Original subtitles

(soft music)

(majestic music)

(lively music)

- Our journey begins on the coast

of the Portofino Natural Park a small headland

of dramatic cliffs and woodland surrounding

the famous village of Portofino itself.

Traveling north we come to Genoa,

Italy's largest seaport and birthplace

of Christopher Columbus.

The second largest city in Italy is Milan

which has long been thought of as the fashion

and design capital of the world.

Close the border with Switzerland is Lake Orta

in the middle of which is the island of San Giulio

with its enormous Benedictine monastery.

Italy's largest car manufacturer is Fiat.

Based in Turin, Fiat built a revolutionary

new car plant in the 1920s with a test track on the roof.

Our journey ends in the center of Turin.

A city full of historic buildings from several centuries

going back to Roman times.

This dramatic and beautiful stretch of high cliffs

is part of the Portofino Natural Park

created in 1935 to protect the headland

from future development.

This was necessary, in part, due to the popularity

of Portofino itself which by the 1930s

was becoming a magnet for the rich and famous.

The small, picturesque harbor and its surrounding

cliff top landscape was in danger of becoming

overrun with new villas and hotels.

The new park,

which stretches for six kilometers along the coast,

provided future protection.

Along this rugged coast is a small cove

only accessible by boat or on foot by descending the cliff

and in this cove is the Abbey of San Fruttuoso.

The first official mention of the monastery

dates back to the 10th century when a local bishop

reconstructed an earlier abbey which housed the remains

of an early Christian martyr Saint Fruttuoso.

Over the following centuries, it was expanded

and a watchtower was built in the 16th century

to add protection from pirates.

Today, it's a peaceful place to visit,

listen to a concert, explore the abbey,

or just relax on the pebble beach.

There is a small cafe and restaurant but no shops.

As we make our way north up the coast towards Genoa,

and away from the Natural Park,

the shoreline starts to become built-up.

Small fishing villages, like Recco, have become resorts

as well as dormitory towns for those working in Genoa.

It seems that the closer we get to the city

the more luxurious the villas become.

Those built on the cliffs have spectacular views

out to sea to the west especially at sunset.

(gentle music)

Ahead of us is Genoa, Italy's largest seaport

and sixth largest city.

It also has an interesting story to tell.

Genoa rose from obscurity to become a merchant pirate

superpower in the 12th and 13th centuries

that had huge influence on the medieval world.

It fought bitter battles with its great rival Venice

and even imprisoned the Venetian explorer Marco Polo

as the feuding city-states began connecting Europe

to the glories of the East.

The Black Death was said to have spread throughout

Western Europe from Genoa.

But the Genoese also bankrolled Spain

and gave the world Christopher Columbus

as well as a host of other fearless explorers.

The city was a major embarkation point for

thousands of immigrants crossing

the Atlantic to the New World.

It's home to Italy's oldest football team

and the site of Europe's,

and possibly the world's, first bank.

The city's history can be seen in the many

historic buildings from its early days

through to the enormous buildings of the 19th century.

The winding narrow streets of the old city

offer churches, theaters, museums, and art galleries.

But Genoa is not stuck in the past

it also has a distinctly modern side

such as its array of contemporary architecture

including La Biosfera, a glass and steel greenhouse

designed by the world famous architect Renzo Piano

who was born in the city.

The modern and the old makes Genoa

a fascinating place to visit.

Perhaps the best description of the city

was written by the scholar and poet Petrarch

over 600 years ago.

He described it as "la superba" meaning the proud one.

He wrote that, "It's a regal city blanketing

"an alpine mount whose men and whose walls

"are both full of pride.

"Her mere appearance bespeaking her

"as the mistress of the sea."

As this large container ship leaves the port,

it follows thousands of others that have been arriving

and leaving for well over two and half thousand years.

The city's seafaring history goes back a long way.

It was founded in the 6th century B.C.

by Phoenician and Etruscan sailors

because of its natural harbor,

but was later destroyed by the Carthaginians

and then rebuilt by the Romans.

One monument which has stood for

over 400 years in the harbor,

and is an important symbol of the city, is the Lanterna.

Its light still guides ships in and out of the harbor,

and until 1902 it was the tallest masonry

lighthouse in the world.

Following World War II and heavy storms in the 1950s,

the port was rebuilt and modernized.

It's currently the biggest Italian port

for both cargo and passenger ships

and one of the most important seaports in the Mediterranean,

much of its cotton, silk, olive oil, and wine

are exported from Genoa.

Unlike many cities who have international airports

some distance away from the center,

Genoa's Christopher Columbus Airport has

been built on an artificial island at one

of the entrances to the harbor

and only five kilometers away from the heart of Genoa.

The airport gives us a chance to refuel

and after allowing an executive jet to pass,

we are clear to resume our journey into the north.

High up in the mountains on the top of Monte Figogna

is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site,

the Shrine of Nostra Signora della Guardia.

The name Guardia in Italian means watch,

and the shrine is so called because

in the Middle Ages Mount Figogna was a strategic

observation station for monitoring the movement

of armies along the coast and of ships approaching Genoa.

According to tradition, on August 29, 1490

the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant called

Benedetto Pareto and asked him to build

a chapel on the mountain.

As a poor man, he built a small one out of wood

which is now housed inside the new chapel.

Over the centuries, more and more people

visited this pilgrimage site and so it was

gradually enlarged to what we see today

including the first access road constructed in the 1960s.

Heading north, we have to cross the northern end

of the Apennines, a mountain range which

runs up the center of Italy.

In order to do so, we have to rise above the clouds

which gives us some great views of the mountain tops.

In front of us is a blanket of cloud

which although beautiful gives us a problem

since descending through cloud without special

instrumentation is extremely dangerous,

as you have no idea what lies underneath.

The aim, if possible, is to find a gap in the clouds

enabling us to see where we are heading.

We drop down towards the River Po, Italy's longest river,

which runs from the Alps in the west

and drains into the Adriatic Sea to the east

just south of Venice.

The river is over 650 kilometers long

and has over 140 tributaries feeding into it

which often causes flooding along the route.

The vast valley created by the river

is known as the Po Basin

and has become the industrial heartland of Italy.

Indeed, roughly a third of the countries population

live in the area and approaching 1 1/2 million people

live in the region's largest city, Milan.

This is Italy's second largest city after Rome,

though, if you take the surrounding metropolitan area

it becomes the largest,

and the fifth biggest city in the European Union.

Milan is considered a leading global city

with strengths in the arts, commerce, and tourism.

Its business district hosts Italy's stock exchange

and the headquarters of the largest national

and international banks and companies.

The city has also long been thought of

as the fashion and design capital of the world

thanks to international events such

as the Milan Fashion Week and the Milan Furniture Fair.

More than eight million people visit the city each year

attracted by its museums and art galleries

which boast world-renowned collections including,

of course, the fresco of The Last Supper

by Leonardo da Vinci.

Historic buildings in Milan include the Sforza Castle

built in the 15th century

and one of the largest citadels in Europe.

It was extensively rebuilt in the 19th century

and now houses several museums and art collections.

Standing in front of the fortress is the castle fountain

a very popular attraction and a favorite place

to be photographed on special occasions.

La Scala is Milan's world famous opera house

which opened in 1776.

The theater is regarded as one of the greatest in the world

and in the 19th century, La Scala was chosen

for the premiere of six of Giuseppe Verde's operas.

The city is full of interesting buildings from every age.

This is the Velasca Tower built in the 1950s.

Its structure is a modern interpretation

of a northern Italian medieval castle tower

where the lower part was always narrower.

There are over 40 historic churches in the city.

This is the Basilica of San Lorenzo which has

a history stretching back to Roman times.

It became a symbol of that empire during the Renaissance

when it was study by leading architects

including Leonardo da Vinci.

Over the centuries it has been added to and rebuilt

following earthquakes and fires.

This is the Milan Central Railway Station

which replaced an earlier one of 1864.

It was built on the north side

of the Piazza della Repubblica.

Started in 1906, it took nearly 25 years to build

due to war, economic decline, and design changes

under fascist leader Benito Mussolini

who wanted the station even grander.

When the station was refurbished in 2006

it was decided that for historical reasons

certain areas would remain unrestored

but inaccessible to the public.

This included a waiting room with swastikas on the floor

designed to receive Adolf Hitler.

In the center of the city, is the Piazza del Duomo

which was created in the 14th century, though,

except for the cathedral itself,

what we see today is largely from the 19th century.

On the north side is the impressive

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II constructed in the 1860s.

It's the world's oldest active shopping mall

and consists of two glass vaulted arcades

with a central octagonal space topped with a glass dome.

It may well have inspired the use of the term galleria

for many other shopping arcades and malls around the world.

Milan's cathedral has taken nearly

six centuries to complete.

It's the second largest church in Italy

after St. Peter's in Rome,

and the third largest in the world.

The decoration on the exterior includes

well over 2,000 statues and 135 spires.

The cathedral was built over a Roman basilica

from the 4th century with construction beginning

in 1386 and not officially ending until

the last gate was installed in 1965.

Over the centuries, it's been both admired

and vilified by critics.

Some have found it too flamboyant

or even monstrous in its design.

Most, though, thought it a masterpiece.

The writer Mark Twain devoted a chapter

in one of his books extolling its wonder.

Some of his comments cannot be bettered.

"What a wonder it is.

"So grand, so solemn, so vast, and yet so delicate,

"so airy, so graceful.

"Up on the roof were the long files of spires

"we could see, now, that the statue on the top of each

"was the size of a large man though they all looked

"like dolls from the street.

"They say that the Cathedral of Milan

"is second only to St. Peter's at Rome.

"I cannot understand how it can be second

"to anything made by human hands."

During the summer months, many families from Milan

and around the world head for the beautiful Italian lakes

to stay in small waterside villages, grand hotels,

mountain retreats, or perhaps just to explore

the many lakes in a boat.

On Lake Orta, the most westerly of the lakes,

it's possible to visit the small

and peaceful island of San Giulio.

It takes its name from a local patron saint,

Julius of Novara, who lived in the second half

of the 4th century and died on the island.

Every trace of earlier religious buildings

disappeared in the 19th century when this

massive seminary was built in the 1840s.

In 1976, it became the largest monastery of

Benedictine nuns in the world.

On the way to our next location

we pass an outstanding example of modernist

architecture of the mid-20th century.

This futuristic house appears to be a flying saucer

suspended above a flowing white stone base.

Even today, it's still a very striking and original house.

For one of the best views of Lake Orta

it's worth making the trip up to the

Sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso,

meaning Our Lady of the Rock.

Standing on a high granite spur,

over 600 meters above the lake,

visitors can see as far as the snow-capped Alps

over 30 kilometers away.

In 1703, a local merchant who said he had

received God's grace, decided to finance

and build a new sanctuary which would

replace a small medieval chapel from the 16th century

dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.

By 1748, the church built in the form of a Greek cross,

was complete while the bell tower and priest's house

were finished 12 years later.

In 1998, the whole complex was restored.

(choral singing)

From the Italian lakes, we climb into the foothills

of the southern Alps towards one of the largest

and most important religious complexes in Italy,

the Sanctuary of Oropa.

According to legend, a black wooden statue

of the Virgin Mary, carved by Saint Luke,

found its way to Oropa in the 4th century

and was placed into a small niche in a large boulder.

Several hundred years later,

a church was built around the boulder,

and in the early 17th century it was replaced

with what is known today as the Ancient Basilica.

In the following two centuries,

several other buildings are added to the complex

creating three large courtyards including

the royal apartments and a large library.

The last building to be added was the upper basilica,

a monumental church constructed between 1885 and 1960.

This was needed as around 800,000 people

visit the sanctuary each year.

Alongside the sanctuary is the sacred mount of Oropa

which consists of 12 small chapels showing different

scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

They were built in the 17th century

and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The expansion of the sanctuary over the years

has led to a change in its use from stopover

point for pilgrims to becoming a destination

in its own right.

Today, there is a hotel with 300 rooms

spread across the complex,

as well as several restaurants and shops.

We now head south out of the mountains

towards Turin and a hunting lodge.

While the words hunting lodge might

bring to mind something small and humble

in the case of the magnificent Stupinigi Palace

nothing could be further from the truth.

(trumpets playing)

This hunting lodge was built in 1729

on the orders of Vittorio Amedeo II

the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia.

The palace is excessive, extravagant, and splendid

all at the same time.

The main building broadly circles an inner courtyard

which itself is reached from a larger open garden area

and between two massive wings.

There is nothing small scale about Stupinigi.

Today, the palace is open to the public.

It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site

as it represents some of the finest European

18th century monumental architecture.

In the distance is the city of Turin's industrial district

and one of the best-known car

manufacturers in the world, Fiat.

Today the company is the largest automobile

manufacturer in Italy producing around

1 1/2 million cars a year.

The first Fiat was built in 1899

and had a production run of just 24.

By 1916, Fiat had close to 80% of the Italian car market

and decided to build a revolutionary new car plant

the Lingotto Building which featured

a test track on its roof.

The plant opened in 1923.

The design was unusual in that it had five floors

with raw materials going in at the ground floor

and cars built on a line that went up through the building,

finished cars emerged at rooftop level

to go onto the test track.

At that time, it was the largest car factory in the world,

but by the 1970s it had become outmoded

and was finally closed in 1982.

It was then converted into a complex of offices,

shopping arcades, and a hotel.

Most importantly, however, the test track was retained

and since been used as a location

for many films and commercials.

Turin is the capital of the Piedmont District

and an important business and cultural center.

It sits in the foothills of the Alps

and guards the entrance into Italy,

as such, it has seen conflict and conquest

for well over 2,000 years.

The Romans established a town here, Augusta Taurinorum,

and the Palatine Gate remains one

of the best preserved from the Roman world.

Turin is full of historic buildings spanning

several centuries.

However, Allied bombing during World War II

damaged much of the city as the city's industrial area

was a prime target.

One building that largely escaped damage

was the Mole Antonelliana which stands

just under 170 meters high.

It was completed in 1889 and was the tallest

brick building in Europe at the time.

It was named after its architect, Alessandro Antonelli

and was bought by the city and made into a monument

to national unity.

Visitors can go up to the panoramic terrace

and take in amazing views of the city

and the surrounding Alps.

Located right in the center of Turin

is one of the city's most important sites,

the Palazzo Madama.

From the air, it looks like two different

buildings joined together.

The towers at the rear are rebuilt Roman ones

and were incorporated into the 14th century castle.

In the 17th century, it became the residence

of the Duchess of Savoy who decided to build

a new Baroque palace in white stone on the site.

Unfortunately, she had to flee the city

during a war with France and the only

section finished was the west side

which largely contained an impressive double staircase.

The palace has remained unchanged ever since.

An intriguing place to end this journey.

(majestic music)

(soft music)