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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Our guides bring us to the very old and picturesque Rabatana quarter of Tursi, and to Craco, where the ghost of Isabella Morra, a 16th century poet, is said to roam about the ruins.

The tour of Basilicata closes with verses of Isabella Morra and British travel writer, Norman Douglas. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Ionian coastline, the young traveler gives some tips on mastering the Lucan dialect.

The first of a six-part series on the Trentino-Alto Adige area of Italy, also known as South Tyrol, reveals majestic alpine landscapes and masterpieces of medieval art.

Majestic mountains, clear lakes, and enigmatic medieval frescoes characterize the area surrounding Termeno.

We get a glimpse of some of the amazing frescoes in this part of Italy.