Adam's Pasta Pilgrimage

Renowned chef Adam Swanson takes us on a culinary feast through Italy. We begin in Campania, Naples the region that's home to Adam's family. Spaghetti is the pasta shape of choice in Napoli, and Adam explores the history behind spaghetti.

Adam goes to the island region of Sicily, which has been shaped by the various occupying powers that have landed on its shores over the years. Greek, Roman and Arab forces all occupied Sicily at some point.

Calabria is historically one of Italy's poorest regions, and its citizens had to be incredibly resourceful to preserve and create their food. Calabrians made their pasta entirely by hand, which is an intensely hard process.

Arguably Italy's most famous region, Tuscany is home to fine wine, history, culture, beautiful scenery and, of course, incredible food. Adam cooks a delicious Pappardelle with Goat Ragu.

Jumping in his little red Fiat, Adam heads to the region of Umbria, where he learns about a type of pasta whose name translates to ‘strangle priests’! He also hunts for truffles in the Umbrian countryside and learns to make traditional Italian sausage for a local butcher.

Lazio is perhaps most famous for being home to Italy's capital - Rome. Steeped in history, culture and spirituality, Rome is a truly amazing city. Adam travels to Amatrice, which is home to the 'amatriciana' sauce

Puglia, a region in Southern Italy, is known as 'The Garden of Italy' and it provides 75% of the country's food and vegetables.

Adam discovers that Basilicata is steeped in history, and visits the subterranean city of Sassi di Matera, a UNESCO world heritage site.

In this incredibly mountainous region Adam cooks with a local shepherd, and learns about the use of lamb in pasta dishes. Lamb is a common ingredient in Abruzzo's kitchens, and Adam learns about the many flavour combinations that can accompany it.

Adam starts off in Bologna, and you may have guessed from the name, but Bologna is the birthplace of pasta staple, Bolognese sauce! Adam visits a cooking school to learn how to make traditional Bolognese sauce with local chefs Margherita and Valeria.

Adam’s still in the region of Emelia Romagna. Modena, which is home to the world’s most famous balsamic vinegar, was also the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari. After making Louis jealous at the Ferrari Museum, Adam meets Lucia, who shows him how to cook delicious and authentic tortellini. Adam visits restaurant Osteria del Sole, a restaurant with no food! Adam uses the information from Lucia, and ingredients from his time in Emilia-Romagna, to create a delicious dish of Fresh Tortellini with Parmesan, Cream, and a Prosciutto and Hazelnut Crumble.

Veneto is the region that's home to Venice, arguably one of Italy's most famous cities. Adam explores the canals and discovers local dish Fasioi, a bean-based pasta dish that's similar to Pasta Faggioli.

Adam heads to Lombardia, a region that is famous for its many cheeses and learns what other ingredients go well with this cheese, and how you can use it in pasta dishes.