Italian Beauty, where beauty feels at home.
Arts, landscape, and excellent cuisine
that will literally leave you agape.
Let's start at an enchanted place that is suspended in time:
the Royal Palaces of Caserta and Carditello,
two gems that date back to the glorious Bourbon dynasty.
We'll show you the least known corners of Caserta
and we'll get to know Carditello, which has recently been open to the public.
The Walk of Santa Barbara, in Sardinia,
crosses Sulcis-Iglesias, from Sant'Antioco to Domusnovas,
by way of Carbonia.
History, archaeology, Nuragics, landscapes, and a mining museum.
We'll talk about the local history and beauty.
We'll continue our story on the greatest Italian chefs.
Let's meet the Pellegrino brothers,
who have travelled the world
before they decided to open a restaurant in their hometown.
Can you guess where?
Now, let's immerse ourselves in the glorious Bourbon royalty.
We'll start in Caserta,
where we'll explore the secrets of this sumptuous park.
Then we'll introduce you to a gem that has been unfairly forgotten
and recently returned to its splendor:
the Royal Palace of Carditello.
"THE BOURBON DREAM: CASERTA & CARDITELLO" BY FRANCESCO ZIPPEL
Suspended in the Campagna countryside, majestic and placid,
we find the Royal Palace of Caserta,
one of the absolute masterpieces of Baroque architecture.
A place visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Let's see the lesser known corners of this marvelous location
conceived by the illuminated vision of Charles of Bourbon.
The history of Caserta begins in the mid-1700s,
when Charles Bourbon decided to
install the new capital of the kingdom here.
This wasn't a summer house for the Bourbons.
This was going to be the new administrative center
for the Kingdom of Naples,
which would later become the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Charles feared a people's revolt.
DIRECTOR ROYAL PALACE OF CASERTA
He was even more fearful of the English ships.
Whenever he didn't obey the English,
they'd come to the port and threaten him.
Charles also wished to make this
the true capital of his kingdom in southern Italy
and keep some distance from Naples.
Therefore, he hired Luigi Vanvitelli to build this monument.
This is a fantastic monument,
because it may seem
disproportionate and out of scale, when in reality
Charles is establishing a dialogue with the main European monarchies.
This dialogue starts with the Bourbon in France.
We can see that he simply wants the Kingdom of Naples
to become one of the biggest European capitals.
We can see the transition from Baroque to Neoclassic.
I'd say European architecture in the late 1700s and the 1800s
is thanks to Vanvitelli and this dream.
Take these staircases, for example.
It's incredible to see they're all in marble and stone,
which requires such complexity,
and it's amazing that such design came off the drawing board.
One of the least visited areas, recently restored to its 1700 splendor,
is the court theater.
The court theater was designed by Vanvitelli himself.
It has one of the best acoustics in the world.
It's a court theater, hence it's small.
Think about the San Carlo theater, which is huge.
This is a miniature version of it.
This is one of the backdrops.
It was restored thanks to funds donated by Tom Cruise,
because a Mission Impossible installment was filmed here.
It's now open to the public,
and we hope we can soon have plays here
once security issues are resolved.
Charles of Bourbon has given us a monument that
can easily compete with
all the great European palaces, including Versailles.
I guess I could say that, compared to Versailles,
ours is much more beautiful
because it features
Vanvitelli's magnificent imagination.
The park is embedded into nature
in such a seamless way
that nobody knows where man-made intervention ends
and godly intervention begins.
This is an unforgettable spectacle
for those who love nature and garden architecture.
Along with the palace and the park...
SUPERVISOR ROYAL PALACE OF CASERTA
they started building an aqueduct
that would supply all recreational areas and fountains
and even water the green area, according to Luigi Vanvitelli's designs.
To supply water to all fountains
throughout the park,
Vanvitelli drew water from a source that is 40 km away.
He built an aqueduct to bring this water here.
From the Fizzo springs,
coming down from a meter to a kilometer,
by gravity alone, the water reaches us here.
Now, 250 years later,
we continue to supply water to the fountains
without any man-made interventions,
relying on the force of gravity alone 365 days a year.
even when there are droughts in other parts of Italy,
our fountains are filled with this wonderful water.
Believe it or not, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli
was built in 1760
and became the longest bridge in Europe.
For a while, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli
was considered the largest bridge in Europe.
Vanvitelli drew a line that goes from Naples to the Apennine Mountains.
This axis crosses the so-called "telescope,"
a large corridor that grants access both to the palace
and to the park.
That is the only line on the south
that goes straight from Naples to the mountains.
Next to the main park corridor,
there are two areas conceived solely for Ferdinand of Bourbon's pleasure.
This fishpond is said to have contained livestock
that supplied fish to the King's dining table.
It was also used to prepare the then teen-aged Ferdinand
for an eventual naval battle.
Adjacent to the fishpond, sleeping quarters were built
to house sailors who came from Lipari.
That's why the place is now known as Liparoti.
These men were exceptional
at controlling their sailboats.
They staged true battles.
At the end of the battle, they'd take over the islet
and set fire to a hut.
As for the park, in the Old Woods
we find a very peculiar place known as "Castelluccia."
It was built around a preexisting tower from the Renaissance.
It is a castle in its own right, which was initially conceived
to initiate the then teen-aged Ferdinand
in war games on the ground.
When you arrive at the park,
once you come out of the palace's main corridor,
you come upon a unique view compared to other European gardens.
The park was meant to be embedded
into the existing territorial context.
This was Charles of Bourbon's transformative, enlightening vision
of becoming a dynasty at the disposal of the land.
The trend of that time was to build
botanical gardens in order to connect with the exotic.
We must not forget this was the Age of Enlightenment,
which promoted a connection with human nature and the environment.
Following the trends in England,
an English gardener by the name of Sir Andrew Graeffer
was commissioned to create a landscape garden.
It was all thanks to the noble whim of
Maria Carolina, the wife of Ferdinand I, daughter-in-law of Charles of Bourbon,
and sister of Marie Antoinette, who married Louis XVI.
Marie Antoinette had built The Petit Trianon.
Carolina didn't want to be left behind,
and ordered the creation of the English Gardens,
a formidable and romantic garden.
The English Gardens was a place of delights.
It's still breathtaking to this day.
Regardless of any maintenance needs we may have,
the English Gardens always takes precedence,
because it enhances the level of fascination
in such a spellbinding place.
Trivially put, this place is like a fairy tale.
In an area of 23 hectares, almost 24,
we find the main feature of the Palace of Carseta:
an exotic botanical essence
that comes from the four corners of the world.
However, the main characteristic that
allows nature to express itself freely,
is the truly fundamental element for these gardens: water.
In the English Gardens we find something typical of that time:
fake ancient Roman ruins.
We must not forget the Bourbon family discovered ancient ruins
with excavations in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
What did they do then? They reconstructed ancient ruins
with a gallery inside the English gardens.
They even brought some statues found in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
All of these elements have the ability
to enrich the botanical aspect
with the historical and architectural elements of this place.
The English Gardens house a wealth of botanical specimens.
There is a collection of herbs that have been selected precisely
throughout the Campania region
by Graeffer, who designed the gardens.
We had the idea of producing an amaro liqueur with these herbs.
A local producer will make this Amaro della Reggia,
which I believe will sell very well,
considering how mesmerizing these gardens are.
Besides, this Palace has become its own brand
with a fascinating and prestigious name.
I believe people will be very curious.
A few kilometers from Caserta,
the Bourbons built yet another residence in Campania.
This small mansion was built for a very precise purpose.
In 2014, this gem by Vanvitelli
was selected by Massimo Bray, the Minister of Cultural Heritage,
to become a heritage site of the Italian state again.
The Royal Palace of Caserta dates back to the 1700s.
PRESIDENT CARDITELLO FOUNDATION
The Bourbons wanted to establish a community
surrounding the Palace of Caserta
to develop an innovative industry
dedicated to the production of silk
using an innovative labor and organizational system.
Another area would be dedicated to innovative agriculture
and horse breeding activities.
At the time, it was a modern way to view agricultural production.
It wasn't about mass production, but quality production.
Come to think of it, mozzarella was invented
here in Carditello, where another group worked with Parmesan cheese.
The production was later moved to northern Italy.
The intention was to bring forth these two enterprises:
one of them was agriculture and zootechnics,
while the other one was mainly industrial,
with a cutting-edge silk factory
really close to the Royal Palace of Caserta.
These royal grounds, with palaces and royal residences,
represented the king's efforts
in making this region more competitive.
What struck me the most when I first went into this royal palace
was the large riding track.
It's such a beautiful track,
which you can see from the balconies of the palace.
You can overlook this large, green space
where the horses were kept,
where they performed their activities.
There were even races,
where horses could perform at their best.
Another striking feature
is the floor in this exceptional stable.
These stones cover pretty much the entire floor
on the ground floor of this famous location.
First open in January 2017,
this Royal Palace will house the School of Agriculture
and a station for the mounted police, who will ride
Persano horses, the Bourbon breed,
a tradition that will be made available to visitors of this unique place.
From the wonders created by human engineering
to the wonders of nature claiming back the underground.
The end of the industrial era in Sardinia
left behind an archaeologic mining heritage
that is unique,
found in one of the most striking landscapes of the world.
"THE WALK OF SANTA BARBARA: DOMUSNOVAS TO SANT'ANTIOCO"
Antiochus of Sulcis was the first historic migrant.
He came from North Africa in 2 b.C.
and was the original spokesman for Christianity.
The first city founded in the Sant'Antioco Island was Sulki.
It's a variation of Sulcis,
the name Phoenicians had given the city in 8 b.C.
Here we find the last phase of the Nuralgic civilization,
dating back to the Second Iron Age.
TOURIST GUIDE
It was around 730 b.C.
We're at the foot of the mountains found in the Forest of Marganai.
The path is 40 to 45 km long,
with four stations amid the woods.
Along the railroad, we find the tunnels
that give access to the mining field. Wagons would come out,
loaded with minerals to take the railroad
towards the destination where minerals would be gathered.
We're at the entrance to Saint Joseph's Cave.
This large calcite mine
has a tunnel to connect the south and the north of Monte Acqua.
These rocks are 550 million years old.
After the Italian unification,
the forest heritage was entrusted to entrepreneurs.
The transportation of wood or minerals...
PRESIDENT DOMUSNOVAS SPELOLOGICAL GROUP
...led businesses to build a road through the cave.
In this wider area,
we can see pockets of concretions.
We can observe the white calcite
covering the rocks with this layer of encrustation.
Once it was detected,
the road was closed to traffic,
which benefited the cave,
so it can return to its original state.
This set of boulders before me
is part of a prehistoric wall from the north side of the mountain.
It protected this area,
which was certainly inhabited.
In the horizon, these blackish shadows are carbonaceous deposits,
most likely resulting from the fire
inhabitants had kept burning
for cooking or other purposes.
This is the only path in Europe
where you can walk down a regular trail
for almost a kilometer into a cave.
We're at the Castle of Acquafredda, in Siliqua.
It's very famous because
of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca,
who was mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy.
Count Ugolino arrived here in the mid-1200s.
Back then, Sardinia was already divided...
TOURIST GUIDE
...among the four kingdoms.
The Pisani family was responsible for the fall of Cagliari.
That's why Count Ugolino came to Sardinia,
since he had financed that war.
Acquafredda was a strictly military castle.
It had connections with the Salvaterra Castle in Iglesias,
where the Count used to live,
and with the Castle of Gioiosa Guardia in Villamassargia.
This used to be the highest point in our valley.
MAYOR OF VILLAMASSARGIA
Therefore, it was a strategic location
for the military protection of the territory.
This history of S'Ortu Mannu dates back to the Middle Ages.
The olive groves were managed according to orders from the Pisa.
Every family in this town owns a tree,
even though they're on public land.
This management system was intended to preserve
the collective use of this beautiful park.
These castles lost their purpose
in the 1500s,
when the Spaniards took over the entire island.
We're at Piazza Roma, in Carbonia.
FATHER AMILCARE GAMBELLA PARSON OF CARBONIA
This is the Church of San Ponziano and Saint Barbara.
The City of Carbonia was founded on December 18, 1938.
Carbonia was founded...
MAYOR OF CARBONIA
...thanks to coal mining.
For the longest time, it was our main source of livelihood.
With the end of the coal mining era,
we've been trying to recover the history of our miners.
This great Serbariu mine
has been restructured and restored
to ultimately become a new source
of income for our region.
Activities at the great Serbariu mine started in 1937.
It was one of the largest self-sufficient companies in Italy.
It employed 12,000 people
working in three shifts underground.
This is where miners would line up to receive their lamps.
Lamps were collected in exchange of identification tags,
which were then organized this way.
Tags confirmed that miners were working underground.
We're on the first underground floor in the first well.
We could go about 307 meters underground.
This site is only one meter tall.
Imagine being physically in there.
They were called "rats" and "mice."
Miners working under these conditions
were people who were not aligned with the Fascist regime,
so they were sent here as punishment.
There's interest in this museum not only from a technological perspective,
but as a way of keeping history alive.
These are the roots of Carbonia
and the roots of people living here,
who came to this region
to get a job working the mines and soon send for their families.
Back to the surface,
miners would line up to give back their lamps.
They could undress in front of their locker
and walk to the side walls to take a shower.
There were two rows of shower heads.
At the end of their work shift,
workers had access to hot water and soap.
This is the winch room of the first well.
These are peculiar elevators
that travel ten times faster than regular elevators.
The winch room can be used
for civil wedding ceremonies.
It's a very sought-after room,
since 90% of people living here
have had a relative who worked here,
a grandfather or great grandfather who worked the mines
and spent their lives underground.
For the younger generation,
MUSEUM GUIDE
it's a sentimental way to pay tribute to them.
We've arrived at Nuraghe Sirai.
Back in 1999, this hill was surrounded by vegetation.
That was the year when excavations began.
Here's where we find the last phase of the Nuralgic civilization
dating back to the Second Iron Age.
That was in 730 b.C.
It was when the Nuralgic people got in touch with the outside world,
that is, with the Phoenicians.
Here, the Walk of Santa Barbara
followed a carriageway path
towards Monte Sirai, where there was a Punic Phoenician settlement.
In this area, excavations began back in 1963.
These were sacred burial grounds
where children who died prematurely were buried.
This is the Punic cemetery.
We're standing before crypt number five,
the most important one in this graveyard.
This is the crypt of Goddess Tanit, or Tinnit.
It was identified as such because of the carved stele
with the name of the goddess.
There's a detail in particular:
it's upside-down.
It's the only case in the Mediterranean where this Carthaginian deity
is represented in this manner.
Here's the entrance to the village through the so-called North Entryway.
This somewhat narrow path leads to a square.
Around the square, we find the main building in this settlement:
the Temple of Astarte.
We must keep in mind that Mount Sirai was inhabited before the Phoenicians.
In the late 8th century b.C.,
it was home to the Carthaginians, or Punics,
until the 6th century b.C.
From here, they could control the entire territory.
From the Sulcis hills,
we're back by the sea.
We are entering the extraordinary wet environment of Golfo di Palmas,
whose main activity is salt production.
These salt flats were created in the 1960s,
when the town went through a revitalization process
and salt flats were created from Sant'Antioco to Tarquinia.
This salt contains very few mineral elements, perhaps
the lowest in mineral contents throughout the Mediterranean.
The first city founded in the Sant'Antioco Island was Sulki.
It's a variation of Sulcis, the name that Phoenicians
had given the city in 8 b.C.
Here, you'll see materials found in excavations.
TOURIST GUIDE SANT'ANTIOCO
They mostly represent the Phoenician, Punic, and Roman periods.
As for artifacts of the Nuralgic civilizations,
we have found bronze statuettes.
In 238 b.C.,
the Punic Phoenician Sulki became the Sulci of Romans.
Masks are among funeral objects.
They serve an apotropaic purpose.
They were meant to scare anyone entering the crypts,
including marine spirits and profaners.
Depending on the historical period, we can say trade has been established.
Carthaginians were influenced in their faith and superstitions,
even from an architectural perspective.
They built the outside of their temples
according to the commercial contacts they had at the time.
From this port they would ship...
SANT'ANTIOCO TOURISM OFFICE
...the metal extracted in Iglesias and the Sulcis mines.
This new path is the same walk
that has been used for pilgrimage, for religious and commercial purposes.
This is the path devout people would follow in Ancient times
to reach the Sant'Antioco Island.
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