Slow Tour - Italians Not by Chance

Season 3

2013 · 12 episodes · 6h 44m in all

Episodes

1. 1

   1. Egadi

   2 Jun 2013 · 34 min

   A sailboat trip through the Egadi Islands in Sicily, navigating between Marettimo, Levanzo, and Favignana. Our slow tour concludes on the coast of the Trapani area, at Selinunte, the historic site of what was once the largest temple in Magna Graecia, and the third-largest in the entire Greek world.

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   2. Kerala & Caruggi

   9 Jun 2013 · 32 min

   Sailing, both very close to home and far, far away! We explore gentle journeys along the backwaters of Kerala in southern India, as well as sailing in the waters off Pantelleria, Sicily, an island with an almost African character, lying closer to Tunisia than to the Italian mainland. This episode also features a literary tour of Genoa with Bruno Morchio, an author of "Mediterranean noir" novels, and a nature-focused excursion in the lagoon of Rangiroa, in French Polynesia, where black pearls are cultivated.

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   3. Genghis Khan’s Horses and the Donkeys of Brisighella

   16 Jun 2013 · 35 min

   Patrizio is in Brisighella, in the province of Ravenna, amidst the "Via degli Asini" (Donkey Alley), a 2nd-century BC parish church, and a Roman olive press. There is an intricate web of connections here, linking agricultural products, the local territory and landscape, cultivation methods, history, and tradition, all the way through to consumption and tourism. Syusy, meanwhile, has set off to explore our origins in an ancient land: Mongolia. We witness the Naadam festival, an encounter with a (genuine) shaman, who, surprisingly, lives in an apartment building, and the traditional nomadic dwellings known as yurts.

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   4. Aunt Rosina’s Stele and Pumpkin Tortelli

   23 Jun 2013 · 34 min

   Patrizio is in Sabbioneta, the "little Athens" of the Mantua area—following in the footsteps of the Gonzaga family. His slow-paced journey continues along the course of the Po River, taking in everything from a floating watermill to a local restaurant. Meanwhile, Syusy is far, far away, in Mongolia! She’s traveling long distances by off-road vehicle along dirt tracks beneath endless skies, spending her nights in *ger* (yurt) encampments. Near Karakorum, she discovers a mysterious stele bearing inscriptions in three different languages: Proto-Turkic, Chinese, and a runic script. And the mystery deepens: atop the stele sits a statue of a she-wolf nursing two female twins! A she-wolf? Twins?

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   5. Polipolesine

   30 Jun 2013 · 33 min

   Patrizio travels through the Polesine region in Veneto, stopping at Ca' Zen, once the place of exile for Lord Byron’s muse. The atmosphere is hushed and melancholic, a unique blend of Venetian, Padan, and Anglo-Saxon influences. Meanwhile, Syusy finds herself in what might be the slowest, most romantic spot on earth: Rangiroa, in French Polynesia. A place already chronicled by Folco Quilici, it even drew Jacques Cousteau for his diving expeditions.

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   6. The Ceri of Gubbio

   7 Jul 2013 · 31 min

   A Slow Tour means being in the right place at the right time, for instance, finding yourself in Gubbio on May 15th, the day of the grand Festa dei Ceri! Every year, 45,000 people turn out for the alzata dei ceri (the raising of the ceri), all trying to squeeze into a town square that can hold, at most, 10,000! The Festa dei Ceri is no mere reenactment; it is an event that renews itself year after year, following a well-defined ritual that involves the entire local population.

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   7. Navigating from the Usumacinta to the Brenta

   14 Jul 2013 · 35 min

   Patrizio is in the Upper Adriatic, first in Chioggia, then aboard a houseboat in the Venetian Lagoon, sailing as far as the Brenta River, while enjoying a local meringa (meringue pastry) and a glass of Prosecco. Meanwhile, Syusy is in Guatemala, on the edge of the jungle, to meet the last descendants of the Maya: the Lacandon people. They are a fascinating group, much like the archaeological site of Yaxchilan, a place of worship and pilgrimage.

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   8. The Mayans and the Mystery of the Missing Innkeeper

   21 Jul 2013 · 35 min

   Patrizio’s Slow Tour begins in Valdobbiadene, right in the heart of the Prosecco region. When you’re busy raising a glass, anything can happen, you might stumble upon a mysterious tavern with no innkeeper, or even a monument to Paris Hilton! Meanwhile, Syusy is in Guatemala, on the shores of Lake Atitlán; she meets women from a weavers' cooperative at the Chichicastenango market and visits Tikal, a cradle of the Mayan civilization. Later, Patrizio takes us on another Italian slow tour, this time along the Mincio River and the lakes of Mantua, exploring the area partly by boat and partly by bicycle.

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   9. The Crucian Carp of Lake Trasimeno and Adam’s Navel

   28 Jul 2013 · 34 min

   Patrizio’s Slow Tour takes us to Lake Trasimeno, in the area around Perugia: from Tuoro to San Feliciano, passing by Isola Polvese and Isola Maggiore. Meanwhile, Syusy is in Città di Castello, a stronghold of the classical Renaissance in the heart of medieval Umbria, and a testament to the triumph of the Vitelli family.

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    10. Saints, Poets, Drinkers

    4 Aug 2013 · 35 min

    A leisurely, wine-focused tour through the heart of Umbria, the birthplace of the Sagrantino grape! Patrizio finds himself in Montefalco, at a historic winery run by an unconventional farmer, while in Castelbuono, Syusy visits the "cathedral" of Sagrantino: a futuristic winery and temple to wine tasting, designed by Pomodoro in the symbolic shape of a giant tortoise shell. The journey continues on to Todi and Narni.

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    11. Huts & Sheds

    11 Aug 2013 · 31 min

    What is Patrizio doing in an industrial landscape, amidst factories, warehouses, and road junctions? He finds himself in the heart of Italian entrepreneurial genius: the Innovation Valley. Meanwhile, Syusy is in Lalibela, Ethiopia, the capital of the ancient Ethiopian kingdom, where she explores rock-hewn churches carved deep underground, directly into the mountainside. She also visits a market for farmers and herders, blending in as they conduct their silent, understated negotiations.

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    12. Aida and Giulietta

    18 Aug 2013 · 35 min

    The Slow Tour in Verona begins at the Arena, where Aida is being performed, and Syusy and Patrizio manage to sneak backstage. The tour of the city continues: the terrace at Castel San Pietro, Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza dei Signori, the street of the taverns, the river... But there’s no getting around it: for everyone, Verona is, above all, the city of Romeo and Juliet.