All language subtitles for Tucci.in.Italy.S01E01.1080p.WEB.h264-GRACE

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.