The southern Italian region of Basilicata, also known as Lucania, is shown to us by a woman who was born there, and her young son. The Sanctuary of the Madonna in Anglona is where they start off.

The owner of the company Le Grotte di Sileno (The Grottoes of Silenus) continues to walk us through the steps necessary to produce high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Puglia produces more olive oil than any other Italian region.

Gualtiero Marchesi describes both his old and the new versions of Pollo Kiev (Chicken Kiev). Relatively simple and tasty, especially if you like butter!

Being a man of culture as well as an expert chef, Gualtiero Marchesi has found himself being inspired by artists. He talks of dripping food onto a platter, much as Jackson Pollock would drip paint onto a canvas.

Italian cuisine in the fifties reflected both the economic prospering, and the cultural growth of a population that had also begun opening up to new horizons through the birth of tourism.

Various experts talk about their memories of Milan back in the fifties: Sunday morning rituals of getting pastries from the "best," bars, eating big meals twice a day, the cathedral square with its tram and neon lights, and so forth.

Milan, as it became an important center for gastronomy and publishing, relinquished, at the same time, part of its regional identity.

Marchesi talks about how much he learned from just being around great chefs who happened to be relatives, but also how much he learned from books. There are also some interesting opinions about why most great chefs are male!

In Italian families, the role of women has always been one of fundamental importance. Women were able to create wonderful meals with humble ingredients, but as talented as they might have been, their place was in the home, running the family, not travelling abroad learning haute cuisine.

Massimo Montanari, an expert in historical food studies, discusses the role of women in the development of regional cooking.

Marchesi shows us a delicious dessert made from leftover panettone. Panettone is an Italian fruitcake from the Lombardy region that is traditionally served during the Christmas season. Cinepanettoni are comic movies served up during the holidays.

Not only does the race go from Brescia to Rome, it goes back to Brescia, and the last part, uphill, is very tricky. This historical footage and commentary is priceless! Fasten your seat belt for the finish line.

Artist Nanda Vigo, a friend of Gualtiero Marchesi's, tells us what it was like to be an artist back in those days, and how Marchesi was involved.

From Puglia, a description of olive picking the modern way, and some of the rules agricultural business are required to follow, in order to obtain top quality extra virgin olive oil.

From the heart of Tuscany, famous for its olive oil, Tuscans Lisetta and Alessio talk about how olive oil is made.