Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The French government is privileged to have two of Rome's most beautiful properties: Palazzo Farnese, which they rent for a nominal fee and use as their embassy, and Villa Medici, which is the home of the French Academy, and was procured by Napoleon. The narrator speaks of how the land on which Villa Medici was built was highly appreciated by the ancient Romans.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The segment focuses on the reasons behind the founding of the French Academy by Louis XIV
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
A tour of Villa Medici's reception and private rooms. Ferdinando de' Medici hired the architect and sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati to expand the villa, as well as other renowned Florentines artists to create fresco cycles exalting his life. We catch a glimpse of his frescoed south-facing apartment, which would have been used in the colder months, while the north-side suite was for warmer periods.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We get a look at the plaster casts of Roman and Greek statues in the French Academy's storage rooms, sculptures such as the Venus de Milo. Fellows have made use of these casts to draw inspiration for their own works.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The segment focuses on Messalina, wife of the Emperor Claudius, who owned a villa on the site of Villa Medici. We catch a glimpse of tunnels and rooms beneath the villa, which were used by Ferdinando de' Medici to imprison Asian slaves when they weren't at work on a garden meant to evoke Mount Parnassus.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We visit the French Academy's gallery devoted to plaster casts of antique sculptures and the large park, which was once used by Ferdinando de' Medici for hunting.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The segment concentrates on two richly frescoed rooms that are set apart from the villa. Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici used these secluded rooms for trysts.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Éric de Chassey, Director of the French Academy, details the mission of the institution.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Pupia.Tv – Vibo Valentia [Calabria] – Mass evacuation in Maierato, a town of 2300 inhabitants in the province of Vibo Valentia, where on Monday 15th of February 2010 an entire mountain ridge collapsed, creating a landslide close to the town’s center, putting houses at risk.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Vera talks about her parents and how they met and fell in love. Her mother was a stage actress and her father a military commander.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Vera's daughter was a teenager when Giuliano began courting her mother. Giuliano tells some stories about World War II and how crazy things were.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Giuliano talks about his beginnings as a director. Vera threatened to leave him when he thought he might accept certain jobs.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We meet the very chaotic Martini family at the beginning of a new season of Un medico in Famiglia (A Doctor in the Family). Some things have changed, and some haven't.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Despite the lasagna made by Cettina, everyone in the Martini family is pretty blue about Lele being gone, so they sit around in the living room. Then Annuccia decides she wants to watch a video.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The Martini family is gathered for breakfast, and we learn a bit about the individual family members. There's plenty of chaos, however, and it's a bit much for Grandpa Libero to wrap his head around. At the hospital, where Lele has vacated his office, the staff is waiting for their new boss.
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