One reason mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella) is so delicious is because the animals are treated with utmost respect. They are milked when they are physiologically ready!

Donato Brenca has been making cheese for about 20 years, and although he strives to make better and better cheese, he sticks to the same method he has always employed.

To make pasta, only 2 ingredients are strictly necessary: semola (durum wheat flour) and water. But atmospheric conditions make all the difference.

Italy is known for its pasta. The Zampino family was able to give new life to an old flour mill from the sixteen hundreds and turn it into a productive plant where they produce pasta keeping to traditional methods.

How are the harvested truffles divided up? And besides being sold whole, how are they further processed? Paolo and Stefania tell us the story.

Truffle hunting is a peculiar activity, one that requires the collaboration of a dog. And you never want to let on how many truffles you find, even if you are friends with other truffle hunters.

This episode is about a specialty from Colonnata, a little village above Carrara, where marble is quarried. It's pork lard, which may not sound very appetizing but is beloved by Italians all over the peninsula. A little goes a long way, but savored with typical unsalted Tuscan bread, it is pretty special. And marble plays an important part.

This is the story of an Italian, who haveing been brought up on a dairy farm, travels the world, ending up in Australia, only to return to Italy with some new ideas about the cheese he wants to create.

The bread from Altamura (in Apulia) is very famous among Italian bread connoisseurs. Beppe di Gesù, our host in this segment, comes from a long line of bakers. Breadmaking is so special that it's called l'arte bianca (the white art), because of the color of the flour.

Federica continues working on the dough, adding various ingredients, and making sure that the dough "meshes" without breaking apart. Finally she will shape the dough into the form of a dove.

If you have ever wondered how to make the traditional Easter bread called la Colomba (the dove), in the shape of a dove, the head of a Turin pastry shop invites us into his laboratory-kitchen where Federica gives us detailed instructions as she demonstrates the first phase. Key is il lievito madre (sourdough starter).

We move on to Valtorta a spot where cheese is king. Here, they produce a special little cylindrical cheese called an agrì, exclusive to this spot. In fact, Slow Food, an organization that's become international but which began in Italy, has it as one of its special products.

The ancient via Priula leads us to the mountains where we visit a herbal laboratory, in which flowers and plants are transformed into beauty products using historical recipes.

We meet some very charming donkeys and hear about how Francantonio and his sons developed a passion for them.

In the Brembana Valley, the river reigns supreme. In fact, there is still a functioning water mill for grinding corn, as well as people passionate about maintaining centuries-old traditions.