Ulisse - The Pleasure of Discovery Season 17 Episode release dates & where to watch

1. Canada - A Five-Thousand-Kilometer Journey (1)

Endless forests, lakes, whales, bears, boundless and sparsely inhabited spaces. Canada has nature as its absolute protagonist.

2. Canada - A Five-Thousand-Kilometer Journey (2)

The Rocky Mountains and the parks of Alberta, majestic and uncontaminated landscapes: the second part of Alberto Angela's trip to Canada starts from here. A five thousand kilometer long journey, to discover a country in which the differences between the various ethnic groups are an integral and fundamental part of the nation's identity. Starting from the search for the mythical Northwest Passage, in Drumheller, near Calgary, Alberto Angela takes us to an ancient mine, where Italian emigrants also went to work for decades and where large dinosaur skeletons were found and housed in a museum. everything to visit. In conclusion, the landing in Vancouver, on the Pacific: a city by the sea, famous for its livability, its skyline, the Science Museum and the anthropology museum.

3. Journey to the Borders of Rome

A leap into the past of almost 2000 years that takes us along the borders of the Roman Empire and shows us how the borders were organized on the borders of a boundless empire.

4. The King's Metals

Alberto Angela tells us the history and origin of the Metals of Kings: Gold, Silver and Copper. We begin this journey from the Royal Palace of Turin, the Royal Palace of Savoy: it is here that the treasures of the earth were transformed into the treasures of the Kings of Italy, shining and celebrating the magnificence of the Court.

5. The Conquest of the West

Alberto Angela takes us on a journey to the Wild West: between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast where law and right were unable to guarantee protection to the men of that era who had to rely only on their own strength.

6. Growing Up... What an Adventure!

"Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta" brings to life an extraordinary adventure. An adventure that we have all gone through, but which we cannot remember in part, or which we have spent with such enthusiasm that we cannot understand its significance: we are talking about the adventure of growing up, from birth to that shocking period that is adolescence.

7. Augusto - How an Empire is Born (Second Version)

In this episode of "Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta", Alberto Angela tells us the story of Gaio Giulio Cesare Ottaviano, better known as Augusto, the man who changed history, transforming Rome from a Republic into an Empire.

8. Hot and Cold - Living Between the Two Extremes (Second Version) Mid-season finale

It is surprising how living beings are able to adapt to the most extreme situations and the most inhospitable places on the planet and even manage to live there: from the fiery deserts of Iran, Libya and the United States, up to the Danakil plateaus.

9. The Sinking of the Andrea Doria (Second Version)

This episode retraces the dramatic shipwreck of the largest and most elegant of our transatlantic liners, the Andrea Doria. A story that sixty years later still arouses great emotion throughout Italy. The Andrea Doria was a jewel of our navy, a very luxury ship, considered unsinkable due to the technical innovations with which she had been built. And in these days an exhibition is also inaugurated at the Galata Museo del Mare in Genoa which tells the story of this beautiful and unfortunate ship.

10. The Thousand Secrets of Naples (Second Version)

Alberto Angela takes us on an extraordinary journey to discover the thousand secrets of Naples, a city that reserves constant surprises. Between a ride in the most beautiful subway in the world or in the old but very efficient funiculars, and one in the extraordinary University Museums, Angela takes us to discover a city that reserves constant surprises. Then the Sansevero Chapel, with the extraordinary statue of the Veiled Christ, commissioned by the famous prince of Sansevero and again in the splendid halls of the Royal Palace to speak of the glorious past of the city. Naples, founded by the Greeks, then "welcomed" the Romans, the Byzantines, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, and the Bourbons and they all left beautiful traces of their passage both in the urban fabric but also more so in the language and traditions.

11. Charlemagne - Battles and Loves (Second Version)

Alberto Angela invites us on an extraordinary journey in the footsteps of a protagonist of history, a man who many consider the father of modern Europe: Charlemagne. We are surprised by the many adventures of the famous ruler, discovering his conquests, his life and his countless loves. Through his events we also discover how daily life took place in the Middle Ages.

12. The Riddles of Civilizations (Third Version) Mid-season finale

Alberto Angela embarks on a great journey through past civilizations and their enigmas, exploring one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the world, in the heart of the Pacific Ocean: Easter Island.

13. Spartacus - The Rebel Slave

The story of the Roman slave Spartacus: the indomitable fighter who decided to rebel against his destiny as a slave is at the center of this episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta". Alberto Angela recounts the rise of this warrior from Thrace who, endowed with immense physical strength and enlisted as a gladiator, organized a revolt against Rome destined to remain, due to his greatness and violence, in history. From the amphitheater of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, in the province of Caserta, a stadium capable of accommodating 40 thousand people, we delve into the history of the Roman arenas, places of tragedy and pain but which for centuries served as the backdrop to the most loved and appreciated shows of the whole Mediterranean: the gladiatorial games.

14. Tsar - Glory and Fall

This episode of "Ulisse" makes us relive the glory and fall of one of the most sumptuous courts of the 19th century: that of the Romanovs. Alberto Angela, in the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale, in Piedmont, talks about this court that reigned over an immense territory without however managing to govern it, closed in its own splendor and impenetrable to the anger and hunger of its people, which would open the doors to the influence of a dubious and discussed character, and still not definitively deciphered: Rasputin. A name inextricably linked to the Romanovs: no one was ever so skilled at bewitching men and women of power without the help of a noble title and with a very limited education. Who was? A healer? A boaster? And what were the relations with the imperial family? Thanks to historical re-enactments and a documentary we tell the parable of a family and an Empire, until the dawn of the First World War.

15. Journey in the Name of the Rose

This episode of "Ulisse" follows the thread of the story of one of the most important Italian novels of all time: "The Name of the Rose". Who were the scribe monks? Why were they so fundamental in the transmission of our country's culture? And why did some books never reach us? Alberto Angela, from Subiaco, where Saint Benedict founded the famous convent, retraces the plot of the book by Umberto Eco, a worldwide publishing success, and the film by Jean Jacques Annaud with Sean Connery as the protagonist. What was daily life like inside the Abbeys in the Late Middle Ages? What role did these buildings have, which at the time functioned like real companies? There is also talk of forbidden books and the inquisition, with a mystery to be solved in the background.

16. Journey into the World of the Mona Lisa

One of the most famous paintings in the world is at the center of this fourth episode: the Mona Lisa. Who really was the Mona Lisa? Alberto Angela, from the places where Leonardo lived and painted his masterpieces, takes us on a journey through the history of art and, in front of the painting in the Louvre, makes us understand why it is the most famous painting in the world, the most reproduced, and what is so unique and special about this woman who has enchanted courts around the world for 6 centuries.

17. A Heritage To Be Defended

This episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" is dedicated to the tragic news of recent months: the earthquake that tore through Italy last autumn/winter. Thanks to the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, we are witnessing the recovery of important works of art and the safeguarding of our historical and artistic heritage wounded and scarred by these catastrophic events of recent months.

18. America in Gone With the Wind (Second Version)

This episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" guides us through the 5 most dramatic years in the history of the United States of America; the years of the Civil War, of the free North against the slave South. A conflict that will cause more deaths than all the others ever fought by the United States combined, including World Wars I and II.

19. Invisible Enemies (Third Version)

Invisible but very powerful, microorganisms have always been our life companions. Alberto Angela proposes a journey to discover infinitely small creatures, showing how our life, but sometimes also our death, depends on them. The journey of "Ulisse" begins in Benin, a very poor country which like many other places on the planet represents the "front line" of the fight against microbes and viruses. And international organizations operate here which have saved many children through vaccinations. But how and when did humanity begin to use vaccines? In "Ulysses", a documentary brings to life a "revolutionary" moment: the one in which Luis Pasteur tries the impossible to save the life of a child bitten by a dog suffering from rabies. An episode that will forever change not only the lives of the people involved but also our relationship with diseases. And, today, how can we protect ourselves from infections? What precautions to use?

20. The Secret Story of Trajan's Column (Third Version) Finale

Alberto Angela takes us on a journey to the borders of the Roman Empire to narrate the moment in which the latter reached the peak of power and expansion with the conquest of Dacia. An exciting story, which has changed the destiny of millions of people over the centuries, pointing the compass towards a specific era: that of Emperor Traiano, of whom this year marks the anniversary of his death which occurred 1900 years ago.

21. Castles Over Time

From the Castrum of the ancient Romans to the castles of the 17th century. From the first forms of defense and fortification such as the famous walls of Jericho, Troy and Mycenae to the sumptuous Castles of Sissi and Ludwig in Bavaria. Few know that Italy has over 20,000 sites including fortifications, defensive walls and castles. Ulisse, the pleasure of discovery accompanies you on a unique journey to discover this artistic, architectural and historical heritage, told through the stories, legendary or true, of the rich inhabitants who lived there over the various centuries both in Italy and in Europe. King Arthur, Paolo and Francesca, the Baroness of Carini, Mary Stuart, the Borgias, Sissi and Ludwig and many others.

22. The Normandy Boys (Part One)

The most impressive military landing recorded in history: 160 thousand soldiers, 11 thousand planes and almost 7 thousand boats of all types. It's D-Day, the longest day. Thousands of young American, English and Canadian soldiers wrote one of the most important pages of the Second World War. While the pale light of dawn spread over the Channel, the largest amphibious invasion force ever assembled up to that moment lands on the coasts of Normandy: it is June 6, 1944. Alberto Angela from the places of the landing on the coasts of Normandy will reconstruct the crucial moments of the D-Day through exclusive testimonies of the last survivors.

23. The Normandy Boys (Part Two)

The most impressive military landing recorded in history: 160 thousand soldiers, 11 thousand planes and almost 7 thousand boats of all types. It's D-Day, the longest day. Thousands of young American, English and Canadian soldiers wrote one of the most important pages of the Second World War. While the pale light of dawn spread over the Channel, the largest amphibious invasion force ever assembled up to that moment lands on the coasts of Normandy: it is June 6, 1944. Alberto Angela, from the places of the landing on the coasts of Normandy, will reconstruct the moments crucial through exclusive testimonies of the last survivors. Ulisse reached these ex-boyfriends in their homes: in France, in England, in the United States but also in Germany, where Alberto Angela met, among others, the young German sentry who on the night of the operation, on the famous Pegasus Bridge, spotted the first allied soldiers and fired the first flare into the air.

24. The Colosseum - The Birth of a Myth

Alberto Angela takes us on a very special journey to discover the most famous monument of ancient Rome: the Colosseum. For almost two thousand years its mighty mass has stood out in the panorama of Rome, and even today this exceptional construction leaves millions of visitors amazed (over 6 million in 2016) from all over the world. For the preview with Ulisse we look out from the magnificent attic of the Amphitheater with its breathtaking view which will also be open to the public from early November. How was the Colosseo built and why? This is what we discover together with Alberto Angela who tells us the stories of the three great emperors who were decisive for the construction of this wonder of antiquity. Three names that still echo today in history books: Nerone, Vespasiano and Tito.

25. The Secrets of the Islands

In a truly extraordinary journey, with Alberto Angela, "Ulisse" passes from one island to another: starting from the Isola Maggiore of Lake Trasimeno, the program tells the thousand stories of which the many islands on earth are the protagonists. born suddenly, disappeared slowly, changed over time due to natural events.

26. Winners and Losers

"I only followed orders", is the typical excuse advanced by Nazi criminals. And Hermann Göring and Adolf Eichmann, two figures of the Nazi regime responsible for crimes against humanity, also justified themselves with this sentence. Alberto Angela, with the help of two dramas, reconstructs the personalities and history of the two Nazi hierarchs also through the story of the trials in which they were accused and which finally brought justice to millions of victims.

27. Love and Power in Papal Rome

A journey between the Renaissance, the 1600s, the 1700s and the entire 19th century. In this episode of Ulisse we will explore places such as Palazzo Farnese, Palazzo Barberini, Villa Medici, passing through Villa Torlonia, Villa Farnesina and finally the Casina del bel Breath in Villa Doria Pamphili. In each of these places you will find the wonders hidden in Raphael's frescoes, Bernini's staircases and Borromini's works. In fact, it is precisely through the explanation of these works that Alberto Angela will reveal to us the power games of papal Rome. Each noble family tried to extend its dominion over Rome through the election of one of its members to the office of pontiff. In fact, each pope then started works and commissions that brought masterpieces of all sorts to the capital.

28. The True Story of Moby Dick (Second Version)

A long journey back almost two centuries, a period in which the sea was still an unexplored world and was believed to be inhabited by extraordinary creatures and populated with myths and legends. Alberto Angela will accompany spectators to discover one of the masterpieces of world literature: Moby Dick. The novel written by Herman Melville in 1851 is one of the most famous and read books in the world. Little known, however, is the fact that, to write Moby Dick, Melville was inspired by a true story: the sinking of the US whaler Essex in the Pacific, due to the attack of an enormous sperm whale.

29. 50 Years Since the First Heart Transplant (Second Version of "Lives Hanging by a Thread - Dr. Barnard's Challenge")

50 years after the event that marked the history of medicine, the program dedicates an episode to one of the most shocking medical achievements of the last century: that of allowing a person to live by removing their diseased heart and putting the heart of another in its place. Something that no one in the past could have even imagined and which was achieved in December 1967 by an unknown South African surgeon who later went down in history: his name was Christiaan Barnard. The program will tell his story, and above all the behind the scenes of the first heart transplant ever performed on a human being. We will follow the operation step by step thanks to a fascinating filmed reconstruction of Wall to Wall directed by Patrick Reams. we will also see original film documents, shot in Cape Town, with the protagonists of this great adventure: doctors and patients of the time.

30. The Secrets of Children From 0 to 2 Years Old (Second Version)

We cannot remember the most intense period of our lives, that of the most surprising discoveries, of unstoppable progress, of dizzying goals. These are the first two years after birth, about 700 wonderful days that, even without remembering them, we sometimes partially relive as adults, observing a small human being growing up.

31. Antonio and Cleopatra - The End of a Love Story, the Birth of an Empire (Third Version of "Antonio and Cleopatra")

Alberto Angela takes us on a grandiose journey into one of the most crucial periods in the history of Rome: the birth of the Empire. Through the images of the film "Il Destino di Roma", we get to know the protagonists of those years more closely. From Bruto and Cassio to Antonio and Cleopatra. It is a historical reconstruction, if you want a film, with real actors, but with places reconstructed on the computer.

32. The Wonders and Secrets of Paris (Third Version)

Paris, its secrets and its wonders. The Bridges of Paris and the Seine have been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Alberto Angela, aboard a vintage boat, travels along the Seine, using the river as a journey through time. He explores Paris in various stages: from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, to the Eiffel Tower, to the towers of the spectacular Nôtre Dame Cathedral. The appointment with the Eiffel Tower is unmissable, as told by Alberto Angela in all its details, and the surprising transformations of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century: from the birth of the department stores to the many attractions of Montmartre, to the cafés of the Latin Quarter. And then the changes that occurred in the twentieth century: from Beaubourg to Défense.