Chefs Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo tour Italy to discover how their home country’s culture has changed since they left more than 40 years ago, and how this has affected the way the population eats. Beginning in Emilia Romagna, the pair have Sunday lunch with a traditional family, before meeting a group of career women in Bologna who do not cook at home any more
The pair eat their way around the region of Campania, looking at how poverty in the area created Italy's best-loved cuisine and how 'poor-man's food' ended up making the same region rich. Gennaro takes Antonio to his home town Minori on the Amalfi coast where he has an emotional reunion with his many friends and family members and, after receiving a lesson from his Great Aunt on pasta making with an umbrella spoke, reminisces on the food of his childhood. Like many from the region his upbringing was tough; they lived off the land, made pasta from flour and water and were inventive with ingredients and leftovers. As Gennaro free-dives for lunch, storing his catch in his swimming trunks, it's clear where he gets his passion for food. In Naples, they discover how pizza was originally considered inedible by anyone but the starving until it was endorsed by a queen. And in Gragnano, a pasta millionaire explains how this cuisine then took over the world.
When Antonio and Gennaro were boys, every Italian thought that the food from their own region was the best. In this episode they set out to discover if regional pride is still as strong today. Antonio returns to his home town of Borgo Franco to devour the truffles, cheeses and game of the Piemonte region in the far north-west of the country. From the moment they arrive it's a battle between north and south, with Gennaro reluctantly admitting that the local food has some merits despite its lack of vegetables. The pair join in the celebratory feasts of the Asti palio, a famous horse race celebrating an ancient battle between regions. The local fans are passionate about their riders and the pair nearly come to blows when they support opposing teams. Regional pride is also displayed in the town square of Asti the next morning, where Antonio is in his element in the shady world of Asti-truffle trading; but Gennaro is an outsider and nearly scuppers the deal.
In this final episode of the series, religious sceptic Antonio and fanatical believer Gennaro eat their way along a culinary pilgrimage through Puglia's monasteries, holy shrines and festivals to discover whether food and religion are still as closely linked as they were in their youth. After a pilgrim's picnic, they visit a monastery once as famous for its vibrant produce as for its 2,000-year-old saint's tooth. Here they discover the impact of a more material world on the Catholic religion and Gennaro chooses to spend a night in a friary cell.
Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo return to Italy, where they continue their culinary journey. They begin in the southern region of Calabria, where they reminisce about their favourite childhood meals. Antonio reveals the secret of his hot packed-lunches while Gennaro shares his memories of the ritual pig kill. Featuring recipes for orzotto - a pork and pearl barley risotto - fish stew, and rice cake flavoured with orange.
Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo search for the meaning of the Italian phrase 'la bella figura' - making the best of yourself. They find a culture of admiration for the superficial in Portofino and set off around the coastal Liguria region in search of something more meaningful, and find what they are looking for in a priest working with social outcasts of society. Along the way they discover a 50 euro olive oil and the Cucina Bianca of Mendatica.
The duo find out more about the Italian resourcefulness through the enterprising food skills of the Lombards.
Gennaro and Antonio take a look at the modern Italian man and attempt to find out if there is still a place in Italy for macho men. They begin in the mountain villages of the Lazio where men still look after their flocks and provide for the family. In Rome though they discover a different story where the women there are increasingly taking control.
