01x02 - Lombardy

[bunniefuu]

[Stanley Tucci] I'm in Milan.

In this building called
the Bosco Verticale.

Which means vertical forest.

It's a building that
I've always wanted to visit.

It's very innovative and forward-thinking.

Not like me.

I believe that the best way to understand

what makes a country and its people unique
is through their food.

This is incredible.

Oh, man!

And this is true nowhere more than Italy.

-Okay.
-Nice. You smell that?

Mm, mm, mm.

Where even the shape of your pasta

and the sauce you serve it with

speaks directly to identity.

-You like it?
-I love it.

-Oh, my God, it's so good!
-[laughs]

[Stanley] And differentiates the character

and history of each region
sharply from the next.

It's just not what you expect.

I'm Stanley Tucci

and I'm exploring the complex connections

between the land, the people,
and the food they eat

in order to discover
the essence of each region

in the country I love, Italy.

♪♪

Milan is the capital of Lombardy,

Italy's economic powerhouse.

It's a landlocked region in the north.

Its three financial capitals,
Milan, Bergamo, and Brescia,

form a triangle of industry.

It's a forward-thinking region

which produces nearly
a quarter of Italy's wealth.

One known more for manufacturing
than agriculture,

more for gray skies than blue.

How has that industry and innovation
impacted Lombardy's food?

My first stop to find out
is a familiar one.

I've been to this restaurant before,
a few years ago.

It's family run.

It's one of the best restaurants in Italy,
probably one of the best in the world.

♪♪

This is Da Vittorio,
a restaurant that's long been

at the forefront of Lombard cuisine.

It's one of a handful in Italy
holding three Michelin stars.

But there's more to this place
than its old world stylings.

♪♪

In fact, it houses
its very own vertical farm.

An innovative lab where
its prized produce is grown.

Whoa.

[Luca Travaglini]
We are the first vertical farm

focused on fine dining.

We, we grow in one hectare

as 300 hectares of normal agriculture.

One to 300.

-Really?
-Yeah. Trust me.

I trust, I trust you.

You're wearing a lab coat,
of course I trust you.

Despite appearances, Luca Travaglini

and Rosella Rosso are farmers.

They grow nearly 10 pounds
of fresh greens here every day.

[Luca]
Before, agriculture was driven by climate.

Now, we change how we look agriculture.

-[Stanley] Mm-hmm.
-[Luca] I, I don't have

to produce where there are the climate,

-the social condition.
-Right. Right.

I, I can produce all over the world.

We are able really to fine tune
every specific input

that the plants need in terms of climate,

light recipe, uh,
nutrient solution, irrigation.

Really, we optimize every single phase

of the growth of the plant.

Everything that we grow has no pesticides.

-Mm-hmm.
-We use less water possible.

So we never spray any water
on top of the leaves.

These are the only leaves worldwide

that doesn't have
to be washed to be eaten.

-[Stanley] Really?
-Yeah.

-[Stanley] Can we try some?
-Sure.

[Stanley] The Planet Farms team
supply the restaurant

with around 35 species
of herbs and vegetables,

including six types of basil.

So, this is the what?

[Luca] This is a cinnamon basil.

I suggest you to do this.

This one and leave...

And you feel the sweetness.

Okay.

Mm?

-That's weird.
-[Luca] Yeah.

-I mean, did you create that?
-No, no, no, no.

-That existed?
-Yeah, exist.

-In nature?
-In nature.

-It punches you in the mouth.
-And it's always the same.

The nice thing also in particular

for Da Vittorio is that

it's not easy to do
three Michelin star dishes

when normal agriculture deliver

anytime something slightly different.

-Yeah.
-But here,

when we deliver them,

the basil is always the same taste.

That's incredible.

Vertical farms like this one

may represent the future of agriculture,

especially in a region where land
and sunshine are at a premium.

But what's it like on the plate?

[♪ upbeat music playing]

[Stanley] In the kitchen,
brothers Chicco and Bobo Cerea

lead a brigade of world-class chefs.

Their father put the restaurant on the map

when it became the first to serve seafood

in land-locked Bergamo.

Gentlemen.

But today, they're pushing
the envelope even further

with these special greens.

[Stanley] Ah.

No.

Never in my life have I ever tasted

such complexity of flavor

in a tiny little salad.

No, never. Never.

What are they doing now?

-This is Kohlrabi.
-This is Kohlrabi.

-This is shiso, yeah.
-Shiso.

Mint.

Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

Grazie!

-So fresh.
-Yes.

Wow. Absolutely incredible.

♪♪

For the final dish,

the brothers liquefy their plants

into a luxurious pesto,

served rather non-traditionally,

with Lombardy's
quintessential staple, risotto.

-Si. Dammit, look at that.
-[Chicco speaking Italian]

[Stanley] So they're red prawns,
they're violet prawns.

Raw. It's nice.

Yep.

-Honey.
-So sweet, yeah. Yeah.

[gasps] Stop it.

-[Stanley] Yeah.
-[Bobo] Very nice color,

but also,

I hope, if you try, it's good.

[Stanley] Unbelievable, thank you.

[applause]

Amazing! Absolutely [bleep] amazing!

That is...

I don't know what it is.
It's, like, beyond food.

The spirit of Lombard innovation

is made tangible
in these extraordinary dishes.

But has that same drive made
its way into the food

people eat every day in this region?

♪♪

♪♪

Whoa, look how fast that guy's going.

That's the thing in Italy,
people do drive very quickly.

Not me.

♪♪

I'm on the highway
known as the autostrada.

The Italians were actually the first
to create these highways.

Of course, their second thought was,

"Well, we need to eat."

So, they created Autogrill.

The brainchild of local entrepreneur
Mario Pavesi,

the Autogrill not only
revolutionized roadside dining,

it heralded a shift in Italian culture.

Today, this is one of almost 600
roadside restaurants in Italy.

And I'm making a pit stop
at one of the branches near Linate,

on the highway to Milan.

What are you getting?

I'm getting the spaghetto ai tre pomodori.

[Stanley] Thea Lenarduzzi is a local

who first came to this branch as a child.

Now a journalist,
she writes about Italian culture.

I'm gonna have the Risotto alla Milanese.

Okay, straight away.

Where did you grow up?

-[Thea] Varese, which is...
-Varese.

...more or less where
this motorway started.

-[Stanley] Right.
-And it was the motorway

that connects the Lake district
with, uh, Milan.

So this would be the last stop-off
before you get into the madness of Milan.

Grazie. Alright, let's go eat.

My life was just kind of punctuated
by stops in Autogrill.

The excitement that I would feel,

um, when my dad would say,
"Shoes on, shoes on,"

I'd be like, "Okay, great!"

[Stanley] And they've been around since...

[Thea] This one here was built
in the 1950s, '58.

And they were made to sort of
look like the modern world.

They were made in a time
post-w*r when Italy

moved from being an agrarian,
mostly agrarian nation,

to being the modern
consumer country that it is.

People had cars
for the first time, really ever.

The Italian miracle,
is that what they called it?

Yeah, exactly, the economic boom,
the miracolo they called it.

The question was,
so what's Italy gonna be?

What are Italians gonna be?

We have the freedom
to almost start from scratch.

There were all of these ideals,
kind of in the culture,

that you should be able
to eat well, cheaply.

Um, and also, people were moving
in a way that they weren't.

Sounds very grand,
but in a way Autogrill,

you tell a lot
about a country by,

by their service station.

[Stanley] Yeah.

-How is it?
-Mm. It's great.

-Is it good?
-Mm. It's fresh.

-It's incredible.
-[Thea] And you've seen--

It's al dente. Look at, look at the amount
of saffron in there too, it's gorgeous.

And they've not given you
a full osso buco,

which would be, pff.

You know, you'd feel it,
you'd need a sleep, not advisable.

-Yeah, you're asleep at the wheel, yes.
-Exactly.

[Stanley]
Last year, Italians ate five million

of their meals at Autogrill.

I'm going behind the scenes

to see where this innovative company

is heading next.

At the Milan headquarters, there's a team
that develops the recipes served

at Autogrill outlets nationwide.

-Ciao, Stanley.
-Stefano.

Stefano, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

Director Stefano Campolongo
runs the test kitchen,

and he's giving me
a preview of their latest menu.

Stan, Simone Salvini.

Simone. Ciao.

-And Reuben.
-Ciao.

-Nice to meet you.
-Ciao, nice to meet you too.

It took almost three years
to develop the ragù

that you are going to taste today.

It's a vegan, completely vegan ragù.

[Stanley] Completely vegan.

Because sometimes
you don't want to eat meat,

even though you may not be vegetarian
or vegan or whatever.

Sometimes you go in and you're like,
I don't want to have meat for lunch.

Currently, only two percent
of Italians are vegan,

but Autogrill are already
planning for the future.

This is a protein, a soya protein.

-[Stanley] Soy protein.
-[Simone] Yes.

[Stanley] Is it flavored with...
What do you...

The flavor, soy and spices, wild herbs.

Coconut, just a, a little.

There's some cinnamon, sage, rosemary.

[Stanley] Cinnamon, bay leaf,
black pepper, lemon.

-This is a secret.
-[Stefano] Lemon zest.

This is a secret for the flavor.

-Oh, really?
-[Simone] Of course.

I thought you were saying it was a secret
because it's going on television

-and then...
-[laughter]

...it's not a secret anymore.

Then we have the final touch,

that is a broad beans cheese.

[Stefano] Similar...
Yeah, yes. Yes, try it.

It's a fermented broad beans.

-Really good.
-Interesting.

[Stanley] These are all the ingredients
of a classic ragù.

The difference is this and this. Wow.

[Simone] With oil instead of the butter.

-All plant based. Yeah.
-[Simone] Plant based.

[Stefano] You will see we have to be fast.

Because when you are
in the motorways, you have to be fast.

So we find the exact point
of cooking of the pasta

and when to stop the cooking
to have a fantastic al dente.

-Si.
-Al dente pasta.

It needs just to be warmed it up.

And it's ready. Thirty seconds.

-What?
-[timer beeping]

Ah, timer. [chuckles]

[Stanley] So it's actually pre-cooked?

-[Stefano] Pre-cooked. And...
-[Stanley] And then frozen.

Frozen exactly when we decide to stop it

for the perfect cooking. As we...

Because this is the problem
when you stop at a place

and they have all the pasta laid out...

[Stefano] Yeah.

...inevitably, it just turns into mush.

-Yes. Yes.
-Right? Because it keeps cooking

and you can't stop it,
and heat it up and it's...

-It's ready.
-Really?

[Simone] It's ready.

Will you cook for my children?

[laughter]

Ma bello.

This is for you.

[Stefano] You will see
that the final flavor

will somehow remind of a traditional ragù.

I'm smelling it like it...
It smells like a ragù.

I wouldn't know that that was vegan.

It tastes like minced veal.

-Yes.
-This is our target.

And I would tell you, even though
the camera is running, I would say,

"Mmm, er, yeah." That's amazing.

For Italians, the Autogrill
captures a nostalgia

for a particular moment in history

and a comforting vision of a future

where everybody can eat incredible food.

The economic miracle forever
changed Lombardy's landscape

to one of industry.

But it also had a surprising impact
on the food that was made here.

♪♪

[Stanley] Brescia is
Lombardy's second biggest town.

It's also one of its wealthiest.

That money comes largely
from manufacturing,

steel making, and ironmongery.

[bell tolling]

I'm heading 20 miles south
to the outskirts of Calvisano,

one of Brescia's satellite towns.

And I've come to a steel mill
to meet a local

who's harnessed that industry to create

an unlikely Lombard ingredient.

-I don't know if you can see...
-There.

-Okay. Oh, wow.
-Huge!

They really are like prehistoric looking.

[Carla Sora] Yes, like a dinosaur.

[Stanley] Carla Sora's company exports

almost a third of all the sturgeon caviar
eaten in the world.

All of which she produces right here,

by harvesting the eggs of these
prehistoric-looking creatures.

[Carla] We can breed seven species,

and each species offer
a different kind of caviar.

How big does the sturgeon...

Ah, this depend upon the species,

we talk about 60, 70 kilos for female.

The process can last up to 20 years

to produce eggs,

so it's a long, long time

and this is why caviar is so expensive.

Caviar is expensive because of the time.

This exists from the... [clears throat]

the process of making the steel?

Exactly. It is a sustainable process.

We were the first to breed sturgeon

in aquaculture farm.

[Stanley] It may seem
a little counterintuitive

to produce one of world's
most expensive ingredients

in an industrial estate.

But it's a surprisingly clean
and eco-friendly process,

which uses the surplus heat
from the steelworks,

to provide constant warm water
essential to the sturgeons' egg laying.

[Carla] We started
for the meat of the fish.

-[Stanley] Right.
-Because the meat

of the sturgeon it's very, very delicious.

-[Stanley] Yeah.
-[Carla] But in 1998,

the International Convention

placed the sturgeon among the animals

that have to be protected
from risk of extinction.

The caviar became immediately
from wild caviar

to farmed caviar.

[Stanley] Wild caviar is...

[Carla]
It's totally ill*gal and forbidden.

-[Stanley] All over the world.
-[Carla] Yes.

And no one had done this before?

-No one.
-No.

[Carla] We are the most cutting-edge farm

to do high-quality and sustainable caviar.

-That's incredible.
-Yes.

[Stanley] A quick hop across the fishpond,

is the Calvisius caviar factory.

-Okay.
-Thank you.

Sure.

Quality control manager Michele Mondolo

runs the factory floor.

Very exciting.

This is where you're extracting the eggs?

[Michele] Yeah, yeah. Okay.

These are some examples from our farm.

They, they came here that they are ready

to be, to be worked.

-Right.
-And so the eggs are ready

to be extracted.

[Stanley] How many fish do you do a day?

[Michele] For this type of size,
we're going to do 50, 60 per day.

[Stanley] Each of these beasts
could be carrying

up to $50,000 worth
of caviar in their bellies.

Making what happens next
a very delicate operation.

[Michele] It takes a lot of time
to learn how to do that.

Oh, I bet. I got to get in there.

[Michele] Absolutely, yeah.

-So, this... Yeah.
-Huh. What?

What's going to be the weight
of this in the end?

More or less the 10%

of the, of the weight of the fish.

-[Stanley] So they have 10%.
-[Michele] Yeah, 10%.

-Of their body weight.
-Of the body weight.

-In eggs.
-Yes, exactly.

[Stanley] The remaining sturgeon
are filleted and sold,

another innovative company policy.

Nothing goes to waste.

The sturgeon roe
are then washed in a process

that resembles panning for gold.

Only, actually more lucrative.

Okay, so now...

This is transformation
from sturgeon roe to caviar.

So she is going to add,
according to secret recipe

and through this weight system

she is going to add salt and preservative.

[Stanley] I didn't think
I'd ever see that much caviar.

[Michele] [laughs] No, yeah.

And imagine that all of this
comes only from one fish.

-I know!
-So now this is caviar.

[Stanley] Oh, man.

-Bye.
-[Michele laughs]

[Stanley] Thankfully,
I don't have to wait too long

to try the stuff.

We're going to Al Gambero,

the oldest fine-dining
establishment in town.

-I love caviar.
-Yes, but this is...

I mean, I've made that clear
to you I think already.

...let me say the best caviar
in the world.

-[Stanley] Is it? Is it?
-[Carla] I think so.

[Stanley] I'm very excited about this.

Show me what to do

-and, and, and how.
-Okay, start with this one.

And now, Iberia.

-[bleep]
-Oh. [chuckles]

The best way is to use mother pearl spoon,

to avoid the metal.

-It has an interaction.
-Right. Exactly.

Or you can use gold.

-Gold, but...
-As one does.

-Gold, but...
-Yes, of course. [chuckles]

Put on your hand the caviar.

-Yeah.
-[Carla] Okay.

This is fresh, and it's very important

the caviar is fresh

and no smell.

-No smell.
-No smell?

No, absolutely no smell.

-Oh, yeah, it has no smell.
-Okay. And now...

-That was attractive.
-Mm.

Delicious.

-Mm.
-Okay.

Mm. Can I just eat the whole thing?

Absolutely, you have to.

This is the greatest day of my life.

Though caviar is not
a traditional Lombard ingredient,

the locals have found a way
to embrace it with a dish

that is as simple as it is luxurious.

[Carla] This is one of the best way

to tasting caviar, with spaghetti.

-So, spaghetti...
-You found the shrimp...

-[Stanley] ...and shrimp?
-[Carla] And shrimp.

And caviar on the top. Very light.

-Yeah.
-Very delicious.

-Okay.
-[Carla] Yep, okay.

Oh.

-Mm.
-I-I-I...

This is so... [laughs]

-incredibly decadent...
-And you have...

-[Carla laughs]
-...and, and beautiful.

It's like... that's like a dream.

-Yeah.
-They come together very well.

That's one of the best plates
of pasta I've ever had.

-Really?
-Yeah.

This may seem a million miles

from the steel forges that birthed it.

You're like the most elegant woman I've
ever spent time with, don't tell my wife.

-Cheers.
-[Carla laughs]

-Thank you, Stanley.
-Cheers.

But for Brescians, luxurious food

has always gone
hand in hand with industry.

But despite the industriousness
of the Lombards,

not every ingredient's journey
is a sure-fire success.

[birds chirping]

[Stanley] The longest river in Italy,

the Po, flows through
the south of Lombardy.

Where it forms a marshy flatland
called the Pianura Padana.

It's also an area that gives its name
to Lombardy's most famous cheese,

Grana Padano.

Milder, sweeter,

and less expensive than Parmigiano,

it's become the most
consumed cheese in the world.

But just 40 years ago,

Grana Padano's future
was far less certain.

And it was only saved thanks

to a rather unlikely part
of the Lombard population.

-Stanley.
-Nice to meet you. How are you?

How are you? I'm fine, thank you.
I'm just shoveling the, the food.

Oh, it's their food.
You're not shoveling the other stuff?

No, no! I'm just... No, no.

Gurpreet Singh
is one of about 30,000 Sikhs

living and working in Lombardy today.

[Gurpreet] These are the pregnant ones.

They will give birth and then
they will start their career.

Right. Exa... [laughs]

Yeah. So young.

So when did you start your career?

-I started here in 2018.
-But you came to Italy when you were...

I was 6 months old when I came here.

-From where?
-I came from Punjab.

The Punjabi people came here in the 1980s,

because many people
were leaving these jobs,

many farmers were closing their farms.

-Right.
-Moving towards the big cities.

-So, the Italian labor needed...
-Needed a workforce.

You needed people
who knew what they were doing.

[Gurpreet] Oh, yes.
It's a job that we know how to do.

And that was why
people like your dad

-came over here.
-Yes.

[Stanley] Gurpreet's parents were part
of a wave of migration

from the Indian state of Punjab,

an area with a similar flat,

marshy landscape to the Pianura Padana.

And with their shared farming culture
and respect for the sanctity of cattle,

the Sikhs not only filled the gap
left by Lombardy's economic miracle,

but they helped resuscitate
the industry as a whole.

[Gurpreet]
There was a time that old farmers

were very violent with cows,

they didn't have patience.

Now we are very, very,
very calm with them.

We don't like to shout.

-[Stanley] Right.
-That is very important,

and so they are not scared.
They feel very safe and calm,

and they give more milk

because then their nervous system

releases the milk production.

[Stanley] Their production is better.

You can win everything
with, with love because...

You can.

[Gurpreet] So all the cows, you can see
they are all under the roof,

because they need,
they want to stay fresh.

Yes, it's completely...

It's much cooler in here
that it is out there.

-They also love rain. They're very active.
-[Stanley] Yeah.

[Gurpreet] They move a lot.
They, they do a lot of sounds.

Some are very shy.
It's like human beings.

[Stanley] Yeah.
Their personalities are different.

[Gurpreet] Yeah, personalities.

We established the standard
with the, the quality of,

of this... of our milk.

[Stanley] Right.

[Gurpreet] And now it's the,
one of the best in the world.

[Stanley]
Today, Indians, and largely Sikhs,

make up around 50%
of the dairy sector in Lombardy.

This is where it all goes?

Four thousand liters,
because each cow produces

about from 20 to 25 liters of, of milk.

-[Stanley] A day?
-A day, yes. It's a lot.

So the cows are really happy.

-Yes, happy.
-Yeah.

[Gurpreet] And here,
I have the Hall of Fame.

These are the best of the best.
They give a lot of milk.

-Right.
-That was my idea

because the cows had feelings
and also they had a soul.

So, as a way to honor them
and appreciate them,

I start to hang up these tags.

-Oh, that's nice.
-Yes. It's just an idea,

it's a silly idea but...

No, it's not a silly idea.
It's very moving.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Stanley] The influx
of Punjabi workers to Lombardy

helped save what is now
a $2 billion industry

and ensured the survival of Grana Padano.

And if happy cows do produce more milk,

perhaps some of that success

is down to the kindness
of people like Preet.

This is cheese from the milk we produce.

-Oh, my God.
-It's a present for you.

-[Stanley] This is the Grana Padano?
-Yes.

[Stanley] You want a piece?

-[Gurpreet] Oh, sure.
-Here.

[Gurpreet] Thank you very much.

You want some more? You sure?

-It's all yours.
-Thank you.

-[Gurpreet] My pleasure.
-I'll take it. Mm.

Oh, my God, it's so good.

-Intense.
-Yeah. l love it.

[Stanley] Totally different...

-Yes.
-...than Parmigiano.

-Mm-hmm.
-Isn't it?

An openness to an evolving workforce
helped save this dying industry.

And, I hope, earned acceptance
for this hard-working community.

But the path of progress
is not always a straight one.

There's a backlash in Lombardy

that's threatening
its forward-thinking ideals.

[Stanley]
Milan is an island of innovation.

A vibrant and modern city that now stands
in starker contrast than ever

with the nation's conservative policies.

I'm going to a traditional Sunday lunch,

with a local family caught in the middle,

new fathers Davide Fassi
and Davide Chiappa.

-Permesso.
-Oh, hello!

-Hi.
-[Fassi] Hello.

[Stanley] Ciao. Stanley.

-Yes, like that.
-Davide, nice to meet you.

Ciao, Davide, Davide.

-Martino Libero.
-Ciao.

We are mashing the potatoes for gnocchis.

-Yes.
-And Martino is helping us.

[Stanley] Aww.
How often do you make gnocchi?

[Fassi] Yeah, I think once a month.

[Stanley] Once a month.

Yeah. It's just
a kind of special dish for him.

-Yeah.
-Because, you know,

there are carbs, and then we put ragù.

It's a good balance
between carbs and protein.

-It's a favorite dish.
-[Stanley] That's good.

[Chiappa] Yeah, also for us
because it's quite simple to prepare,

and it's complete food for him.

My, um, my daughter,

she's about to be six.

-[Fassi] Okay.
-Okay?

[Fassi] Martino eats everything.

-[Stanley] Everything.
-[Fassi] Yeah.

-Aaah!
-[laughter]

[Stanley] The couple became parents
with the help of a surrogate in Oregon.

So, he's an American citizen.

[Fassi] He is only.

-He's an American...
-American citizen.

[Stanley] But in a twist of fate,
while spending their first days

with Martino in America,

they learned that back home,

Italian policy had changed overnight

and that their local council
would no longer be able

to recognize his birth certificate.

We have birth certificate

-from US...
-Yeah.

...when we are both parents, and parents,

but it's not possible
to translate the certificate.

[Fassi] In Italy, there is no recognition
of same-sex parents.

We were in the very middle
of a political storm

where the ultra govern...

-What's up?
-Yeah, I know,

it's a storm, it's very sad.

[laughter]

So we're talking about like,
you just adopted him.

As same-sex parents in Italy,
you can't adopt.

Even before this administration.

-It's not allowed.
-No.

-[Martino fussing]
-[Stanley] Uh-oh.

[Martino crying]

Amore mio.

[Stanley] The family is in limbo,

while they challenge
the government policy in court

to allow Martino to be legally recognized

under both their names.

Otherwise, one of the fathers

will have to give up
his rights as a parent.

Amore mio!

Why did you want to have children!

Look how exhausting it is.

[Fassi] Oh, amore mio, are you tired?

We'll make the gnocchi.

It must be so frustrating.

[Chiappa] Okay.

[Stanley] As the gnocchi
and beef ragù bubble away...

[Fassi] We put in gnocchi here.

It's super-hot.

[Stanley] ...upstairs, Nonno Pietro

and Nonnas Rosa
and Pinuccia are settling in.

[speaking Italian]

[laughter]

That's delicious.

-Delicious.
-[Fassi] Thank you.

[Stanley] So can, can I ask you how,

how are you doing with the stress of it?

Do you have another question?

[laughter]

-It's not easy.
-[Stanley] Yeah.

It's not easy because, you know,
you've got the stress

about what will happen in the future,

and not only in our future
but even in his future.

[Fassi] Milan is one of the,

um, happy island, let's say,

of the, of the Lombardy region
or even the Italy,

but at the same time, I mean,
we are not an independent state.

[Stanley] Can you tell me... [laughs]

his middle name?

-[Stanley] Cheers.
-[Fassi] It's a kind of wish.

[Stanley] Politicians are temporary,

but their policies can have
long-lasting effects.

Until he's recognized
as an Italian citizen,

Martino will never be able
to vote to change the system.

[Fassi] Yes.

[Stanley]
For my part, I hope in the future

that the legal meaning of family

will be closer to the original Latin...

a word that simply meant household.

[Stanley]
In Italy's fastest-moving city,

the culinary trends
are constantly going forward.

But there's one place that's standing out
by turning backwards.

I'm going to this restaurant
that I went to four years ago

that my wife discovered, as usual,

and, uh, and as usual, it was amazing.

So, I'm going back in. It's called Trippa.

Their bright idea is offal,

O-F-F-A-L...

and other traditional Lombard delicacies.

[Stanley] Despite the success
of the restaurant,

Chef Diego Rossi and owner Pietro Caroli

don't believe in chasing the money.

There's only one Trippa.

[Stanley]
Besides their flexible working hours,

Diego's bold approach to Milanese cuisine

sets his kitchen apart.

Rather than trying to be
flavor of the month,

he's going back to basics,

with classics like vitello tonnato.

[Stanley] But look at how beautiful...

Yeah, try it. Ready?

Mm!

[Stanley] Yeah.

[Stanley] I just love it. I love it.

Thank you. We're going to eat
some more.

-Yes.
-Alright.

The first, of what I know
will be many courses,

is the one the place is named for.

[Diego] Are you ready?

This is done with a special cut
of tripe. It's called...

-Oh, a hive?
-Hive.

Oh, yeah, 'cause it looks like a hive.

-Yeah.
-[Diego laughs]

Why did you decide to focus...

call it Trippa, and focus on offal?

Because it was something actually missing

in the Italian New Tradition. Because...

You make a fillet, it's just three minutes

-you can just destroy it.
-Yeah.

But the result, that's why.

-[Stanley] Chef.
-Next.

-Really?
-Yes.

And we have

-rabbit offals.
-[Stanley] I love--

[Stanley] Grazie.

So, rabbit offal,

which I happen to love
because I love rabbit

and everything inside of it.

[Pietro] And you have
all the offals, everything.

-Kidney...
-[Stanley] Yeah.

-[Pietro] ...liver...
-[Stanley] Yeah.

-[Pietro] ...heart.
-Yeah.

I can... I cannot wait
to tell my wife about this

because she never watches the show.

Find another place where you
can try something like that.

No, you... No. No. That's [bleep] amazing.

Okay. Snails.

[Pietro] Big ones.

[Stanley] Green peas and wild garlic.

Oh, my God.

It's too much.

[Pietro] I actually took
the best decision of my life



because I understood from
the beginning he's a genius.

[Stanley] Mm.

It's just one of the best things ever.

Yeah, it looks simple, but it's not.

No, it's not simple. No.

It's incredibly sophisticated
and beautiful.

[Pietro] I told you he is a genius.

[Stanley] It's true.

-Incredibile.
-[Diego laughing]

Veramente.

Absolutely amazing. Incredible.

Bravo, bravo, bravo.

[Stanley] Milan has always been an oasis

for the forward-thinking
and the innovative.

Although today's Italy
is more conservative,

Lombards respect their traditions

but never shy away from new ideas.

And the region's cuisine
reflects those two sides,

rooted in the old but open to the new.

As little Martino might one day say,

your starting point is important,

but where you go next... is more so.

♪♪