The French government is privileged to have two of Rome's most beautiful properties: Palazzo Farnese, which they rent for a nominal fee and use as their embassy, and Villa Medici, which is the home of the French Academy, and was procured by Napoleon. The narrator speaks of how the land on which Villa Medici was built was highly appreciated by the ancient Romans.

The segment focuses on the reasons behind the founding of the French Academy by Louis XIV

A tour of Villa Medici's reception and private rooms. Ferdinando de' Medici hired the architect and sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati to expand the villa, as well as other renowned Florentines artists to create fresco cycles exalting his life. We catch a glimpse of his frescoed south-facing apartment, which would have been used in the colder months, while the north-side suite was for warmer periods.

We get a look at the plaster casts of Roman and Greek statues in the French Academy's storage rooms, sculptures such as the Venus de Milo. Fellows have made use of these casts to draw inspiration for their own works.

The segment focuses on Messalina, wife of the Emperor Claudius, who owned a villa on the site of Villa Medici. We catch a glimpse of tunnels and rooms beneath the villa, which were used by Ferdinando de' Medici to imprison Asian slaves when they weren't at work on a garden meant to evoke Mount Parnassus.

We visit the French Academy's gallery devoted to plaster casts of antique sculptures and the large park, which was once used by Ferdinando de' Medici for hunting.

The segment concentrates on two richly frescoed rooms that are set apart from the villa. Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici used these secluded rooms for trysts.

Éric de Chassey, Director of the French Academy, details the mission of the institution.

In this video we get a peek at the streets of Rome, accompanied by the nostalgic melody of "Romagna mia" (a song dedicated to the Region of Emilia Romagna, played here by a street musician in Rome). Come and discover the eternal city!

Strolling through Rome, we stop in front of the so-called statue of Pasquino, who, rebelling against the rigid regulations of the reigning pope, made the statue "speak" by using placards, registering his protest against the city.

Francesca is in Rome and she looking for a way of getting to the Janiculum. She asks a guy, who gives her directions and tells her of some ways she could get there. At the end, they decide to get a coffee together.

Francesca and her new friend are now in the bar. Let's go and see what's on the menu!

This segment takes place in Pigneto, a Rome neighborhood, which hosts a "Mercatino del Pigneto," or flea market, where used items, collectibles, and crafts are sold. Here you'll find everything and at reasonable prices.

Two medical students at the University of Naples leave the library and race through town down to the beach. At the Cajafa palace, Princess Elena is called to her father's study where they discuss the ball to take place that evening.

Giorgio takes his friend Giuseppe to a ball in honor of Princess Elena Cajafa. Giuseppe feels out of place, but Giorgio insists on having him meet some important people, hoping it will help his career, not to mention the entrance exam they have the following day.