Dream of Italy is made possible by: Parmigiano Reggiano is a distinctive flavor experience on its own or with your favorite dish, cheese crafted in the heart of Italy for over 1,000 years.
Authentic.
Local.
Traditional.
Parmigiano Reggiano.
Go Traveler.
Streaming TV travel app available on all smart TVs and app stores.
Don't go anywhere.
Just travel.
Miio your bridge to Italian craftsmanship: fashion, accessories, homeware and beauty.
Made in Italy only.
Jupiter, Florida and online.
Dalla Fonte bringing Italy to your doorstep.
A culinary adventure through Italy.
One plate at a time.
And also made possible by: I'm Kathy McCabe.
In this series well meet the authintic characters...
Uncover the hidden treasures, and discover what makes Italy the most fascinating country in the world.
Join me as we dream of Italy In my first episode on Modena, you saw how the culinary genius of chef Massimo Bottura brought me to this delightful city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
Which is also famous for opera and balsamic vinegar.
I was so enchanted, I wanted to stay longer.
And in this second episode, I delve into Modenas history and passion for philanthropy.
And I came at the right time of year, February, when cities and towns all over Italy celebrate Carnevale.
Italy's piazzas come to life during these Pre-Lenten festivities.
In Modenas Piazza Grande my dog Finney and I are taking in all kinds of music and a traditional parade and even donning Carnevale masks.
These are the colors of the Modena flag up there.
So, Finney, he's dressed in the right colors.
Hi.
What's her name?
Ros.
Ros?
Like the wine.
Ros all day right here.
Ciao Ros, Ciao!
Modena guide, Francesca Soffici is showing me her city.
Starting with Via Emilia, one of Italy's oldest roads.
And we are on a very important street.
You're right.
We are on the ancient Via Emilia.
The Emilia was founded by the Romans in 187, before Christ.
Thats a long time ago.
Yeah, And all the beautiful town of the region were born on the Via Emilia.
And they're all connected.
All connected.
And then you can see Piacenza, Parma, Reggia Emilia, Modena, Bologna, the capital of the region.
And then Imola, Faenza and then Rimini at the end.
And each town is a little bit different.
Fast forward a thousand years to the 12th century and take in the soaring beauty of Modenas cathedral.
A symphony in stone, this awe inspiring structure invites you to marvel at how art represents history.
This is the facade of the cathedral.
And we have lions.
Yes, there are lions everywhere, but this lions in particular are different because they are coming from the Roman age.
They were built by the Romans.
Wow.
He's Roman.
He's an old lion.
Very old.
I'm a lion.
Lion myself.
So what is Modena famous for?
Modena it's authentic.
What we offer to tourists as experience is they're not created for tourists.
They are actually what we do, what we do in our daily life.
Just to come here and experience our way of life.
So many things you have to come yourself to find all of them.
Yes.
Discover all the treasures.
Massimo Bottura and his wife, Lara Gilmore, are renowned for their three Michelin star restaurant, Osteria Francescana and other eateries here in Modena and around the world.
But they're also champions of Modenas civic and cultural life, supporting many philanthropic ventures.
What is it about helping these young artists?
What is it for you?
Coming into a gallery that is like a giant institution in contemporary art for young generation can be extremely difficult.
I'm always on the side of the young generation.
Always, always.
Because they have something special to say.
Modenese native Emilio Mazzoli is a legend in the Italian art world.
In fact, the art curator hosted Jean-Michel Basquiat's first solo show anywhere in the world here in 1981.
Mazzoli has a great respect for collectors who believe in young artists, and artists who look to the future, to what is next.
Maybe that's why he and Massimo are such good friends.
The gallery has opened a new show featuring young Roman contemporary artists, and the Botturas are here looking to purchase a piece for their collection.
Look at this.
They look familiar.
They look, you know.
Do you know them?
I think there's an underlying theme of Parmigiano Reggiano in there.
So I'm getting one element, a big space ship that comes from the past arrive and landed into a contemporary painting.
You know.
So this is a perfect example.
Yeah.
Its a perfect example.
It's like the crunchy part of the lasagna, This is the crunchy part of the lasagna.
Unbelievable.
So happy.
Casa Maria Luiga, Massimo and Lara's luxury guesthouse in the Modena countryside serves as a living canvas for them to explore hospitality, gastronomy, art and design.
The traditional and modern co-exist side by side in Italy, often in surprising ways like in the living room where an historic ceiling fresco and modern series by Chinese artists Ai Weiwei are both on display.
This is the main room.
This kind of rounded ceiling is very typical of a farmhouse, but rarely do you see it with a painted a fresco It's incredible.
On the ceiling.
Its so surprising.
You're like, It's very surprising.
We love the contrast of old and new as we have this painted ceiling and its cracked and the frescos and the whole story, and then we have this work made out of Legos.
So in these three panels in the first panel, he's holding a 2,000 year old vase.
The next panel he has let the vase go and his hands are up in the air.
And in the last image, we have all the pieces on the floor.
So he's broken something that has value.
And in one way it could be seen as very disrespectful.
But Massimo sees it as that is the future.
Those broken pieces are where you begin to create a recipe and build something new.
I didn't realize the whole theme of your life, your work, your vision is right here.
It is.
It's so great to be able to share it with people in this very fun and playful way.
I actually feel so much more connected to art, just spending this time with you.
For us, Massimo and I, that's what it's about.
Yeah.
Dream of Italy!!!
For Massimo, his team is more than just a group of employees.
They are family.
The Francescana family.
With a deep commitment to creating a collaborative and supportive work environment.
He believes that success in the kitchen is not only about the food but also about the people behind it.
This is perfect for Adolph.
Okay.
LAUGHING CHEERING Selecting the right family member to be the custodian for the gastronomic escapades at Casa Maria Luiga was no small task.
An extension of the Bottura family home, this is not just a place to stay, it's a cultural and culinary odyssey.
After careful consideration, Canadian born chef Jessica Rosval emerged as the perfect fit.
We're ready for the next three courses of the evening, and the next one is probably one of the more emotional dishes of the night.
This is Massimo mother's lasagna.
Having been a chef for many years before coming into Italy, I made the request saying, Let me work for a day in your kitchen.
I'll do anything.
I'll peel the potatoes, I'll wash the dishes.
I just want to prove to you that I really, really, deeply, truly want this.
And he accepted.
She came for, to start for one week, and instead of one week, she started for two weeks.
And she was like, giving everything.
Right.
So we gave her the opportunity.
Now it's been ten years, so I think the trial went well.
It worked out.
What have you learned about creativity from Massimo Bottura?
Massimo with Lara, they create worlds for us where we can have our own expressions and do our own research.
And you know they support us and they inspire us.
The Francescana family recruits young chefs from around the globe, and the two most important qualifications are, not surprisingly, work ethic and creative thinking.
How long have you worked here?
I've been here for eight years.
More than eight years now.
Oh, my God.
And what an experience.
Yeah, it's an adventure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So what Alan did was I got all these elements from the Caesar salad.
But it is savory It's not sweet.
Right.
So is the way we rebuild tradition.
Filtered by the cultural biodiversity of each one of us.
But thanks to the amazing new young brains.
A new generation.
Here we go.
Lucky Who is a lucky girl?
Who is the lucky girl?
Voila.
Incredibly impressive.
There's a complexity that is incredible.
It's unbelievable.
But the most important thing is to let these guys express themselves, because otherwise it's just a job.
So that's the way you, you stimulate them.
Italy is full of artisans.
It's artistry, but you're pulling it out of them and giving them the conditions to express themselves.
Yeah, that's a great gift.
Thank you.
Not just to them, but to everyone.
To me.
To myself too.
Their energy constantly.
And, you know, by myself Im Massimo Bottura.
With my team, we are Osteria Francescana.
Yeah.
Okay, Osteria Francescana has to be a family.
It's a family.
Friday night pizza party!
CHEERING Massimo often hosts a Friday night pizza party for everyone in the family.
It's the new pizza toast.
Cheers.
Massimo and Lara have two children in their twenties.
Daughter Alexa, who created the Instagram live sensation Kitchen Quarantine with her Dad, and son Charlie, who is on the autism spectrum and has inspired the family's philanthropic endeavor Tortellante.
Charlie, are those your tortellini?
Yes.
Oh, they look good.
Tortellante uses the local tradition of handmade tortellini to provide vocational training for young adults with autism and also provides a place for the older generation to find community and purpose while passing down this important culinary tradition.
And what does it mean to you and to Massimo?
It means a lot to know not only that Charlie comes here and has a safe place where he can socialize and have friends, but that hes also kind of learning more about himself and his own ability.
So when you ask me, what does this mean to us, it means everything.
Tortellini isn't so easy to make.
Take a little bit of meat.
Okay... put a small piece in the middle, and then we're going to fold it over.
And then you can take your pinky finger, wrap it around.
Beautiful.
If I do say so myself.
Yeah they look pretty good.
Can I put mine with yours Charlie?
Is that okay?
You can put this here.
This one I can put here.
Thank you.
Do they look okay?
Yeah.
Charlie, what is it that you love most about Tortellante?
I love most about Tortellante that we are a family.
I love that.
I love that.
And you guys really are a family.
Everyone here everyone.
And I also like eating tortellini.
LAUGHING That's the best.
Two wonderful things.
Tortellante is the way in a local community to build a place where the two most marginalized part of the society to come and help.
It's beautiful.
It's incredible.
It's a it's a miracle.
Francescetta 58, Massimo and Lara's casual Modena outpost, is one of the restaurants that serves the tortellini.
Chef Francesco Vincenzi explains its key ingredient.
I think Tortellante is one of the best project in our family.
Yeah.
You know because it's incredible to see those guys making the most Modena thing you can find in the world, you know, making tortellini.
So that's for me, it's a really incredible story.
and amazing project.
And I think what's most important is they are made with love.
Yeah, of course, that's the most important ingredients in the world.
Love is always.
I'm going to try some of the tortellini that you made okay?
Yes.
Mm.
Chef Francesco here he does a good job?
Yes.
Oh, the sauce.
Is that the best part?
Yes.
Tortellini is happiness I think.
Are these the perfect tortellini?
Well nothing is, nothing is perfect.
You know what?
That's so true.
That's very true.
Just like the rest of us, the Bottura family struggled with the isolation and uncertainty that defined the COVID quarantine.
But a video chat Massimos daughter Alexa was having with her friends, gave birth to an unexpected project uniting the world.
Oh, you're dad is cooking home?
Yeah.
Yeah.
What are you cooking?
I'm making some spaghetti and tomato.
Yeah.
How do you make it?
So I was showing how to make spaghetti and tomato and Alexa the day after, came out with this idea of, listen dad, why don't we connect and create something special.
Like eight oclock dinner time with the world.
It was just such a crazy moment in time.
We definitely had to come up with something to do with for Dad.
But the important thing to remember was like, Kitchen Quarantine wasn't a cooking show.
It was a moment to be together.
And I think many people who didn't know your father and your family discovered him during Kitchen Quarantine. Yea And what did you learn about Alexa?
Well, I learned how strong she is.
How, what a vision, good vision she has of the future.
She reminds me of your wife.
Yeah.
Making the world a better place is a mission for the entire Bottura clan.
For years, Massimo and Lara struggled to come up with an idea that would unite the chef community around the issue of food waste.
In 2015, while preparing for the Milan Expo, the seed of a brilliant humanitarian effort took root.
We were at Expo Milan.
The theme of the Feed the Planet Energy for Life felt like a theme that was close to us.
Massimo started brainstorming on this idea.
Why don't we open up a community kitchen where we can serve people in need.
Cooking with the inevitable waste that is going to come out of Expo.
A great idea that was difficult to execute, Massimo and Lara ran into roadblock after roadblock and were getting discouraged.
Suddenly walking the streets of Rio de Janeiro, a piece of unusual art caught Massimos eye.
The most amazing piece of art that is a neon.
No more excuses.
This piece stayed with me.
I saw a tattoo place I said lets walk in.
I went in and I came out like this.
I had no idea.
No more excuses.
It's like your mission statement.
It is your mission statement.
It is, it is.
No more excuses for us really means there are a million reasons not to do something, but let's not let the excuses get in the way or stop us ever from trying.
Food for Soul was born, a global nonprofit that transforms surplus food into nourishing meals for the most vulnerable in our communities, and served at local Refettorios as they're called in Italian.
You've sent the Refettorio out into the world, I'm curious, like it obviously has the touch of Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, What have you exported from Italy into these places?
I think it's the hospitality and it's the attention also to beauty and design.
It feels like a celebration.
There's an energy.
And a meal should be a celebration.
Pope Francis said to me, the center of the city doesn't need light.
We have to bring light to the most dark place.
We are the revolution.
Not me, not you, but all together.
We're going to change the world.
The Modenese might love food, but they are devoted to opera.
Casa Museo Pavarotti stands as an homage to Modenas favorite son.
Teatro Comunale Pavarotti Freni is where the opera he loved lives on.
The region of Emilia-Romagna has the largest concentration of opera houses in all of Italy.
Aldo Sisillo is the director of the theater named for celebrated Modena natives, tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Mirella Freni, who were lifelong friends.
Though the stars have passed on, their legacy continues with an opera program for professional singers supported by the European Union through the region of Emilia-Romagna.
This new generation of opera singers who come to Modena have the incredible opportunity to work with Leone Magiera, who trained both Pavarotti and Freni.
We just are like sponges with him.
Ille Saar is an opera singer from Estonia, And we truly are grateful for this opportunity to learn everything from Maestro.
Magiera.
Your studies here are free of charge.
They're supported by Modena and the European Union.
And how important is that for you and your friends here who are learning?
It is very important because as young artists, we need economic support because it's not easy to get contracts that are well-paid.
After three months of study, the students stage a production not only for the discerning, Modenese audience, but for opera lovers worldwide via streaming on YouTube.
Straming is the modern stage for today's opera stars.
Teatro Comunale, Pavarotti Freni trains singers and technical crew alike in all aspects of video production and works with Emilia-Romagna to bring the region's renowned performances to the world via opera streaming.
With its long history and storied traditions, it might be easy to mistake Modena as anchored in the past, but as we've seen, nothing could be further from the truth.
It is a city looking to the future.
But more than anything, Modena is a place with a big heart.
In loving memory of Phineas Orazio McCabe, who is not only a terrier, but an Italian at heart.
who was not just a terrier, but an Italian at heart.
Dream of Italy is made possible by: Parmigiano Reggiano is a distinctive flavor experience on its own or with your favorite dish, cheese crafted in the heart of Italy for over 1,000 years.
Authentic.
Local.
Traditional.
Parmigiano Reggiano.
Go Traveler.
Streaming TV travel app available on all smart TVs and app stores.
Don't go anywhere.
Just travel.
Miio your bridge to Italian craftsmanship: fashion, accessories, homeware and beauty.
Made in Italy only.
Jupiter, Florida and online.
Dalla Fonte bringing Italy to your doorstep.
A culinary adventure through Italy.
One plate at a time.
And also made possible by: For more about visiting Italy additional videos and a companion travel guide, visit DreamofItaly.com/tv Follow Dream of Italy on Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook
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