People who want a spiritual but active way to see Italy often choose la via francigena (the road from France), the Italian pilgrimage route from France to Rome that corresponds to the perhaps more famous "Camino de Santiago" from Paris to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

There are different reasons one chooses to walk a path. The important thing is to feel the need to undertake it. It's not like a stroll in the park, but rather a challenge to one's body, mind, and spirit.

The next stop is Novara, a city near Milan, with an interesting history related to when it was under Spanish rule. See map. The video mentions a special sesini tax, and to learn more, check out this lesson.

The dome of the San Gaudenzio basilica is for sure the most important symbol of Novara. Now, visitors (who are not afraid of heights) can go up there for a magnificent view, but precautionary measures are taken for safety.

Italy is known for fashion, and that includes shirts. Angelo Inglese, a shirtmaker from Ginosa, in Apulia, talks about how his shirts stand out for being inspired by local traditions, notably embroidery and crocheting.

Angelo Inglese talks about how the company got its start, back in the fifties. His widowed grandmother and a next-door neighbor began sewing. Now, the company strives to be an enhancement to the old city of Ginosa.

Tuscany is famous for its fine leather. The tradition goes back to medieval times and was a way to make use of the byproducts from slaughtering animals for meat, in other words, the hide.

There are more steps to making these skins into fine shoe leather, with the result of turning waste products into noble ones.

We move on to Biella, northwest of Milan, where the quality of the water contributes to the excellent quality of the woolen fabrics produced by the historical Zegna company.

Gratitude for the bounty of nature is a primary value for the Zegna Foundation. It might be helpful for the viewer to know that l'abito is a noun (think "monk's habit") meaning a gown or suit, but it is also the first person singular of the verb abitare (to inhabit, to live).

Tortona is an area of Milan, where steel mills stood previously. The huge structure turned out to be perfect for housing, once renovated, the Ansaldo workshop for the sets of Teatro alla Scala. The area has become very trendy and popular, especially during the Milan Fashion Week.

We get a glimpse of the spaces where a show takes shape, from sewing the costumes, to creating the sets and backdrops. When a model of a set arrives, the job of the team is to translate it into reality, into something big.

The founder of the Jonian Dolphin Conservation describes one of its projects: Ketos, Euro-Mediterranean center of the sea and cetaceans, based in Taranto.

The deepest part of the Mediterranean is located between Apulia and Greece. There, conditions are such that there is plenty of food for predators. With the "Researcher for a Day" program, the association gets precious help searching for cetaceans in these waters.

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.