Original subtitles

I saw the angel in the marble and I carved

until I set him free.

That's what Michelangelo said,

a long time ago.

He was talking about this marble here in Carrara,

which is in Tuscany.

I believe that the best way to understand what makes

a country and its people unique is through their food.

This is incredible.

Oh, man!

And this is true nowhere more than Italy.

Let’s go and eat.

Okay.

-Nice. Do you smell that? -Mm, mm, mm, mm.

Where even the shape of your pasta and the

sauce you serve it with, speaks directly to identity.

-You like it? -I love it.

Oh my God, it's so good.

And differentiates the character and history of each

region sharply from the next.

Which is not what you expect.

I'm Stanley Tucci and I'm exploring the complex

connections between the land,

the people and the food they eat in order to

discover the essence of each region in the

country I love, Italy.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Well, that looks good.

And it tastes good too.

Every region of Italy is beautiful,

but Tuscany is a masterpiece.

The cradle of the Renaissance.

Tuscan art and ideas have shaped the way we see the world.

But while this historic artistry is so clearly present

in the region's grandeur,

how is it reflected in Tuscany's food?

I'm starting my journey in the capital, Florence.

A city where I spent a memorable year of my childhood.

This is the David, but it's not the David.

This is where it stood originally.

I just thought I'd tell you that.

Just so you didn't get confused.

He doesn't have a twin.

Florence blossomed in the 1400s under a family of

impossibly wealthy bankers known as the Medici,

whose opulent tastes transformed the city into an

epicenter of art and culture.

But despite the city's affluence,

many of Florence's surviving recipes are peasant dishes,

like lampredotto.

It's universally beloved by the locals and inexplicably

eaten for breakfast.

Lampredotto is something only Florentines seem to cook with.

Nobody else wants to touch it.

Australian-born food writer Emiko Davies has

spent the last two decades writing about Florentine food.

This is the spot.

The best lampredotto I think, in Florence.

The best Lampredotto?

The best lampredotto hands down.

Good morning. Good morning.

Good morning.

How are you?

All good?

Yeah. Good.

A nice lampredotto sandwich?

Yes, yes, I’m starving, I haven’t had any breakfast.

This is the famous lampredotto from Florence.

Sergio Pollini's kiosk has been here

for 25 years, serving this Florentine dish,

popular since the Dark Ages.

So what's the history of Lampredotto?

So lampredotto is fourth stomach of the cow.

-The fourth stomach? -The fourth.

The Florentines, you know, historically have been pretty

ingenious at using let’s say leftovers and things that would

otherwise go to waste.

The green sauce.

Gorgeous. Gorgeous.

And a bath.

This is the bit I love,

they dip the top of the bread into the broth,

so it’s super juicy.

-Ooo. -Look at that.

And only, only Florentine bread does this, because it’s,

it’s really crunchy.

Wow.

Ladies first.

Thank you.

Here you go. The napkins are here.

How nice.

We need some of these.

Eccolo.

We brought our girls up on these.

This is how they-

Oh really?

We weaned them on lampredotto.

They went from, from milk to lampredotto.

-To Lampredotto. -That only makes sense.

-Natural progress. -Of course.

Yeah. Alright. Ready?

-Cheers. -I’m going in.

-What do you think? -I think it’s delicious.

I think it’s amazing.

It’s so different to what people think tripe is.

It’s so soft and, and I don’t know,

and there’s a sweetness to it too.

Yeah, yeah.

It’s like you’re eating a pastrami sandwich--

-But juicier. -Juicier.

I love tripe, I love it, but I was a little afraid,

I don’t know why.

It’s named after an eel right?

-Oh yeah. -The lamprey eel?

So these eels they used to live in the Arno River they’re...

-Right. -...no longer there.

You won’t find them anymore there.

I can imagine. Yeah.

But eels were reserved for nobility and aristocrats,

um so this was like, a,

this is the poor people’s version of that special

fancy eel dish.

Everyone can have lampredotto.

Can we see?

Sure.

So the, the darker part is the lean meat

and then the whiter part is fattier but tastier.

So he chops it all up together, on the board right there,

and he spices it up so you get a bit of everything.

Can somebody get a little olive oil for

that guy’s bike?

It’s delicious.

Thank you.

It’s perfect.

Thank you.

Chin Chin.

Cheers.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

Though the Florentine nobility took the best cuts of

meat for themselves,

the poor became adept at imitating the food of the rich.

A tradition that's proudly continued to this day.

On the other side of town,

in the working-class neighborhood of Santo Spirito,

there's a restaurant that is unashamedly celebrating

this creative type of cuisine.

-Hi. -Hi.

-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you too.

Chef and owner Matilde Pettini comes from

a family of respected Florentine restaurateurs.

But in 2021, she opened her own place, Dalla Lola.

-So. -So.

This is our tiny kitchen.

Chef.

-Hi, Stanley. -Hi Marteen.

Nice to meet you.

What are we eating today?

Today we have quite a bit of

Tuscan specialties, we have the Francesina di lingua.

Which is a very cool dish,

it’s basically a stewed beef tongue.

It’s the best.

We use a lot of onions to stew it,

and that’s why it’s called the Francesina.

Because the French they love to use a lot of onions, basically.

Oh yes it’s true. They do yes.

Now we have a very funny dish,

which is the fake tripe.

Oh yes I’ve heard about fake tripe.

It’s already a poor dish and we decided to

make it even poorer.

Make it poorer. Yeah, yeah, that’s great.

Pretty soon, they’ll be nothing on the plate.

No, no. Have a nice lunch.

See you later. See you later.

Matilde's idea is to revive long forgotten peasant recipes,

that to her, represent true Florentine cuisine.

I was born and raised in Florence, I’ve seen it change

over the last 15 years, in a frightening way.

And all the restaurants were becoming the same.

So I got the opportunity, and luck,

to open this place

to feed the people in the neighborhood

at low prices

but making sure they eat well.

Yeah.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

This is the tongue?

-Yes. -Ah, okay.

-May I? -Sure.

It’s my favorite dish over here.

-Really? -My favorite.

It takes like 24 hours.

It does.

From cooking and cool it down and cooking again.

Oh man. And it’s so delicate.

All the things that we think are so gross, tongue, trippa.

But it’s all so delicate.

-Super delicate. -When it's made properly.

Matilde's signature dish,

fake tripe, is an ancient recipe,

prepared by Florentine housewives when even offal

was unavailable.

Fake tripe.

Thank you.

Only the Florentines would think of fake tripe.

-Only the Italians. -Yeah, I know.

Okay, let’s eat this.

This is so exciting, I can’t bear it.

It looks just like Florentine tripe.

Yes, it does.

It's a dough made with

breadcrumbs, parmesan and eggs.

Enjoy your dish.

Fake tripe.

That’s fake tripe.

-That’s amazing. -I’m so proud.

You are yeah. Can we, can we.

Let’s make a toast!

All together!

To her!

I love you all.

Cheers.

Thank you.

Elevating the poorest of foods into these beautiful creations

is a Florentine art form, still practiced today.

But elsewhere in Tuscany,

this craft is being taken to even greater heights.

In the Northernmost part of the region lie the

Apuan Alps, the marble mountains that have

built cities all over Italy.

500 years ago,

Michelangelo would have traveled up here,

looking for the finest stone to carve his masterpieces.

I've retraced his steps to this secluded mining town of

Colonnata to learn about the people who make

Tuscany's white gold.

We’re going to see a monument dedicated to

marble quarry workers.

It tells the whole history of marble carving from

Roman times until today.

Fabrizio Cattani comes from a line of

Colonnata quarrymen.

Their family owns one of the local mines.

For example, here we can see women carrying

buckets of sand

which were used to carve marble.

Because women would help out in the quarries.

As did the kids.

They carried water to the quarrymen.

Really?

So the whole community was involved in marble carving.

But marble isn’t all they do here.

Fabrizio also helps run a local butchery where he produces

one of Tuscany’s most inspired dishes,

the most decadent of Tuscan cold cuts, Lardo.

Mafalda is the oldest lardo shop in Colonnata

and Mafalda was my grandmother.

She started to sell lardo in 1930

when lardo was only eaten by poor marble quarrymen

often while working in the mines.

And this is our lardo laboratory.

-The house of lard. -The House of Lard.

Lardo di Colonnata has been made here since the earliest

days of marble mining.

Now I’ll introduce you to my Carlo

who is my brother-in-law

and the production manager of the Colonnata lardo.

In fact, the same marble used to create those

Renaissance masterpieces plays a vital part in its

unique curing process.

And what cut of meat is this?

So this is from a pig born, bred, and butchered in Italy

and the part we use is called the fatback.

It’s divided in half here, so that it’s in two pieces

and it runs up until the base of the neck.

A technique likely born in the mines,

salting the back fat and resting it in marble,

helped preserve it for longer.

This is used to massage the lardo.

So we start by taking this garlic

which has been peeled by hand.

Now I’ll start by rubbing it here.

I didn’t know that’s how you did it.

And this marble, where is it from?

This marble is from a quarry that’s above

the village of Colonnata

and this is a very resistant marble that does not absorb.

If you use a Statuario marble

or a Calacatta marble

the results are terrible.

Yes, because they are more porous.

This one has a calcium carbonate percentage

of almost 98 percent,

which creates a special kind of reaction.

So that means that when the salt melts

and all the aromas are absorbed by the lardo

and all the saturated fats melt away

Wow.

Now the salt

to cover the basin.

Next, we’re going to add the spices.

Every lardo making family has their own closely

guarded spice recipe that usually includes cinnamon,

allspice and nutmeg.

Then we take a piece

and start massaging.

And we lay it on the side of the tank where we want to start.

You’ve got to really punch it hard,

in order to flatten it well.

Luckily, he’s tall.

Because...

Yeah you couldn't do it no.

Carlo carries on this process until the basin is full to the

brim and leaves it to age for up to 10 months,

while the naturally insulating marble keeps it cool.

Now we’ll visit my mom

who is a fabulous cook.

She actually used to run a restaurant when she was younger.

These marble mountains inspired creativity

for centuries.

But perhaps, the quarrymen’s greatest invention was learning

to craft food from stone.

Beautiful.

This is our lardo.

Already sliced.

It must be very thin.

Yes.

You can try and taste it.

Me too.

Now my mom will make you a traditional recipe

from Colonnata.

It’s called “larded rabbit”.

I love lardo, I love rabbit.

And I love your mom.

Let’s start.

These are the ingredients.

Like in many of the local recipes,

the marbled lardo complements whatever modest meat the

quarrymen could get their hands on.

Oh wow who did this?

Did you prepare this?

Or the butcher?

-No, I did it. -You did this?

Yes, I cleaned it myself,

because I don’t trust the butcher.

So let’s start with the salt.

Next, we start laying the lardo.

It’s been aged for so long,

if I’m not careful it falls apart.

Now it think it’s good.

Now we roll in the chard.

Can I help you?

Of course.

Beautiful.

Right, now we take...

the cooked prosciutto to seal all the flavors.

Like this.

Now we’re ready to roll it up, very slowly.

I’m getting hungry just looking at it.

And now we make sure it’s nice and tight.

Now it’s ready to cook.

And now it’s ready to go in the pan.

I’ll add lot of rosemary because I love it.

I love these strong flavors.

We are miners. We’re strong people.

But clearly, the men derived some of that strength

from the women who were feeding them.

The women here have always helped the men

their husbands, up in the quarries.

But it must have been very dangerous.

Yes. And they brought the workers

food, water, sand.

So the women they’ve always worked.

They would work - and they would cook.

Yes.

When it turns a little golden

I add the white wine.

We cover it.

Turn down the heat.

And let it simmer slowly.

About an hour. I turn it over every so often.

While Roberta lets the rabbit stew

for another hour, Fabrizio, Carlo,

and I take the time to chew the fat.

Were you born here?

Were born here?

No, but I’ve lived here for 34 years.

I married Fabrizio’s twin sister.

First I fell in love with her.

Then I fell in love with lardo.

Yes?

Here it is.

So I quit my job

Oh my God.

and I started making lardo.

Woah!

Thank you.

Just a little bit. That’s too much.

Roberta normally never eats what she cooks.

No. When I'm cooking the smells

always make me feel full.

I never eat much.

Really?

Yeah, she never eats what she cooks.

Yes, I get full from the aromas.

My mother is the same.

Really?

She doesn’t eat much.

Gorgeous, gorgeous.

Woah.

How come when I make rabbit, it doesn’t come out like that?

Man, that’s good.

It’s so moist.

It’s because the lardo melts away.

You see? It’s disappeared.

And it infuses the rabbit with all its flavors.

You get that aftertaste that

leaves you wanting more.

It leaves a wonderful taste in your mouth.

This lardo is incredible.

It’s perfect.

Good job mom.

It’s great, Roberta.

It might seem less grand than carving

angels from marble,

but food that melts in your mouth like this is just

as worthy a creation.

Cheers.

Cheers!

Thank you.

It's little wonder that the people here

take such pride in these humble artisan traditions.

But a very different kind of artistry is required to create

Tuscany's most prized ingredient.

I'm in the Maremma,

which is a part of Tuscany that is rather flat and dry.

And I'm going to meet some cowboys and eat some cows.

The Southernmost corner of Tuscany, the Maremma,

is Italy's wild west.

Tenuta di Alberese is a 900-year-old ranch,

once owned by that Medici family.

And home to one of the most ancient Tuscan cattle breeds.

Yah! Yee!

Yee!

These are Maremmana cows,

reared for their incredible steaks,

which were once reserved exclusively for Tuscan royalty.

Today, they're still looked after by a group of

unconventional cattle ranchers known as Butteri,

who rear this majestic beef according to

centuries-old traditions.

Hi.

Good morning, hi.

Good morning, Stefano. It’s a pleasure.

-Likewise. -A pleasure.

Stefano Pavin is the head Buttero.

The leader of these Tuscan cowboys.

It feels like America...

Like Utah, almost.

Beautiful, really beautiful.

This is a big farm, it’s not small.

Maybe it’s the biggest free-range farm in Europe.

Unlike most modern beef farming,

The Butteri are out here every day,

moving cattle around this 11,000-acre farm,

in search of the best pastures.

A meticulous practice which ensures the high quality of

this artisan beef.

Every day of the year we go out on horseback

and check on all the livestock.

Every single day.

There’s always at least one person here.

Because what normally wouldn't happen when we're

in a group of four or five,

happens when you're by yourself.

So keeping things in check is a real challenge.

Yes, right, yes.

It’s a tough job.

How many butteri are there now?

Right now there are five butteri on the farm.

And around 500 cows.

So there’s only five butteri?

In the whole of Italy?

No, in Italy there are a few who do rodeo shows.

But butteri who still work in the trade,

I reckon there’s only 20 left.

Really?

Wow.

This ancient form of cattle ranching may be a dying art,

but in the past,

there was great respect for this skilled

and dangerous profession.

For centuries, these local cowhands were iconic figures of

this frontier landscape, admired like heroes in a

Hollywood Western.

Though their pride in their work hasn't wavered,

Stefano, Alessandro, Luca, and Sara

have more responsibilities as Butteri than ever before.

They train horses,

mend fences, and even perform basic

veterinary operations.

And today, they're showing me the product of their hard work.

Oh, look at that steak.

So is this the meat...

Yes, this is from the cattle reared on our farm.

Really?

Yes.

It’s low in fat and cholesterol.

Which means it must not be overcooked.

Because otherwise it’ll become tough.

Right.

It also needs to be dry-aged.

Yeah.

So, shall we try it?

Shall we?

The modern technique of dry aging means these steaks

are more tender than ever.

Go on.

And still amongst the most prized cuts

of the region, fetching up to $100 apiece.

You don’t eat this for lunch every day, right?

No, no.

This is really special, right?

Yes.

Don’t you need to add anything?

No, no.

On this farm

the livestock live in a totally natural state.

The animal isn't stressed because it's living in

a feed lot.

Oh I love that.

So, it's cooked a bit on the underside

on the...

-On the bone. -On the bone, yes.

And once that’s done

you can take it off the heat.

And that’s that.

Why are you a buttero?

I’d always been curious about working with butteri.

Even though it seemed like such a different world.

So the former head rancher let me try it out.

The former head buttero from here

and he started training me.

And you must have liked it.

How old were you?

About twenty.

I’m taking It off.

Sure.

Now pray I don’t screw this up guys!

Oh my god.

Oh my.

Do you want to try it?

How shall I eat it?

With your hands.

Whatever you say.

What do you think?

That’s really good.

Delicious. Woah.

It’s special.

Thanks.

Try the fillet.

It’s amazing.

The butteri’s hard work unquestionably pays off

with this incredible meat.

Wow.

But without young people willing to take on the mantle,

this noble profession is at risk of disappearing.

So, tell me why you lead this life?

I’ve always worked with horses.

I used to work as an acrobat and stuntman.

But I, I’ve always been fascinated by this world.

But are there other youngsters

who want to do this?

Yes, it’s definitely not a job for everyone

because you’ve really got to love it to keep at it.

But yes, there are young people who want to

continue this tradition.

Really? I hope so.

But you need to look for them with a magnifying glass.

But there are some out there?

They do exist.

Look, she’s training with us.

And she’s good at it.

But we’ll see what happens in a year or two

if she’s still here.

There are days here when you go out

and you don’t speak a word because you’re

on your own.

That’s when it goes well.

Cheers.

Thanks.

Thank you so much.

Cheers, thanks so much.

Oh my God, thank you.

Hopefully more young people like Sara will keep fighting to

preserve the unique way of life of the Butteri and

continue creating something so perfect.

But perfection doesn't always come from playing

by the rules.

Sometimes, you have to break them.

There's an Italian concept that to me sums up

why Tuscans are so keen to fight for their traditions.

Campanilismo, from the Italian for bell tower,

is a fierce belief that you belong not to your country,

but to the area within earshot of your bell tower.

But the word also carries with it a darker connotation,

a fear of anything that is foreign,

be it people, religion, or even food.

Where did you grow up? In this neighborhood?

Yes. I grew up in this neighborhood.

And the 'mercato' it's really the heart of Sant'Ambrogio.

Yeah.

I’ve come back to Florence to meet up with

restaurateur Giulio Picchi,

whose provocative vision for Tuscan food is

challenging the status quo.

This is a market from local people.

For the locals.

It’s used by Florentines,

and this is make it the best, because it’s still authentic.

Yeah.

Located on a discreet side road in the center,

this 16-seater restaurant has been accused of breaking

some of Florence's

800-year-old culinary rules.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Originally, Cibleo was set up by Giulio's father,

the late Fabio Picchi,

one of Florence's most acclaimed chefs.

Beautiful.

-Here we are. -Thank you.

-Hi Masa. -I’m Stanley.

Pleased to meet you.

I’m Masaru. Nice to meet you.

Yes, thank you.

Today, it's run by Giulio,

alongside his chef Masaru Kawai,

and serves a unique fusion of Tuscan and Asian cuisine.

How long has it been here?

2017.

And how did people react to it?

It's not easy you know because we have to manage how

the Florentines react,

at the restaurant we don't serve bread here.

You know the Italian people without the bread is look,

you don't have bread?

Oh my god...

Yes.

Uh, and also when we opened Cibleo the city

came out with this rules, Unesco.

In the center of Florence.

It can’t be open a restaurant, it’s not a pure, Tuscan,

traditional restaurant.

Wasn’t the rule also they had to use a certain,

like a certain percentage of the ingredients.

Yeah, exactly. You had to, to,

to find a way to demonstrate that 80% of

what you have it’s come from Tuscany.

So what we do is we,

we take some like traditional Japan idea, like gyoza,

and then we stuff it with pork from Tuscany.

I understand what they’re trying to do,

but it doesn’t, in practice it doesn’t really make sense.

You can open a, a Tuscan restaurant that does traditional

dishes but it could just be a bad restaurant, right?

Yeah. Exactly.

Okay, now I'm starving!

First, a trio of reinvented Tuscan classics,

including a new favorite of mine.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

I advise you to start from the center -

fried spinach with chickpea flour.

Next to that is lampredotto meatball dressed with

miso and yuzu.

And then speck of katsobushi.

-Fantastic. -Thank you.

Go with the spinach.

Go with this, okay.

There we go.

This is one of the recipes from the beginning of Cibleo.

-Really? -Indian. A lot of Indian.

Yeah, you can taste it, yeah.

Yeah, for the fried spinach, with chickpea flour.

And what was the red on top?

Um, raspberry.

Oh my God.

Now I’m, I’m more hungry.

Me too.

What should I eat next?

The lampredotto. You know...

Changing lampredotto recipe is very risky in Florence.

I told you that.

Yes.

You risk to be killed.

What do you think?

-I think it’s incredible.

You know, now I love lampredotto,

but this then takes it to a whole ‘nother level.

The onions and the miso transform the lampredotto

it’s a little sweet, and the meatball is a little crunchy

and that’s uh, we are not scared to propose this

lampredotto to Florentine people because

we know it’s good.

If they don’t eat it they’re stupid!

-Ah right. -Ok. So now.

Smoked, dried Atlantic bonito.

Its work like, like a prosciutto.

The age, the salt, the smoke.

And I tell, "Are you crazy?

It doesn’t work."

Then we tried together and it’s unbelievable.

Okay. Let's go.

Woah.

I would never put the cheese with fish.

At the beginning you feel the smoke part,

then it’s okay, it’s ham, then you have the,

the back of fish flavor.

Uh-huh. That's amazing.

By working with local produce Giulio and Masaru have

managed to circumvent the city's red tape.

What's he doing?

I think he have an extra.

-Oh. -Something like that.

-Really? -Yes.

Here we are.

So we’ll conclude with grilled swordfish with smoked butter.

Mixed with flat green beans, cooked directly on the charcoal.

What Masaru wants to do is use everything about this fish.

Wow this is amazing.

Absolutely, I’m completely blown away.

Wow. Oh wait. We have to try this.

-This is the, the end. -Okay, aspetta.

The last provocation on the menu is a Japanese Ossobuco.

Replacing veal shank with raw swordfish bone marrow.

He's a genius.

He’s a real genius.

The point is not which type of cuisine you propose,

the point is the quality of what we do.

Yeah. It’s absolutely delicious.

Everything. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Cuisine like this,

that creatively challenges traditions,

yet still embraces them, is a rarity in Tuscany.

Perhaps not surprising when they are so proudly upheld.

But is this fixation with the past stifling

Tuscany's creative spirit?

There's an event that may answer that question,

quite dramatically.

Before it was united in the 1500s

by the Medici family,

Tuscany was a collection of warring

city-states and kingdoms.

None more powerful than the Republic of Siena.

Located in central Tuscany, Siena is split into 17 separate

districts or Contrade,

all centered around the Piazza del Campo.

I've come here to witness a remarkable spectacle

where Tuscan history comes alive.

Siena. I’ve been here many times,

the first time I came here I was about 12 years old

with my family and I was completely awestruck

by this incredible piazza.

Twice a year, for four days and nights,

the whole city gathers here for the Palio di Siena,

a medieval celebration that culminates in a dramatic

three lap horse race.

The origins of this event date back to the 13th century when

the city first decreed a day of racing and feasting

to celebrate a brutal victory over Florence.

We've been given rare access to film this spectacular event

and see why the locals are so deeply invested.

So today we’re here for the practice run of tomorrow’s race.

The whole race only lasts 45 seconds.

A huge amount of work for 45 seconds,

so I guess it’s something they enjoy.

Ancient tensions and rivalries

still exist between the competing Contradas.

Some going back centuries to when the Palio was

a much bloodier affair.

They're riding bareback, which as anyone knows

who's ever mounted a steed is not an easy thing.

The colors are incredible!

They're off!

The Palio's archaic rules may seem

confusing to outsiders.

Jockeys can barge into and whip each other freely and

the loser is considered the horse

that comes in second place.

A rider got thrown at the very beginning,

so the horse without the rider is in the lead so far.

I don’t know what happened.

Now they’re trying to stop the horse but they can’t.

And this is a race where if the rider is thrown,

the horse can still win the race.

Whatever the result though,

these practice races are just that,

practice for the big event the next day.

But the real reason that I've come to Siena is to

witness an event that,

to me, is even more impressive.

On the third night, it is tradition for all the competing

Contradas to take back the streets of Siena and throw an

auspicious feast in celebration of their district.

So I'm heading now to the, to the dinner that is being

done by the Contrada who were kind enough to let us film.

That we just passed through,

all that stuff we just passed through is

another contrada and that's a dinner for probably,

I don't know 1,000 some people.

In the upper part of medieval city at Contrada Valdimontone,

the Contrada of the Ram,

a small army of cooks has been up since dawn,

to get the preparations going for tonight's feast and

spirits are high.

It's red, white and yellow.

Colors that always shine.

Tomorrow we win the Palio.

We’ll crush you all.

Hello.

Hi!

So, what are we having tonight, what are we eating?

Well, we have a three course meal.

Yes?

Starting with a prosciutto, that's rolled up with...

Ciaccino.

It’s schiacciata.

What’s that?

It’s also called a “schiacciata”.

-It’s like a white pizza -Oh, OK.

-What else? -Tell me, Stanley.

What else?

Oh, my word.

What else are we having?

Baked pasta.

-I like them. -Risotto with...

-But that’s impossible. -with sausage.

-No. -For us, it’s possible.

No! What?

Not only is it impressive to pull off cooking risotto

for thousands of people,

many of these volunteers have never worked

in professional kitchens.

So what do you do the rest of the year?

I’m an administrative clerk

at the local university.

Yes.

Anesthesiologist.

She’s a doctor.

Ophthalmologist.

We’ve got all sorts.

And what does he do?

What do you do?

He’s a dentist.

I’m a dentist. Yeah.

Really?

Yeah, really.

Good because I have a pain, right here.

I’ll show you later.

After dinner.

Not tonight. It’s dangerous for you.

-Yes. -Very dangerous.

Can I see the kitchen?

Of course!

Today each Contrada funds itself via donations and

dinners like this one and reinvests those funds into

activities that benefit the community.

We do have a kitchen.

More rice!

Risotto?

But why do you do this?

Out of passion.

For love of Siena and of our contrada.

We want to do this all ourselves,

without external help.

And for us it’s a point of pride that we do

everything by ourselves.

Amazing.

Outside thousands of people are getting ready to

toast their Contrada.

Although these feasts are a relatively new tradition,

one of the Contrada Chiefs tells me that they've become as

meaningful to the locals as the race itself.

For us, the attendees have been increasing

since the 1980s.

In the ‘80s It would be 500 people for dinner.

And suddenly it became a thousand.

Then 1500. And on and on and on.

Today it’s over two thousand.

This is amazing.

In America, in England, anywhere else...

this would be unthinkable.

True.

But that’s also true of the rest of Italy.

Everyone who comes here.

They all say they’re blown away.

It’s about community.

It’s a way of life

and it’s our sense of belonging.

From ages 10 to 90.

Everyone together. Truly...

like a family.

Yes.

Despite the ancient rivalries,

it seems clear to me that the Palio is a unifying event.

It's a living monument to the ability of Tuscans to walk

between past and present, finding inspiration in ancient

traditions and creating things of extraordinary beauty.