Passion Italy

-I'm Alessandra Poli.

I'm Italian and I've been traveling to every corner of Italy, discovering the hidden gems of this beautiful country.

"Passion Italy" is my way to share them with you.

The real Italy, it's a love for stunning landscapes, the creativity to transform seashells into art, the soul to give life to figures made of straw, the magic of dressing rain, and tasting some of the mouthwatering regional specialties.

Campania is certainly known for the colorful and vibrant Naples, the delicious pizzas, and the great wines, but there are also unique archaeological sites and, of course, so many talented people.

Let's discover them together on today's "Passion Italy."

On today's "Passion Italy," we will travel across Campania, a region in Southern Italy which stretches along the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Naples, its beating heart, is our starting point.

A short drive along the coast will take us to Torre del Greco, our last destination being Boscotrecase.

The mild climate, the coasts of rare beauty, the stunning Mount Vesuvius, and the richness of its art and history, make Campania a superb holiday destination for every taste.

It is the second-biggest region in Italy for population and archaeological heritage, with five UNESCO sites.

A region that bears the signs of diverse rulers and cultures, from the Romans, who nurtured this fertile land into the vineyards of the Empire, to the Bourbons, who made it into an important cultural center.

This created a fascinating and unique mix of architectures and traditions that never ceases to amaze.

Food is certainly another undisputed forte in this region, a concentration of sun, joy, and taste inherent in every dish, including, of course, the famous pizza Napoletana.

Intense, seductive, excessive, controversial -- such is Naples.

This loud and vibrant city is striking for its liveliness, its rich history, and the splendid colors of the sea.

The historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, will capture you for its sumptuous architecture.

The loud and animated voices of the Neapolitans will be the soundtrack of your journey.

Naples is probably one of the most contradictory towns in Italy, where religiosity and popular traditions, extreme beauty and rundown buildings, the joyful and the melancholic, mingle together to absolutely captivate the visitor.

Anna Scuotto lives surrounded by monsters, kings, and shepherds, among lace and embroideries.

She holds in her hands the tradition of the Nativity.

Anna re-creates, with patience and passion, the Naples of the past.

The workshop is family-run.

All the five Scuotto brothers and sisters work together here.

Each one specializes in a single stage of the process.

It's real teamwork, driven by the same love for the family and their city, Naples.

Naples is a big, open museum that makes it difficult to choose what to visit first.

It's in the little alleys that you will find the country's best pizza, pasta, and espresso.

Take your time for a break, in one of the local pasticcerias, to eat a crunchy and savory sfogliatella or a soft bab, a sample of Naples' traditional refined pastries.

I've tasted one of Scaturchio's pasticceria babs.

Truly succulent!

Giovanni Scaturchio, as per family tradition, makes the gourmands' dreams come true.

[ Bird squawking ] Full of the energy that pervades every inch of this city, I proceed along the coast to Torre del Greco.

In the 18th century, it became famous for the art of making cameos from seashells, which were exported all over the world.

Pasquale Ottaviano is one of the remaining masters of this art form.

Pasquale's art is in a painstakingly miniature form.

He creates perfect and complex compositions in a space of a couple of inches.

It seems impossible that they have been made by human hands.

His son Fabio is also gifted and crafts spectacular bas-relief effects.

[ Bell clanging ] Located between Naples and Portici, there is another interesting piece of Italian history that you shouldn't miss -- the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa.

Visitors are taken back to the mid-19th century.

The 25 steam locomotives, with their shimmering armor in a neat row seem to welcome you.

Entering in one of the old carriages is truly nostalgic.

The presidential train is, with no doubt, the most spectacular.

The interiors are grandiosely rich in stuccos, decorations in gold, and fine wood.

The carriage was donated by the Italian President Francesco Cossiga and last used in 2004.

There is also a prison train, almost too elegant to transport criminals.

Much of the museum is covered, making it perfect if you're in the area on a rainy day.

Mount Vesuvius has been in the background all along my route in this part of Campania.

Now, at its foot, I can fully perceive its fascination and power.

Vesuvius is the most famous, studied, and dangerous volcano on the planet.

Quiet and tranquil after the last eruption, on the 8th of March 1944, it is in a state of repose, but still active.

Together with Andrea Matrone, I walk along the trail traced by his ancestors in 1927, which goes from Boscotrecase right to the top.

Andrea looks like a cowboy, but is a real Vesuvian man.

With his cousin Francesco, a notary with a passion for wine and viticulture, they founded Cantine Matrone, renovating an old family winery and replanting native vineyards.

The volcano's essence is captured in this wine.

Taste it to believe.

-I'm from Vesuvio.

The important part for me is the soil.

This place has everything to make good wine and this soil is full of potassium and magnesium.

Here, whatever you grow is very full of body, full of minerality or rocky taste.

My goal is just to transfer this in the wine that I make.

My grandfather used to have a vineyard.

It's something that is our tradition.

After 30 years, I planted again this vineyard and make new projects.

This vineyard, Alberello, is a different way to plant the vineyard -- many plants in the same spot, but every plant is going to make less grapes.

It takes more time working, no mechanic working, good skills pruning.

You're going to make more concentration in the grape and then, that is going to make, in the glass, more minerality.

I'm going to be the first to make Alberello on Vesuvio.

It's is something that is normal on Etna and I'm very proud of this.

I don't want to say my project is the right one, but it's like I am.

This is important even to protect and defend this place.

Here, we are in a national park, so we must take care of what we have.

It's more than we're just a winemaker.

It's worth it to fight for this territory.

I just want to try to communicate this longing for the place because sometimes people here don't understand how precious is this place.

For me, now, my life is the vineyards.

I just want to live here for all my life -- that is my dream -- and grow up my vineyards, There is no place I'd rather be.

I love everything of making wine.

I don't like to sell the wine.

[ Laughs ] -Why not?

-Because it's kind of I want to keep it with me.

[ Laughs ] -Andrea's wine is perfect also to accompany a delicious local pizza.

That's the best way to end the story.

A trip in Campania cannot be complete without enjoying its beautiful sea.

That's why I've decided to go back to Naples and explore one of its hidden natural gems -- the marine and archaeological park of La Gaiola.

The archaeologist Caterina De Vivo introduced me to this unexpected treasure.

-Welcome.

This is the so-called Grotta di Seiano, and this used to be the main entrance to arrive to the beautiful and imposing seaside villa that was on the other side.

In Roman times, the gallery was even larger and wider than it is today.

Now we are almost at the end of the gallery.

Here you can see the natural stone of the mountain where the Romans cut this gallery.

-Tell me something about this archeological site.

-So, we are in the Pausilypon archaeological area.

Pausilypon was the name of this beautiful Roman villa, built at the end of the 1st century B.C., which belonged to the Roman emperor Augustus at a certain point, so it was part of the imperial estate.

And the name Pausilypon means, from ancient Greek, "place where all sorrows end."

And you can see why they choose this name for this place.

Here, in this archaeological park, we have two theaters.

The theater you see here is the biggest one, and it was probably a theater that could host up to 2,000 people.

And this was an open-sky theater to be used for plays, for tragedy and comedy representations.

There also was another, smaller theater, which was roofed, that was used for music and poetry declamations.

Maurizio Simeone, biologist and director of La Gaiola, tells me why this place is unique in the world.

-[ Speaking Italian ] -Snorkeling here is a truly unique experience.

I really enjoyed it.

Mario Talarico, is an umbrella maker... Hey!

-Ciao!

-Ciao!

[ Conversing in Italian ] ...a passion which, since 1860, is a family's trade.

-[ Speaking Italian ] -The French writer Stendhal wrote, "I am leaving.

I will not forget Via Toledo, or all the other districts of Naples.

In my eyes, this is, with no comparison, the most beautiful city in the universe."

Here, from Mount Vesuvius, we say goodbye to Campania.

Stay tuned on "Passion Italy" to explore another corner of Italy with more stories of passion.

"Passion Italy" is a deep dive into Italian culture and excellence, and I'll show you the Italy you have never seen before.

Come with me on "Passion Italy" for the people, the places, and the passion!

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