BBC - Italy Unpacked: Looking to the Future

The second leg of Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli's journey takes Giorgio home, to Lombardy, a region brimming with engineering innovations and the influences brought by the proximity to Northern Europe, always with an eye to the future.

The first stop is of course Corgeno, Giorgio's hometown, where Andrew is the guest at a typical Sunday Lunch at the Locatelli's home.

Andrew repays him with a visit to some very unusual frescos by Lorenzo Lotto, hidden in a private chapel. The Christ with long fingernails is one of Andrew's favourite frescos.

And it's time to reach Milan, the capital, with its temples dedicated to the Gods of religion (The Duomo), art (La Scala) and capitalism (the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele the II and surroundings streets, full of luxury shops).

At his restaurant inside La Scala, the chef Gualtiero Marchesi (father of the modern Italian cuisine) would intrigue his custumers with a risotto made with saffron and... gold.

But Milan is not just about beauty and style, it has a dark centre. It is an arena of extreme political contrasts. Fascism was very strong here and so was the opposition to it. In Milan the Futurists movement embraced the world of modern art, and expressed the violence that would shape modern Italy under Fascism - a dark but fascinating story, that Andrew and Giorgio will investigate with a visit to the Museum of 900.

More amazing art is waiting for them outside Milan, in the gem that is Mantua, a town full of mesmerizing buildings. Among those, the diamond in the crown is Palazzo Te, a former hunting lodge built for the amusement of the Duke Federico Gonzaga and his guests, designed and covered in frescos by Giulio Romano, a disciple of Raphael.

And to end this fascinating trip another well kept secret: Cremona, hometown to the one of the most famous luthiers in the world: Antonio Stradivari, where Giorgio and Andrew will have the privilege to be the spectator of a very private concert.

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