Passion Italy

Off-the-beaten-path Rome includes the street art district, the Pyramid, and the magnificent Palazzo Colonna. Alessandra introduces viewers to an eccentric artist who invented a language to describe his fantasy world, then travels to an ancient mint in medieval Viterbo. Finally, she tours a ghost village with a local chef and choreographer, and attends a charming tamburella concert.

Alessandra visits a father and son maintaining their Maiolic ceramic tradition, then travels to Chieti for the stunning Good Friday procession with hundreds of participants. On the Adriatic Coast, she learns about fishing off the traditional wood trabocch and discovers the lifestyle of artisans carrying on familiar traditions through copper, wrought iron, and stone.

A behind-the-scenes look at some of the most iconic Venetian images. Join Alessandra as she helps prepare for the lavish Ballo del Doge masquerade ball, visits an artisan on Chioggia making traditional ceramic pipes, and takes a ferry over to the island of Murano, where she chats with a glass maker, and a choreographer dedicated to teaching historical dances.

Experience Umbria, the enticing region at the center of Italy. Join Alessandra as she visits with artisans continuing Renaissance-era craftsmanship for generations, attends a festival carried on since the Middle Ages, learns about an architectural wonderland, and makes a visit to a modern Renaissance Man who embodies the spirit of the series.

Join Alessandra as she gains special access to the area’s most skilled artisans using centuries-old techniques passed down through generations. Discover a bread maker’s traditional process, an innovative cheesemaker, a stone mason working on spiral domes for trulli, a master glass craftsman with unique lampshades, and a luthier making instruments using rare techniques.

Alessandra travels to Sicily to learn about the modern royalty and craftsmen that represent the historic charm of the region. Visit the workshop of a puppet maker, a cart painter, and a coral carver; get exclusive access to palaces; explore culinary gems that include salt pans, granita, a fish market, and Marsala wine; discover Europe’s oldest archeological site; see a spectacular historic parade.