Anna recounts the story of Tosca, an opera singer who is in love with the painter Cavaradossi. Puccini's opera was first performed in Rome in 1900.

Antonio is in Praia a Mare and talks to us about the cult of the Madonna della Grotta (Madonna of the Cave), patron saint of the city. The cult began in 1900, and every year in August the statue of the Madonna is carried in a procession, where many of the faithful take part.

In this video, Antonio speaks in more detail about Praia's Madonna of the Cave. He shows us the rock where the ship's captain set down the wooden statue in the 14th century and he shows us the room where the statue is now housed.

Marika and Arianna discuss their favorite book genres, authors, and why they like to read.

When one retires, it can free up time as well as one's mind, providing an opportunity to experiment and find out what is important. Armando, who worked as an architect before retirement, uses photography to explore the circle of life in nature.

Little by little, we discover Armando's fascination with oxidation. It seems to have started by looking at advertising billboards.

Armando tells us how the designs he is fascinated by come to be. It all has to do with billboards, and how they are marked up, torn, and over time, oxidized. The oxidation process is fascinating.

Armando begins describing the structure of his book, and talks about how he envisions a kind of journey, beginning in the far reaches of the universe, down to the tiny details of a flower.

In this segment, describing chapters 3 - 6, we can imagine storms, volcanoes, oceans, and mountains in Armando's photographs.

In chapter. 7, Armando describes how, to him, his images represent vegetation, woodlands, trees, and flowers.

Not only are Armando's photographs reminiscent of the universe and nature — they also recall other works of art from history.

Armando talks about how the works of Duchamp influenced his work and that of so many contemporary artists. The choice of a unique exhibition hall played a part, as well.

Caravaggio is a TV mini-series based on the life of the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It opens in 1577 when the painter was 5 years old. The plague had just hit and people who were still alive were burning their household possessions.

Some years have passed, and Michele's widowed mother has had some difficult decisions to make regarding her children. One of these is to send 12-year-old Michele to Milan to be an apprentice at the workshop of the well-known artist, Simone Peterzano. Michele has no desire to leave home and family.

Michele has a rough time of it in Master Simone's workshop. It's clear, however, that he has talent. A Knight of Malta comes into the workshop to have a look.