What's so special about Lecce? It has something to do with the kind of stone found there. And masters of art and architecture knew how to make beautiful buildings with it, giving rise to the Lecce Baroque.

Italians adopted English words to describe the new system of working from home. They've called it smart working. No one was happy about the virus, but some people could see the bright side. Others were very stressed out and would go on a disinfecting rampage. The worst situation was in hospitals, where health care workers were pretty much flying blind.

In this episode, we travel to Lecce, to the very heel of the Italian "boot," at the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula. Lecce is an iconic example of the Italian Baroque, which encompassed music, art, literature, and philosophy.

Going to school remotely from home was hard for everyone, kids and young adults alike, not to mention for the teachers. And, just imagine trying to train to be a ballet dancer. People had to get creative and at the same time, deal with reality.

There were a few places untouched by the pandemic, for example, near the North Pole. Some people had a hard time getting out of bed. Others became creative.

Bel canto (beautiful singing) and lyric opera began in Italy, and, not surprisingly, this country has the highest number of opera theaters in the world. Thus we conclude this episode of Meraviglie (wonders).

A man tells about how maddening it was to realize he had made a mistake in giving his mother a kiss. In March 2020, all of Italy shut down. Everything stopped, to try and limit the spread of Covid-19.

Gioachino Rossini had great success as an opera composer at the San Carlo Theater in Naples, writing a large number of operas while still quite young. When he left Naples for Paris, he was replaced by another star composer, Gaetano Donizetti.

Different people talk about their experiences: a hospital intensive-care worker, a bike courier, a 103-year old woman, some children, and the head of a family.

Alberto Angela continues showing us some of the details of the decorations within the San Carlo Theater. He recounts a special coffee beverage invented there, and an anecdote about the composer Gioacchino Rossini who was the musical director there for a time.

This documentary follows the coronavirus from its beginnings in China to its arrival in Italy. Much of the material was contributed by ordinary people trying to live their lives in the midst of the pandemic.

The San Carlo Theater was the largest in Europe. Alberto Angela focuses on the shape of the theater and provides some insight into what went on in the box seats.

The Teatro San Carlo was renowned in all of Europe for its beauty as well as for its music, theater, and opera productions, so when it caught fire in 1816, it was a major tragedy. King Ferdinand I had it rebuilt immediately, and it became even more magnificent than before.

In the eighteenth centiury, the San Carlo Theater was a magnificent center for opera and culture, and still is today. It's one of the most beautiful theaters in all of Europe.

Our journey takes us to the region of Campania, and to Naples, where we visit one of the oldest theaters still functioning: il Teatro San Carlo.