts from the north of the country and more precisely from the islands of Lake Maggiore, on the border between Piedmont and Lombardy. We start from Isola Bella, the most sumptuous of the Borromean Islands, where the work of nature and the genius of man have come together to create one of the most spectacular gardens in the world and where we will admire the palace of the Borromeo family. We then move on to the Rocca di Angera, an ancient medieval fortress that belonged to the Visconti family and the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, which for more than eight centuries has offered silence and serenity to those who dedicate their lives to prayer. The story continues to discover one of the oldest cities in Italy, Orvieto, to end in Syracuse.

Alberto Angela on a new journey, to discover the Italian "Meraviglie", the first episode starts from the Flegrean islands. After Procida, capital of culture for 2022, the next stops will be the Aragonese castle of Ischia and the incredible Piscina Mirabilis. The journey continues in the city of Lucca. From the hanging garden of the Guinigi Tower, to the Cathedral, to the ancient amphitheater up to the walls which have remained intact. Finally we will be in the north, in the Aosta Valley: the Gran Paradiso with its pristine peaks, the Fenis Castle with its fairy-tale atmosphere and the Roman bridge of Ael, a living image of a glorious past