Samantha Brown's Places to Love

– Samantha: I'm in a destination where passion and perfection take center stage.

A small region that's had a world sized impact because of its deep respect for the process and protection of it.

It's why the cheese takes time... -Smell it before.

-...the vinegar is thick and slow.

And the cars?

[ Engine revs ] It's where so much is swirled together.

I'm in Modena, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world, and I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my Places To Love.

– Samantha: Major funding of "Places to Love" provided by Oceania Cruises.

Narrator: A journey aboard Oceania Cruises is designed to cultivate curiosity.

Evenings offer craft spirits, international wines, and dishes prepared by our master chefs.

That's the Oceania Cruises small ship experience.

Narrator: Railbookers helps you discover the world by train.

From bucket list dreams to iconic scenic journeys, our Railbookers itinerary includes trains, hotels, sightseeing, transfers, and more.

Railbookers offers guests a seamless way to explore the globe on vacation.

Narrator: Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

Narrator: Ever wonder where your sense of wonder went?

Maybe it's winding its way along the banks of the Colorado River, or waiting in the shadows of giant canyons.

Or maybe it's revealed in all the moments in between.

Introducing Canyon Spirit, a rail experience between Denver, Moab, and Salt Lake City.

Canyon Spirit, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

– Samantha: Recently I was visiting the city of Bologna, an 11th century beauty considered to be the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.

This is a huge area, and I plan to be spending most of my time in and around the city of Modena.

And maybe you haven't heard of Modena, but it is home to one of the most famous people in the world.

[majestic & operatic] -I am Nicoletta Mantovani Pavarotti, the widow of Luciano Pavarotti and the president of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation.

We created the foundation after the passing of my husband with two principal aims.

The first was to keep alive the memory of Luciano, and we did it through the creation of this whole museum dedicated to him.

And the other was to bring on his dreams, to help the new generation of singers to start a career.

– Samantha: Of course, there's a lot of opera memorabilia in this home-turned-museum, including the piano given to him to celebrate his very first recording contract.

But Nicoletta wanted to begin my visit with one of the less publicized aspects of her husband's life.

– Nicoletta: He designed the whole house, including the kitchen, and yellow was the color of the sun.

So for him, the sun was really important, you know.

-So did he love to cook then?

– Nicoletta: Oh, yeah.

He was always cooking all the time, all the time.

For him, eating was not just the fact that you eat food, but was to share the joy with other friends, enjoy, you know, in Italian style.

So maybe dinner can last three, four hours.

– Samantha: Did you tour all over the world with him as well?

-Yeah, we had 50 pieces of luggage, and around 20 were dedicated to kitchen because he would always go just with his own things, with his pots and knives, his own ingredients.

So pasta, salami, cheese, balsamic vinegar was always with us.

-And I thought I traveled with a lot.

So would he pick items from this very kitchen to travel with him all over the world?

-Yes, always.

– Samantha: The maestro also had his professional quirks, and the museum delights in sharing them too.

– Nicoletta: You have to know that Luciano was superstitious, so every time he was going on stage, he had to find a bent nail to put in his pocket.

– Samantha: Okay.

– Nicoletta: He said, "If I found one would be a great night," you know.

So we were throwing these without him knowing.

Maybe, I don't know, he says, "Oh, I'm lucky!

It will be a great night."

-So do you think he ever knew that you were actually placing them there?

-I think the suspicion, but, you know, for him was important to find.

-Because it couldn't just be a nail.

-It had to be a bent nail.

-Bent nail, yes.

– Samantha: He was hard on himself, too.

In his personal schedule, he would rate his own performances.

His concert this year in Vienna, only got an "OK."

I don't think anyone who saw Pavarotti just thought it was only "OK."

– Nicoletta: Yeah.

– Samantha: That's not possible.

-But for him, you know, he said, "Tomorrow that note will be better.

– Samantha: On the second floor is an atrium Pavarotti designed himself to allow him to feel like he was outdoors without risking getting sick.

And from here, the museum goes on.

-Please come, we enter the opera ward, where we can see a lot of costumes, you know, from different opera around the world.

You can tell that were owned by Luciano because they are important -- big.

[ Laughter ] In fact, every time he was coming home, I said, "You know what?

They are so big that it's better we keep them.

No one else can wear it," you know?

[ Samantha laughs ] And here we have other costumes.

And then we set up the moment, the crucial moment for Luciano.

You know, before starting an opera or a concert.

So we found even a picture of him at that moment.

You can tell from his eyes are worried.

He was, you know, he always told me while I was cursing myself -to have chosen this job.

-No.

He was afraid to fail and all the worries, you know.

And then the minute he put the foot on stage, boom.

Magic starts.

-I'm so lucky that I actually got to see Pavarotti sing.

-Wow!

– Samantha: At the Met.

-Whoa!

-Yes!

3,800 people watching one person.

And what that must be to a performer, to the pressure.

And that's what's so lovely about your museum, and being in his house is you do understand he was a real person.

– Nicoletta: The house is full of colors because he was a painter.

Not many people know about this secret passion he had.

And he loved Modena so much for many reasons.

Of course, that was his hometown since his birth.

He loved the people.

He loved the countryside so much.

He deeply loved his roots.

-So I think I found that Italian city we've all been looking for.

Modena has a rich cultural heritage, it's culinary capital.

It's a perfect place to stay, to explore the entire Emilia-Romagna region.

And so for travelers who are desperate for authenticity but no crowds -- Okay, a little bit of crowds -- this is your place.

Oh my gosh.

I just realized that I have not yet had gelato.

We gotta go.

Oh!

Grazie mille.

This is my first, but it won't be my last.

While gelato can be found all over Italy, Modena gives us a dining room chair to some of the marquee Italian products that come from the Emilia-Romagna region.

Prosciutto di Parma ham is one of them.

And there's also the king of cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano.

And how many cheeses are in this room?

How many wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano?

-I would say in this cathedral we have 77,000 of wheel of cheese.

-Is that what it's called?

A cathedral?

-Well, we can call it cathedral.

Look how high it is.

– Samantha: I mean, for me, it's more like what Fort Knox must look like.

You know, just stacks of gold.

-Also, because we are protecting a lot.

-Of course.

Are they doing anything here other than aging?

Are they being tended to in any other way, or do they just let them sit for a few years?

-No, they are left here for at least 11 months.

-Okay.

-Okay, they are coming here, let's say, after the production, the production is about one month.

Okay, so we are mixing the two different milk.

The milk from the morning and the milk from the evening.

We call the evening meal the milk that was produced by the cows during the day.

It's a richer milk.

Then the morning milk will be mixed together.

We'll be adding the whey, and we will be adding also calf rennet.

Before the first year, they won't be called Parmigiano-Reggiano.

– Samantha: Okay -They are wannabes.

-So there is no Parmigiano-Reggiano that is under 12 months old.

That does not exist.

It is not Parmigiano.

– Anne: It is not.

– Samantha: With one individual wheel of cheese, you can see how massive they really are.

How much milk is used?

-You need, for one wheel of cheese, you need 550 liters of milk.

The milk of about 15 cows.

-That's about 150 gallons of milk.

Are the cows local too?

If everything about this process is controlled?

-Everything is controlled.

The farms have to be in the area of production -of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

-Wow!

And even the feeding must be growing here in the area.

Everything is delimited and controlled.

– Samantha: An important step in that control is when Giovanni comes a-knocking.

-After the first year, the cheese will be knocked with this special hammer.

This is the way.

- The way?

Okay.

-The way.

The only way we are controlling the quality of the cheese is tapping, and by tapping we need to have a sound which is exactly the same wherever we are on the wheel of the cheese.

So on the plate or on the rind like this.

– Samantha: And does this happen throughout the cheese's life here?

-No, he and his 20 colleagues of the consortium, they are going in every single dairy, and they are going to tap every single wheel of cheese.

– Samantha: What?!

– Anne: Every single wheel of cheese.

-And how many cheeses do you tap a day?

-Do you know?

-1,000.

-Yeah.

1,000.

– Samantha: And one never cuts the cheese with a knife here.

It's broken apart so that the grainy structure of the Parmigiano-Reggiano remains intact.

Oh!

Oh my gosh!

-And smell it.

-It's beautiful.

[ Gasps ] That is from the gods.

Oh my gosh.

And it looks beautiful.

It looks like a topography map.

-Yes, and when you eat it, just broken-- -Samantha: Break it up into pieces.

-Like flakes.

-Yes.

– Samantha: Wow.

And fortunately, I had the opportunity to do just that.

The Casearia Castelnovese is a dairy co-op with a shop that is a showcase of the area's local, yet world-renowned cheese, and sets up three cheeses that begin at two years of aging and go way up.

So we begin at 24 months.

-Remember -- Smell it before.

Yes, yes, yes.

We are doing everything to have a nice smell.

We have fresh lemon.

Can you feel the peel of the lemon here?

Now we can have it.

-You know, when you're giving me the lemon, and -- what is creating that?

-It's the aging.

– Samantha: It's the aging.

-It's the transformation.

– Samantha: Next up, 42 months.

I am smelling.

– Anne: Yes.

– Samantha: And it's tingling my nose.

It's actually affecting-- -Anne: Yes.

-That's lovely.

And now I'm tasting.

Whoa!

-Feeling that salt.

– Anne: Yes.

-Tasting it a lot more, which I love.

And finally, 70 months of aging -- Just under six years.

Smell it first... and taste it now.

Okay.

Oh my gosh.

My whole mouth.

It's like the first one was just here, the second one was here, and now the third -is the whole-- -Complete explosion.

-What's so fascinating to me is that this cheese, the world knows.

But it only comes from this tiny area of Italy.

Not all of Italy, not even some of Italy.

A little part.

-A little part of Emilia in the region, Emilia-Romagna.

But this was easy to export because it's a cheese that is a hard cheese.

So you can sell it.

With a fresh cheese, you can't do it.

I mean, it really is an ambassador... -Yes.

-...to this part.

-Really.

Really.

Yes.

– Samantha: While this area is known for its meticulousness and patience towards food, its history of precision also worked well in matters of speed.

For Italians, speed has always been beautiful, and Modena is home to some of the world's most iconic car brands -- Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati -- giving it the nickname Motor Valley.

But there's another name, perhaps less familiar but still important in the world of motor sports -- Stanguellini.

[Speaking Italian] -And one way Francesca accomplishes this is to be the curator and manager of the Stanguellini Museum in Modena.

So, Francesca, your grandfather was one of the creators of what we now know of as Motor Valley.

What was his first thing that he did to create a race car?

-[ Speaking Italian ] -Laura: He started as a worker before he started with his own engines.

– Samantha: Is this one of his first engines?

-Exactly.

This is from 1947.

It's one of the first engines.

They had the Fiat dealership, the family.

So he could have the base of a Fiat and then start modifying.

-And the purpose was to go fast.

-Yes.

– Samantha: Yes.

-[ Speaking Italian ] -So these two are the most important cars he built it.

They were racing cars.

And they are the most important because they are the most winners.

-So they won a lot of races.

-Ah!

-Yeah.

These are the Formula Junior.

-So he made cars for people who were starting to race?

-Exactly, it was a lower category -than Formula 3.

-Like a Formula 1.

– Laura: Yeah.

– Samantha: How fast could this car go?

-[ Speaking Italian ] -220 kilometers per hour.

-Yes, it's incredible.

-What?!

Wow!

I mean, they literally are built like rockets.

One adorable model caught my eye.

A miniature Stanguellini with a working engine.

Turns out when your father makes racecars, there are perks.

-Her grandfather made this for her father when he was eight years old.

-[ Samantha gasps ] -So it looks like a toy, but it has an engine.

-Wow, that is an awesome gift.

These cars are clearly not toys, and they still have their original engines.

[ Laughs ] Oh!

I fit like a glove.

[ Engine starts & roars] It also turns out that when you're the curator of your family's race car museum, there are perks there, too.

Francesca loves to get her grandfather's creations out for some fresh air, and I'm ready to feel like a kid again.

I'm going on the joy ride of my life, and as long as I'm in a genuine, purring Stanguellini roadster, I might as well go somewhere.

I remembered Nicoletta telling me that Luciano Pavarotti never traveled anywhere without authentic balsamic vinegar from Modena, and just ten minutes away from Francesca's museum is the home of one of its most legendary producers, Acetaia Malpighi.

Why is Modena a place to make balsamic vinegar?

-There are five things that make a Balsamico di Modena important.

– Samantha: Okay.

– Massimiliano: The terroir, -so the terrain.

– Samantha: Mm-hmm.

Massimiliano: The raw material, so the grapes.

We have the barrels, the time -- which is very important.

And the hand of the producer.

– Samantha: Ermes Malpighi has continued the tradition started by his great grandfather Pietro, who began his family's production of balsamic vinegar in 1850.

– Massimiliano: We have two main categories of traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena.

This one with the yellow capsule is the Affinato.

This is the name.

-So that's 12 years.

-12 years.

-Is that the least amount of time a traditional balsamic from Modena can be?

So they can't be 11.

They can't be five.

-They can't be 11.

– Samantha: They start at 12.

-And what do they go up to?

-25 years old and up.

– Samantha: I'll be sampling some of that in a moment.

But Massimiliano wanted me to try that 12-year-old vinegar first.

Wow!

I mean, full fruit, figs.

But that bright acidity too.

That's really lovely.

I am not going to put that on a salad.

-The best one in my opinion, but in our family opinion, is with eggs.

-This with eggs?

Like scrambled eggs?

-Yeah.

It's better with fried egg.

– Samantha: The next tasting is with the Extra Vecchio 25-year-old balsamic, which is so thick, you have to wait for it to come out.

And while we wait, you should know that all 12 year and older balsamic vinegars of Modena are bottled in the same exact shaped bottle, no matter the family or producer.

And that is how you know it's a protected product from Modena.

I love how long we're waiting for this.

Boop!

Oh my gosh.

[ Chuckles ] -Oh my gosh.

-You can pair with chocolate, -with ice cream.

-Ice cream?

-Ice cream.

Strawberries.

-Wow.

-There are no wrong pairings.

-But how does this premium vinegar get into those specially designed bottles?

The same way the Malpighi family has been doing it since 1850, and each family member since then has been gifted with five barrels that continue the traditional process.

And they're all still in this room.

Ermes's son Massimo is here, and his grandchildren as well.

When the balsamic is made -- So it starts with grapes, right?

Distilling process.

When does it go into the barrels?

-We press the grapes gently, of course.

And then we boil the grape must for several hours, because we need the grape must to be reduced.

Once it's reduced, we put inside a mother barrel to acidify, and then we put it inside all the five barrels, and every year the product evaporates.

-Oh, okay.

-What evaporates from here is taken from the second barrel.

What meets is in the second barrel is taken from the third barrel, and so on.

-Oh my gosh.

So it just keeps getting passed down.

Which is appropriate because the tradition of making authentic balsamic vinegar of Modena is still being passed down through six generations.

I wasn't going to leave Italy without sampling some of the local wine.

And in a small village a few miles north of Modena, one of the most misunderstood wines in the world is produced.

-My name is Alberto, Alberto Paltrinieri.

I am the owner with my wife of Cantina Paltrinieri.

We are here in Sorbara.

Sorbara is the name of the little village.

It's the name also of the principal grape of Lambrusco that we produce.

This is the area of Lambrusco.

The winery started with my grandfather.

Next year we will celebrate 100 years of the story of the winery.

-100 years?

-Exactly.

Actually, I never knew my grandfather, so I don't know exactly what the reason why he started.

He wanted to start the winery, and he probably was thinking for the next generation, for his sons.

So in a way, also he was thinking about me.

-He was thinking about you.

-Exactly.

-And my family.

-Yes, exactly.

-His legacy.

-Exactly.

– Samantha: So what is Lambrusco?

– Alberto: Well, Lambrusco means a group of different wines.

– Samantha: Oh, okay.

– Alberto: They are low-level sparkling wine.

In Italian, we call them frizzante.

But they are really different.

– Samantha: And to prove it, Alberto introduced me to not only his daughter Cecilia, but some Lambrusco wines I never expected.

I feel like Americans don't know Lambrusco that well.

Like, we know Chianti and Montepulciano, and Brunello, we know all of them.

But Lambrusco, we're -- we're -- I don't know if we know.

Are you trying to change that?

– Cecilia: Well, definitely.

When people come, usually don't -- they don't really expect this color.

-Yes.

-When, you know, talking about Lambrusco.

– Samantha: That's so true.

For me, it's always been a red grape.

-Yeah, Lambrusco is usually, you know, it's a big family of different grape varieties.

We like to use this metaphor here, by which Lambrusco would be like the, uh, -the last name for a big family.

-Okay.

-You know, many kids and Sorbara would be like the weird kid.

-[ Laughs ] -The only one that is so light in color and so strong in acidity, too.

So the black sheep of the family.

-Yeah.

-The weird kid is the kid you want to get to know, right?

-The funny one.

– Alberto: Exactly.

-Were you the weird kid, Alberto?

-Exactly.

I love to be the weird kid.

– Samantha: The second tasting was another surprise, in color and in taste.

Ripe orchard fruit with a strong mineral finish.

-The real tradition.

Lambrusco is ripe.

– Samantha: Interesting.

The third.

Finally, a Lambrusco.

So this is what everyone expects.

The first two, not so much.

This one red, fizzy wine.

– Cecilia: Yes.

-I have never thought of red wine as sort of a refreshing drink to be enjoyed during the summer months.

But this is it.

This is what you've wanted all along for people to really enjoy.

-Well, in the last year we see a lot of, uh, people that come in our land.

You know, that our land is called the land of motor and food.

Food, wine.

The city are full of art.

There's a lot of, uh, reality to see, to discover.

So we are really, really happy to welcome you.

[speaking Italian] -Nicoletta: Luciano was really related to Modena.

He was born in Modena, he loved so much his city.

He felt to be an ambassador of Italian taste, you know, around the world, the Italian heart, Italian music.

And he brought this happiness through all his life.

– Samantha: When a destination teaches you about patience, when through swirling, smelling, tasting, you're treated to perfection.

When you get to enjoy life Italian-style, that is when we share a love of travel.

And that's why Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region are Places To Love.

– Samantha: For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Major funding of "Places to Love" provided by Oceania Cruises.

Narrator: A journey aboard Oceania Cruises is designed to cultivate curiosity.

Evenings offer craft spirits, international wines and dishes prepared by our master chefs.

That's the Oceania Cruises small ship experience.

Narrator: Railbookers helps you discover the world by train.

From bucket list dreams to iconic scenic journeys, our Railbookers itinerary includes trains, hotels, sightseeing, transfers, and more.

Railbookers offers guests a seamless way to explore the globe on vacation.

Narrator: Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas and friends.

We are RoadScholar.

We make the world our classroom.

Narrator: Ever wonder where your sense of wonder went?

Maybe it's winding its way along the banks of the Colorado River, or waiting in the shadows of giant canyons.

Or maybe it's revealed in all the moments in between.

Introducing Canyon Spirit, a rail experience between Denver, Moab, and Salt Lake City.

Canyon Spirit, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."