It's time to check the eggplant in the oven. And what about the slices that were a bit too sottili (thin)? Will they have burned? Note that English mostly uses eggplant as a collective noun (in the singular) but Italian, unless referring specifically to a single eggplant, uses the plural le melanzane when referring to eggplant in general, and to the slices themselves.

Marika prepares the eggplant slices by baking them in the oven—a much lighter way of preparing the eggplant layers than the traditional frying method.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana, or La parmigiana di melanzane (Eggplant Parmesan) is a classic recipe from the Campania region. Marika shows us how to make it, one step at a time.

Here we are at the last part of the story of this unique restaurant. Anna and Marika relax over coffee, and tease each other about being just a bit fuori (nuts).

Another little journey back in time. This time Anna and Marika discover what pigeons have to do with dead people!

The journey into the past continues, and this time Paolo, the proprietor even tells an anecdote concerning American history. If you're wondering what American History has to do with ancient Rome, tune in!

Italians are very attached to tradition. In fact, although eating habits have changed, many traditional dishes, rather than being discarded, have been transformed. This means more variety and smaller portions, so that a diner will eat more than just a plateful of pasta.

From la nouvelle cuisine, which at its beginnings was reserved for fancy restaurants and connoisseurs and was looked upon with some scepticism, important lessons could be learned about cooking methods and the quality of the food itself.

The beginnings of La Nouvelle Cuisine (French: the new cuisine) are likened to the Impressionists, abandoning mythical themes, and painting directly from nature. La Nouvelle Cuisine focused on the quality of the food itself. Marchesi was in tune with this idea, and at the same time, knew he'd found true artistry in the Troisgros brothers in Dijon, when he went to work with them in the late sixties.

What Gualtiero Marchesi learned from the Troisgros brothers in Roanne, was, above all, the importance of simplicity.

Gualtiero Marchesi had the opportunity to witness the beginnings of "nouvelle cuisine" in France before it arrived in Italy. The Troisgros family, with whom he worked, were famed for their innovative cooking. Their restaurant was in an area with no gastronomic legacy, and they had to rely on their skill, rather than on characteristic local ingredients.

Alberto Capatti talks about his first culinary experiences as an Italian in France, not knowing how to choose wine, etc. Gualtiero Marchesi talks about how he sought to take the elements he admired in French cuisine and apply them to his own style of cooking in Italy.

Get the scoop, along with Marika and Anna, on what types of mozzarella there are, and what they go well with on the dinner table.

Alberto Capatti shares his memories of the grand restaurants of Paris in the sixties. Velvet curtains, low lighting, fires in the fireplaces, ten kinds of cheese — a far cry from what would become known as "nouvelle cuisine."

Anna and Marika take you right into the pizzetteria where Flavio explains how pizza is made.