Original subtitles

(wind blowing)

(upbeat instrumental music)

(gentle instrumental music)

- Our journey beings in Urbino,

a small town that grew into one

of the capitals of the Renaissance.

Crossing into the Abruzzo region,

we reach Pescara,

destroyed in the Second World War,

but now the area's most successful beach resort.

Reaching Lucera, we discover its extraordinary castle

and Roman amphitheater

before continuing to Matera

and glimpsing its remarkable cave dwellings,

some of the oldest continuously occupied homes in the world.

Our journey takes us on to Castel del Monte,

a unique, geometric piece of medieval military architecture,

before finally we reach Trani,

the Pearl of Puglia,

with its extraordinary castle and cathedral

facing out to the Adriatic Sea.

(gentle instrumental music)

These are the hills of the Marche region.

This landscape has always inspired painters.

It's said this was the home of a certain Mona Lisa

and that Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting

features in its background these very hills.

Surrounded by forest is the walled town of Albino.

In the 15th century,

this was one of the centers of the Renaissance.

This was the birthplace of Raphael

and home to many of the period's greatest artists,

scholars, and thinkers.

The Irish poet W.B. Yeats called Albino

"that grammar school of courtesies

"where whit and beauty learn their trade."

The town's rise was thanks to one man,

Duke Federico da Montefeltro,

a Renaissance man known as the Light of Italy.

This is his extraordinary ducal palace,

and one of the most important monuments in Italy.

It's built to house almost 600 people

and was called a city in the shape of a palace.

It was also here that he assembled

one of the world's greatest libraries.

Today the ducal palace holds

the National Gallery of Le Marche,

one of the most important collections

of Renaissance art in the world.

Nearby we find Albino's magnificent cathedral.

Duke Federico built it in the 15th century,

but after an earthquake in 1789,

was reconstructed with this monumental neoclassical facade.

It's now the seat of the archbishop of Albino.

Albino is considered an architectural masterpiece

and an embodiment of the Renaissance.

Built simply from brick and stone,

it is plain, but perfectly proportionate.

Today much of its past remains,

and it's been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We continue now on our journey

past pretty hilltop towns

as we head for the coast,

and here we find the capital of the Marche region, Ancona.

This is a city of two halves,

a modern coastal resort,

and the historic center of Monte Guasco.

Built on the Adriatic,

the city was founded by the Greeks

and was an important port for the Romans.

Today ferries link Ancona with Croatia,

Greece, and Turkey.

(gentle instrumental music)

Heavily bombed in the Second World War,

Ancona has preserved elements of its history,

including its cathedral

and the pentagonal Mole Vanvitelliana,

built in the 18th century as a quarantine station

for the port.

(gentle instrumental music)

Our journey continues south down the coast

to the magnificent green slopes of Monte Conero.

Conero gets its name from the strawberry trees

that grow on the mountainside.

In 1987, it was declared a state park

and a protected ecological zone.

(upbeat instrumental music)

Porto Potenza Picena is a resort town

with some of the best sandy beaches in the region.

Its coastline has Blue Flag certification,

and with its perfect Adriatic waters,

makes a great place for a boat trip.

Our journey now enters the region of Abruzzo,

where these extraordinary sea mists

cling like a shroud over the local hills.

The region is known as the greenest in Europe,

with 1/3 of its territory set aside as national parks

and protected nature reserves.

This is Giulianova.

With its long beaches,

the once sleepy fishing village

has grown into a popular seaside resort.

It's a favorite with Italian city dwellers

escaping the summer heat,

as well as a regular destination

for German and French tourists.

(wind blowing)

To the south is Abruzzo's largest city, Pescara.

With hotels, bars, and a long, tree-lined promenade,

it's one of the region's hottest towns for nightlife.

In the summer, the 20 kilometer shoreline

is packed with beach parties.

This is one of the top 10 resorts

on the Adriatic coast.

(gentle instrumental music)

Today, the town is thriving,

but Pescara was reduced to rubble in World War Two

when it was an important port

for Mussolini's navy.

It was rebuilt over the decades in a grid layout.

Since 1969, the resort has held a jazz festival,

which has grown into one

of the most important in Europe.

It's hosted some of the best known talents,

including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald,

Oscar Peterson, and the great Louis Armstrong.

(plane engine running)

A more recent addition to the landscape

is nearby Abruzzo Airport.

The only international airfield in the region,

it was open to civilian flights in 1996.

Since then, the growth of low cost airlines

has made it very popular,

bringing tourists from across Europe

to enjoy the local sun.

It has a long, single runway,

almost two and a half kilometers long,

which means it can handle large passenger jets,

which bring in well over half a million travelers a year.

(plane engine running)

(gentle instrumental music)

On steep hills facing out to the sea

is the town of Ortona.

In 1943 during the Second World War,

this was the site of a fierce battle.

The fighting was so brutal

that it became known as Little Stalingrad.

The town's 15th century Aragonese Castle

still bears the scars of this bitter fighting.

After collapsing in a landslide in 1946,

the fortress has been restored

and is now open to visitors.

Our journey now turns away from the coast

where the landscape becomes drier

as we leave behind Abruzzo

and enter into the southern region of Puglia.

(wind blowing)

This is the city of Lucera

and on its western side,

the Fortress of Svevo Angioina.

It was built in 1233

by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the Second

to garrison an army.

He hoped it would control the 20,000 Muslim Saracens

he had forcibly resettled here from Sicily.

The castle was constructed

from the remains of old Roman buildings in the area,

and it was built on the site

of an ancient Roman acropolis.

In 1456, it was damaged by an earthquake.

In the 19th century,

it was partly restored,

and today the site is open to visitors

who can explore the ruins.

(gentle instrumental music)

On the other side of the city,

Lucera's Roman past is again in evidence.

(birds chirping)

This is the Augustinian Amphitheater,

built in the first century B.C.

It's the largest Roman amphitheater in southern Italy.

Built in a natural hollow,

it measures 131 by 99 meters.

It could hold 18,000 people

who came to watch gladiatorial combat,

gymnastic displays, and fights between wild animals.

With the spread of Christianity,

the barbaric contests were banned,

and the amphitheater fell into disrepair.

It was restored in the 20th century

and today can be visited by tourists.

(wind blowing)

We find now another classic Italian sight, cars.

Italy is one of the biggest auto manufacturers in Europe

and has been making motor vehicles

since the dawn of the industry.

Fiat, whose cars we see here,

was founded in 1899.

It's grown into the multinational Fiat Chrysler Group,

now the seventh largest automobile producer in the world.

After some difficult years,

Italy's car manufacturers are growing again,

and in 2014, almost 700,000 vehicles were built here.

(upbeat instrumental music)

As we continue south,

the landscape begins to change

as it becomes ever more arid.

Due to a lack of airports in this region,

planning ahead is essential

in order that we don't run out of fuel.

A rendezvous has been organized with a local farmer

to use his dirt airstrip

where a fuel truck is waiting

to fill our tanks,

and the crew can have a bit of a break

before getting on their way again.

One of the great advantages of a helicopter

is that it can land almost anywhere,

provided of course that it is safe to do so.

(helicopter engine running)

(upbeat instrumental music)

To the south,

at the foot of the extinct volcano Mount Vulture

is the medieval town of Melfi

and its extraordinary castle.

It was built in the 11th century by the Normans,

a people from northern France

who conquered much of the region.

The town, on the gateway between Campania and Puglia,

was of great strategic importance to the invaders,

and Melfi itself is circled by a Norman city wall,

the only one in southern Italy.

The castle's unusual, slanting, irregular design

is built to fit the uneven shape

yet agriculture still plays a major part

in the area's economy.

Olives, plums, and cereal crops are grown here,

and sheep graze on the hillside.

to visit its current incarnation

as the Melfi National Museum.

(wind blowing)

We continue on our journey,

entering the Basilicata region.

(gentle instrumental music)

This area has dry weather and little water,

yet agriculture still plays a major part

in the area's economy.

Olives, plums, and cereal crops are grown here,

and sheep graze on the hillside.

(birds chirping)

We find now near Ripacandida the Great Forest.

In Roman times,

this whole region was called Lucania, meaning woods,

but over the centuries,

the forest was cut down for timber and farmland.

This forest of oak and cedar trees

is all that remains of the ancient woodland

that once covered the entire area.

Dominating the surrounding

(speaking in a foreign language) valley

is Lagopesole Castle.

(gentle instrumental music)

It was built on the remains of a Norman stronghold

by Frederick the Second in the 13th century.

This was the emperor's favorite home,

and it was here that he spent the last year of his life.

He was a lover of nature and hunting,

and the castle at the time was in the heart

of one of Italy's biggest forests.

Today the memory of Frederick the Second lives on.

Each year in the castle,

local townspeople stage a reenactment

of the life of his court.

(gentle instrumental music)

As we continue south,

we pass (speaking in a foreign language),

just one of this region's many ancient hilltop towns.

It stands 800 meters above sea level,

and even though it seems well fortified,

it has over the centuries been conquered

by the Romans, Ostrogoths,

the great Charlemagne, and the Normans.

(wind blowing)

(gentle instrumental music)

This winding river, a green thread in an arid setting,

is a reminder of the changing landscapes

through which our journey has taken us

and the extraordinary difference

in the geography between north and south Italy,

(singing)

and emerging from this barren landscape,

built on steep hills overlooking a ravine

is the city of Matera.

With its churches, terracotta roofs,

and winding streets,

it looks at first like many

of the Italian hilltop towns nearby,

but Matera is the first human settlement in Italy

and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities

in the world.

in cave dwellings dug down into the soft rock.

The old houses are called the Sassi di Matera,

meaning the Stones of Matera.

This is Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario,

an historic cave house now open to tourists.

It reconstructs a typical dwelling

as it was for thousands of years,

including period furniture and tools,

a bed, loom, space for manure,

and a pen for pigs and donkeys.

(singing)

If this place looks familiar,

it's perhaps because it has served

as the location for several major films.

In 1964, Pasolini made

"The Gospel According to St. Matthew" here,

in 2004, "The Passion of the Christ,"

and in 2016, it will feature in the remake of "Ben-Hur."

(singing)

Today, Matera is flourishing as a center for tourists,

but until the 1950s,

it was considered a national scandal.

Rife with malaria,

many of its cave dwelling residents

lived in abject squalor in subterranean slums.

They were moved by law to modern buildings nearby.

Gradually, these Sassi were restored,

and since 1993,

the town has been designated

a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An extraordinary place to visit,

several of the Sassi have been restored as guest houses,

giving tourists the unique chance

to spend a night underground

in homes that have been lived in for thousands of years.

(singing)

(wind blowing)

(upbeat instrumental music)

Our journey now takes us northeast

back towards the coast

and over the top of Altamura.

The city has long been famous.

The Roman poet Horace said of it,

"Water is sold here,

"though the worst in the world,

"but their bread is exceedingly fine."

Today it still is,

and a favorite sold across Italy.

In the heart of Altamura is its Romanesque cathedral,

built in 1232 by Frederick the Second.

(wind blowing)

(gentle instrumental music)

Ahead of us, perched on a hilltop,

is the extraordinary Castel del Monte.

This is another masterwork by Emperor Frederick the Second

and a unique piece of medieval castle building.

With extraordinary geometric precision,

the fortress blends architectural elements

from northern Europe, the Muslim world,

mathematics, and classical antiquity.

It has eight octagonal towers

surrounding an eight sided courtyard.

There are two stories of rooms,

which run throughout,

each floor containing eight rooms.

Today the castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

and is open to visitors.

The main entrance is a relief

carved from a coral marble

known as (speaking in a foreign language).

It's a Roman triumphal arch

framing another pointed arch.

It's now thought that a curtain wall

once surrounded the castle,

making it a more formidable fortress.

Interestingly, its image can be found

on the Italian version of the one cent euro coin.

In the shadow of the castle,

we find a somewhat humbler form of accommodation.

These are Trulli,

a traditional Puglian drystone hut with a conical roof.

(gentle instrumental music)

The medieval agricultural buildings

were constructed mainly as store houses

and lodgings for farm laborers and peasants.

Today, the surviving Trulli are popular with tourists,

and some have been restored as guest houses

and holiday homes.

As we approach the coast,

we cross a flat plane

filled with olive groves.

Carbon dating on these trees

has revealed that some are over 2,000 years old

and were planted by the Romans.

Today, olive oil is still considered Puglia's gold,

and the region produces almost two million tons each year.

(wind blowing)

(gentle instrumental music)

Finally, we reach the beautiful port town of Trani,

known as the Pearl of Puglia.

Here we find again many of the elements

that have made up our journey,

including the handiwork of Frederick the Second

in Trani's castle, Castello Svevo,

and a magnificent 12th century cathedral,

which stands facing out to the blue Adriatic Sea.

Trani, with its extraordinary mix of natural beauty,

ancient history, and modern tourism,

makes it the perfect place to end this journey.

(upbeat instrumental music)

(metal thudding)