Italy Unpacked

The Merchants of Venice (3x3)

Air date: Feb 27, 2015

The last leg of Andrew and Giorgio's journey is the Veneto - a true melting pot thanks to its geographical position in north-eastern Italy. Andrew and Giorgio don't stop in the region's most famous city, Venice. Instead, they follow in the footsteps of the Venetian merchants through their great inland empire. They begin their journey harvesting clams which Giorgio cooks as spaghetti alle vongole in the middle of the Venetian lagoon. They continue their tour with amazing frescoes in Padua, travelling down the river Brenta looking at the outstanding Palladian villas, and then on land in Vicenza to admire one of the most beautiful paintings in Italy - Giovanni Bellini's Baptism of Christ. Andrew and Giorgio end their journey where the Venetians ended theirs - at the top of the Dolomites, one of the most amazing and surprising landscapes Italy has to offer.