Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
The Venetian island of Burano is famous for its multi-colored houses and for its lace. It's time to get your camera out, if you haven't already.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Amalfi was one of the four maritime republics on the Italian peninsula. Tradition has it that an Amalfitano, Flavio Gioia invented, or at least perfected the compass, called bussola in Italian.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
A short boat ride takes us from Venice to Murano, where they make some of the most beautiful glass in the world.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
The Mediterranean Sea was a center for activity from as far back as the Etruscans who settled on its coast. The sea brought goods and knowledge, but also war.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
From Paestum, we head north towards the Gulf of Salerno and the stunningly beautiful Amalfi Coast.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Marika takes us to the piazza where Marco Polo supposedly lived. But which house is it? She asks a local. The name of the square is Corte Seconda del Milion. Il Milion is the Italian name of the book, The Travels of Marco Polo.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
This new episode takes us to Campania in the southern part of Italy, near Naples, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Beautiful drone photography shows us the ancient city of Paestum, formerly called Poseidonia by the Greeks, in the province of Salerno. Apart from the ancient city itself, there are 3 well-preserved Greek temples.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Everyone has heard of St. Mark's Square, but Marika gives us some interesting tidbits of information and then takes us to a see a very special staircase.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Even if we have never been to Venice, we all know a gondola when we see one, but let's find out more about this elegant Venetian symbol.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Alberto Angela talks about how Mont Blanc was formed over millennia, and concludes this episode with a breathtaking view, as well as some lines from a poem by Shelley. Here is the original English:
Far, far above, piercing the infinite sky,
Mont Blanc appears,—still, snowy, and serene—
In the calm darkness of the moonless nights,
In the lone glare of day, the snows descend
Upon that Mountain;
[Nor when] the flakes burn in the sinking sun,
[Or] the star-beams dart through them:—Winds contend
Silently there, and heap the snow with breath
Rapid and strong, but silently! Its home
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Marika takes us to see a special statue, a fish market and two famous bridges.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
One reason people would climb Mont Blanc was to find quartz. Alberto Angela explains why there is so much of this precious gemstone here.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
We move to the French side of Mont Blanc, which has a much milder slope than the Italian side. Mont Blanc stands out as having had an important role in the development of mountain-climbing as a competitive sport.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Marika shows us a famous bookshop in Venice. It's in a critical position with respect to the water level, so special precautions are taken to protect the books when there are high tides. Fascinating!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
We learn about the curious names of some of Mont Blanc's magnificent peaks and glaciers. Normally there are 42 glaciers but that number can change!
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