Margherita Hack's talents lay not only in her greatness as a scientist, but also in her remarkable ability to communicate with the general public, and especially young people. She rendered complicated information comprehensible and interesting, using clear and simple examples.

Margherita Hack was a scientist and communicator, but she also expressed her opinions about attualità (current events). Part of this segment features a panel discussion she held with author Andrea Camilleri, best known for his novels about Inspector Montalbano that became a popular TV series.

Margherita Hack spent some time in politics and was also an entrepreneur at times. But she had a lot of fun, too. On the panel with Camilleri, the author of the Montalbano stories, they all come out (in unison) with the famous introduction Montalbano sono (Montalbano, I am). Putting the verb at the end is typical of Sicily, where the story takes place. Otherwise, it would be Sono Montalbano (I'm Montalbano) or, on the phone, "This is Montalbano."

We discover that Margherita Hack was a devoted fan of the long-running TV series, Un posto al sole [a place in the sun]. She explains why. Francesca goes back to Trieste and meets up with Eda who talks about having lived in the same house with Margherita Hack.

In this segment, Margherita talks about her choice not to have children and also discusses her position regarding God. She can't prove he exists nor can she prove he doesn't.

Even though Aldo and Margherita were very different in many ways, they came together in their skepticism. Towards the end of her life, Margherita couldn't move around much, but her brain never stopped going.

Margherita left a legacy of progress, both scientific and social. Perhaps she is still looking down on us, since an asteroid was named after her: 8558 Hack.

Serena is a university student from Maratea. She's just come back from an internship in Russia. She tells us about Russia, and also about her plans for New Year's Eve.

Antonio Cannavacciuolo shows us how to make a very elegant pasta dish with zucchini and fish. The cooking video is an ad for Voiello pasta, in this case mezze maniche which means "short sleeves."

Antonino is in the kitchen with Michele from Eboli preparing a pasta dish with provola, eggplant and red mullet.

Today Antonino cooks special, grooved spaghetti, with garlic, oil and hot peppers. It's a classic pasta recipe, but our chef adds some extra ingredients to give it a different twist.

Antonino shares a new and easy recipe with grape or cherry tomatoes, buffalo stracciatella, and shrimp. But what makes the dish special is the special pasta: Penne with ridges both inside and out.

Antonino has a visitor from Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, who brings in some of the world-famous Sorrento lemons. They prepare whole-wheat spaghetti with a simple sauce featuring lemon rind and bottarga (salted fish roe).

Arianna explains, in simple Italian, and step by step, her own personal recipe for a pasta dish: Farfalle Primavera. Farfalle is a type of pasta shaped like a farfalla (butterfly). Primavera is the season between winter and summer.

Arianna, born and raised in Tuscany, will make panzanella, one of her favorite dishes. The main ingredient is quite humble: stale bread!