In Denmark’s northernmost area, where everything is centred around fishermen. Close to the harbour, once a Viking settlement and now the main hub of the Danish fish market, are the last sustainable fishing villages, where boats are built in small boatyards.
Rich in medieval castles, in the middle of the Alps, there is Liechtenstein, a small principality between Austria and Switzerland, where different cultures merge.
CHANGING TESTIMONIES IN LITHUANIA – 25’
Discovering Lithuania, The country, in the last 30 years, has experienced a new season in cultural and economic terms since the declaration of its independence
In Poland, the “queens” of local products are apples and plums, which have a unique flavour because of the climate and soil rich in microelements. We will follow small farms in their harvesting and processing into sweets.
TRADITIONS IN MONTENEGRO – 25’
In just a few kilometres, the mountains give way to the sea, to the Bay of Kotor, to lakes. Ancient architectural gems mixed with rural traditions remained untouched. In Montenegro, the true columns of society and the economy are the women, tireless in every activity, protagonists of a family structure based on self-sufficiency.
Northern Germany has its fortune in the main element: water. Even today, the harbour of Bremen retains traces of its Hanseatic past. The queen of the Baltic Sea is the island of Ruegen, where sea buckthorn grows wild. Lakes, rivers, sea, colourful landscapes and tastes of the north.
Spa journeys
Spa journeys
STUTTGARD AND THE TERMAL BATHS IN THE BLACK FOREST – 15’
A land of green spaces, lots of history and thermal waters, where people traditionally use to bathe completely naked.
HUNGARY, THE QUEEN OF SPAS – 15’
Nature has been generous to this country, one of the richest in therapeutic waters in the world! A journey through folkloric traditions, castles and Turkish baths in “Hungary, the queen of spas”.
Valais, in Switzerland, is an unexpected treasure of hot waters at the foot of Europe’s largest glacier, the Alecth, which coexists with the vapours of the thermal waters. It is a reflection of cultural legacies, delicious dishes and famous spices, one of which is saffron, also known as “red gold”.
Centenarian stories
Centenarian stories
THE CENTENARIANS OF CILENTO – 23’
Let’s go to Cilento, the southern area of Campania, in the province of Salerno: a unique landscape between sea and mountains. It is a land of centenarians. What is the secret of their longevity?
It is not by chance that in Ruvo del Monte, Basilicata, there are a number of centenarians: a sense of community, constant exercise and a healthy diet are the secret.
Travels
Travels
Set in an explosive and varied nature, Rio de Janeiro is a truly wonderful city of colours and a thousand contrasts. It is also a journey through Portuguese origins, from the birth of capoeira to the origins of sugar cane.
FINLAND, PASSAGE TO THE NORTH – 16’
A journey through southern Finland, from Helsinki to Kotka along the coast, where culture and nature coexist in perfect balance.
VENICE, THE CITY OF REFLECTIONS – 16’
Dynamic sequences alternate with sequences to highlight the atmosphere of Venice, the city of reflections. A narrative approach focused on traditions.
THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS IN THE LOIRE – 16’
In the heart of France, a journey back in time to some of the most beautiful castles through “Le Rêve de Lumière” a dream of light.
A trip to the Loire countries, Bretagne and Normandy, between fortified towns coveted by corsairs, pink granite and river estuaries, in search of less known sites, up to Mont Saint Michel, Europe’s largest tidal theatre.
Four centuries of history linking Old Europe and the New World. Québec is the land of dreams: moreover, in Tadoussac, expeditions are organised to go whale watching in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.
Greats of history
Greats of history
An unusual aspect of Giacomo Leopardi, whose leitmotif is his art of mixing registers of flavours. Through a number of citations from his poetry and a list of 49 dishes that he himself wrote down, some tasty traditional recipes of Marche families are highlighted.
When we think about Vienna, a city known for its culture and quality of life comes to mind. Let’s get to know those unusual sides of the city. The main theme of this tour? The menus and habits of Princess Sissi.
An itinerary in Normandy to explore some sites of the famous 1944 landings that led Europe to freedom. With an American jeep, we cross the places of memory and meet some witnesses who will open the album of memories, telling us stories difficult to forget.
JOURNEY IN FOOTSTEPS OF SISSI – 16’
Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary in the mid-19th century, also known as one of the most tireless travellers. An itinerary in 4 countries among royal palaces, castles, naturalistic views and cities of great charm, for tourists who want to retrace her steps.
Gourmet food
Gourmet food
In the Vinschgau Valley, there are only a few specimens left of an apricot introduced during the Habsburg period. Let’s see what characteristics this rare fruit offers
THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF SIBYLLINE – 15’
Having the ability to make decisions at just over 20 years of age, a young age, but just enough to give post-earthquake continuity to agricultural enterprises in the Marche otherwise lost. What does it mean for these young people to live in a land that is as challenging as it is rich in opportunities?
In Bibbona, Tuscany, there are two year harvests: one of sea buckthorn, a berry particularly rich in vitamin C, and one of pomegranates.
A meeting point between sea and land, the Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli Nature Park in Tuscany is a precious variety of ecosystems recognised by Unesco. The Park is inhabited by those who believe in a common exchange, where dromedaries keep the beaches clean, horses, fallow deer and black sheep live freely.
In the Austrian Tyrol, the population’ rhythms are marked by agricultural activities. In Kufstein, a village with a long history, there is a fortress with the world’s largest open-air organ.
The keyword Almabtrieb, or the transhumance of the cattle at the end of summer. This is the traditional festival that marks the end of the grazing period and at the same time the beginning of winter stabling in the Austrian Tyrol. A unique ritual, a festive occasion for the whole community.
TIRAMI IN VETTA – 23’
Italian-speaking Switzerland is a land of red corn, chestnut trees and the water that drives the mills, but also of stones that grind flour or give off fumes to dry chestnuts, or stones in the grotti where polenta is eaten, or those that make up the stone flower on Monte Generoso, where Tirami in Vetta is prepared, a reinterpretation of chestnut tiramisu.
A HUNDRED WAYS TO MAKE STRUDEL – 24’
In Seefeld, Austria, there is no family that doesn’t make strudel in 100 different ways, both sweet and savoury. One of the riches of this land, the Seefeld Plateau, the pine cones of its stone pines are even used to make mustard!
In Crespina Lorenzana, Tuscany, we see the day the hops are harvested to produce a certified beer, also made with organic malt barley grown in the same fields, with a closed-circuit process.
In Tuscany, in the upper Cecina Valley, there is a farm that carries out healthy farming for the production of vegetables, cereals and fruit. The procedure it uses is biodynamic, which, in addition to recovering organic practices such as green manure and crop rotation, employs biodynamic preparations that stimulate the vital processes of the soil and plants.
Bratislava is immersed in different cultural influences, yet its surroundings are tied to its rural roots. Some young people are involved in rural life and help their families as much as they can. Surrounded by the Little Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia in warm weather is an expanse of fields dyed red, blue, white and purple by characteristic poppies.
Lithuania, the southernmost of the Baltic countries, only gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, and since then small family businesses have set up on their own, investing in the products of the land and their processing. The secret is still there, in harmony with the environment: the slow rhythms of life are the basis of Lithuanian traditions and reveal the identity of this people.
Everyone knows the taste of Emmental, but how many people know why it has holes in it?
It originated here in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. We’ll follow its production and learn about the stories of people who have passed on old trades, such as saddle makers and accordion makers.
Food and gastronomy start with the landscape in Denmark. There is no product that better identifies this country, so we will follow all the secrets of its production. Thanks to its Nordic territory, Denmark has been called the ‘farm of Europe’.
Warsaw, Pasieka. The gastronomic tradition of Polish aristocratic cuisine, using pickled and fermented foods.
They are many, diverse and tasty: Linseed, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds. In Austria, they are never missing in the kitchen: many traditional recipes are based on them, especially because of their many beneficial properties.
There is a village in Italy where the crafts and flavours of yesteryear, which are disappearing elsewhere, are concentrated. It is Castellabate, in the province of Salerno, a jewel of Italy.
A succession of colours of a generous land, the green of centuries-old olive trees with unusual geometries, the blue of the water that is home to fishermen and ancient ruins, the white of the world- famous villages. It is a small strip of Apulia.
There is a place in the upper part of Italy, in Trentino Alto Adige, known for the production of some excellent products, born from the combination of the generosity of the land and the wisdom of man, among them mushrooms and Vezzena cheese.
There is a place in the Swiss countryside where the secrets of turning cherries into sweets and Kirsch, the Swiss liqueur of excellence, are preserved.
There is a Swiss cheese that is older than the Swiss Confederation: it is the Tete de Moine, head of Monaco, the only cheese to be shaped like a flower, thanks to the horizontal flaking done by the girolle.
The bread from the Lesachtal valley is on the UNESCO list, ground by old mills and accompanied by Gailtal Valley Speck.
It is a promise for Sissi, an Austrian cook of excellence, to recover those old flavours that are now the result of the crossroads between Italy, Austria and Slovenia. Three cultures enclosed within a few kilometres.
TEXEL PECORINO AND POTATOES – 14’
The wind, the light, the saltiness, everything contributes to the ideal ecosystem for grazing sheep on Texel, a Dutch island in the North Sea.
Smoked or raw, herring is an ever-present gift of the sea in Dutch cuisine: herring fishing made the fortune of Urk, an ancient fishing village, which remains as it was in the past.
Sustainability
Sustainability
Swiss citizens who have joined the 2000-watt Company will be better prepared for the times when oil, uranium and coal will be more expensive, more scarce and more polluting. But what does a 2000-watt company mean?
Can the sea be a source of energy? Wave motion, currents and tides represent an attractive clean and unlimited energy resource for Italy. But the level of operative complexity is higher than for wind or sun and the scientific community all over the world has launched this challenge.
THE COUNTRY OF THE FUTURE – 20’
In just a few years, the decision to follow a path towards energy independence from fossil fuels has encouraged the development of renewable energy. A strategic choice that brings us to Denmark, and to Samso, an island that already produces 100 % of its energy from renewable sources
The Netherlands is a country that has always thrived between the sea and the great rivers, 40% of its territory is located below sea level. Defence from water is a necessity of life for the Dutch, following the tragedy of 1953, and has prompted the country to develop hydraulic engineering skills, to build large infrastructures to confine water and to prevent the land from becoming submerged. Today, almost a millennium of planning has made the citizens of the Netherlands truly safe.
The knowledge of the elderly recovered, appreciated and used by young people to cultivate kitchen gardens in fascinating but hostile places. In Morocco, man has succeeded in allying himself with nature to make an ancient arid land fertile. Slow Food’s participation has made everything even more ambitious: to multiply tenfold the work done so far and reach 10,000 kitchen gardens in Africa. And that’s not all. The plan has also allowed the creation of women’s cooperatives.