Ulisse – il piacere della scoperta will lead us to learn about the history of Greek civilization, which, expanding into the Mediterranean basin, gave rise to what we know today as Magna Graecia in Italy. The splendors of Ancient Greece. The Greek cities, scattered across the Mediterranean, reached almost 700 and of these almost a third are located in Italy. Alberto Angela will tell us about Ancient Greece at the time of its maximum splendor and will guide us on a spectacular visit to some of the most important archaeological sites in our territory: Paestum, Syracuse, Agrigento. Temples, theaters and palaces which still today tell us a lot about the Greeks and also about ourselves: their daily life, the female figure and love relationships, social and political organisation, sporting competitions, wars. We will see how the Greeks revolutionized the way we understood civilization and imposed models destined to influence the Western world for millennia to come.

For many centuries, Rome has been a destination for millions of tourists every year. What attracts them are the archaeological remains of the empire, the artistic wonders that have overlapped over the centuries, but also (and above all) its being the center of Christianity. During the episode, Alberto Angela takes a journey to the many places, monuments and buildings that have made the history of Christianity. The journey touches the main Basilicas but also more secluded, hidden corners of the city, where there are important testimonies of the history of the Church.

In this episode, Alberto Angela proposes a singular journey among the hidden surprises of Rome. "The fourth day" is what tourists always miss. Travel agencies reserve a short time for visiting the city, just three days. In this way many wonders of the capital, suggestive and fascinating like the famous ones, remain hidden. Alberto Angela "reveals" the fourth day, so to speak, hunting for the masterpieces hidden for centuries in the eternal city. Password: what's beyond that facade?

Alberto Angela invites us on an extraordinary journey in the footsteps of a protagonist of history, a man who many consider the father of modern Europe: Charlemagne. We are surprised by the many adventures of the famous ruler, discovering his conquests, his life and his countless loves. Through his events we also discover how daily life took place in the Middle Ages.

Alberto Angela will take you on a spectacular journey towards the great north: from Denmark to Norway, beyond the Arctic Circle. It is Scandinavia, where the climate and an environment much more extreme than the gentle temperatures of the Mediterranean have produced peculiar pages of history.

In this episode you will discover precautions that are within everyone's reach but which some populations or groups have always practiced with extraordinary results. The same behaviors that have recently attracted the attention of doctors and researchers who study the mechanisms of aging. We will talk about nutrition, we will try to understand which type of movement is best suited to keeping us fit over the long distance and much more. The journey will start from the islands of Okinawa, Japan; we will discover how well-being arrived on these islands just a few decades ago and those who are now elderly have led a spartan existence for a good part of their lives, often marked by periods of enormous difficulty. Yet, those very elderly people seem to have slowed down the effects of old age. In these islands people live for a long time, but above all the diseases typical of old age are rarer.

In this episode of "Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta", Alberto Angela tells us the story of Gaio Giulio Cesare Ottaviano, better known as Augusto, the man who changed history, transforming Rome from a Republic into an Empire.

The most impressive military landing in history: 160 thousand soldiers, 11 thousand planes and almost 7 thousand boats of all types: it is D-Day, the longest day. Thousands of young American, English and Canadian soldiers wrote one of the most important pages of the Second World War. As the pale light of dawn spread over the English Channel, the largest amphibious invasion force ever assembled up to that point landed on the coast of Normandy: it was June 6, 1944. “Ulisse” reached these ex-boys in their homes: in France, in England, in the United States but also in Germany, where Alberto Angela met, among others, the young German sentry who on the night of the operation, on the famous Pegasus Bridge, spotted the first Allied soldiers and shot into the air , the first flare.

What do we know about our dogs and cats? Do they understand us more than we understand them? Ulisse dedicated an episode to discovering our best friends.

Ulisse will go to explore the sea, that immensity of water that allowed life to be born and evolve on our planet. An event that will not simply be dedicated to the sea, but above all to the relationship between man and the sea, which began at the beginning of the adventure of Homo Sapiens, and has never been interrupted. So Alberto Angela will be in Genoa, the maritime city par excellence, between the Galata Museum of the Sea, the very rich Aquarium and much more, to retrace the stages of this very long and fascinating human adventure, in its historical and scientific implications. A journey that will develop in two directions: horizontally, exploring the surface of the sea, to learn about the forces that animate it within, the titanic energies capable of moving immense masses of water. And then vertically, into the blue vastness of the sea to get to know the infinite variety of species that populate the oceans, going further and further down, until reaching the bottom of the abyss.

This episode will be dedicated to the great artistic wealth of Italy. The archaeological and cultural heritage of the country will be x-rayed: the host will tell us the many stories closely linked to the masterpieces, as well as all the anecdotes about thefts and forgeries. A priceless treasure which is however exposed: we will therefore learn about the painstaking and demanding work of all those people who do their utmost to save this unique heritage in the world.

It is surprising how living beings are able to adapt to the most extreme situations and the most inhospitable places on the planet and even manage to live there: from the fiery deserts of Iran, Libya and the United States, up to the Danakil plateaus.

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Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta will guide us on a journey along the tracks to discover this wonderful vehicle. We will board a working steam locomotive and discover the royal carriage used by the Savoys at the beginning of the last century. From the first steam trains to the futuristic magnetic levitation trains, Alberto Angela will talk about the unstoppable race of the train and its impact on every corner of the world and on distant and different cultures. He will then show unusual and true aspects behind the scenes of today's trains. From the subway we take to go to work in the morning to the projects for new futuristic railway lines. Or the importance it had for our fathers, as in the great emigration from south to north in post-war Italy. We will then see the construction of the first railway in history: the Liverpool-Manchester, designed by the self-taught engineer George Stephenson.

DNA: the most surprising "invention" of nature and evolution, the true director that allows everything that lives to exist. In fact, DNA is the key that opens the doors to our past and allows us to discover a lot about everyone's behavior, on how to protect ourselves with new treatments and medicines, and even on how to unmask a murderer, or manage to reconstruct the appearance of disappeared living beings. Alberto Angela explains why in some areas of the world there are mainly people with light complexions, or almond-shaped eyes, or long-limbed bodies and why, despite all the differences between human beings, it makes no sense to talk about races. And then, diseases, epidemics such as the plague and the exception of individuals with the same DNA: homozygous twins. We also go to ancient cemeteries in search of the deadly microbe responsible for the Black Death to understand if this or other epidemics could return to exterminate humanity.

Alberto Angela narrates one of the most famous dramatic events in history: the eruption of Vesuvius which in 79 AD destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, obliterating these two cities of the Roman Empire. The 24 hours preceding the eruption of Vesuvius seen through the story of two families, one from Herculaneum and one from Pompeii who lived on the slopes of Vesuvius, unaware of the imminent catastrophe. The story will develop in the most evocative places of the two sites: the Villa dei Misteri of Pompeii, of which we will see an absolute preview of some of the wonderful recently restored frescoes and the arches of Herculaneum where almost all the inhabitants of that city died while trying to escape from the fury of the volcano, towards the sea.

An extraordinary journey by Alberto Angela to the continent furthest from us and perhaps the least known: Australia. Why was it discovered just 250 years ago? Why are there animals very different from other continents? What is Ayers Rock, the enormous rock block located in the center of the continent, and why is it considered a sacred place by Aboriginal people? Is it true that Giuseppe Garibaldi was in Australia? These are some of the many curiosities that the episode answers. Just two and a half centuries ago, until James Cook's expedition, Australia was not even suspected of existence; and even today its interior - the so-called outback - behind the large coastal cities remains almost completely uninhabited and largely unexplored. There are many wonders and surprises that Ulysses reserves for us on this journey to discover the lesser-known aspects of Australia.

In this episode of "Ulisse" we will talk about what the Hill is at the center of the news today: the Quirinale: what is its history? Which kings lived there? How does the President of the Republic live? How many people work there? It will be a journey behind the scenes into the heart of our institutions and the history of the Palace.

Pharaoh Ramesses II, who lived 3200 years ago, is the greatest of the Egyptian pharaohs, considered a bit like the Sun King of the time, who like Louis XIV reigned for a very long period, over 67 years. The era of Ramesses is that of Egypt's greatest splendor. Throughout the Nile Valley his face is carved everywhere in stone. Among the many temples, colossal statues and obelisks that bear his name, the most grandiose work is the temple of Abu Simbel, the protagonist of an unprecedented operation in the 1960s: that of being sawn into many pieces and moved more high to prevent the waters of the Nile, following the construction of a dam, from submerging it. With Alberto Angela we will follow the events of this undertaking considered almost impossible at the time. We will also see Ramesses' tomb. Each pharaoh was concerned with building the home where he would live forever, surrounded by the objects dearest to him, gold, gems and furnishings.

Invisible but very powerful, microorganisms have always been our life companions. Alberto Angela proposes a journey to discover infinitely small creatures, showing how our life, but sometimes also our death, depends on them. The journey of "Ulisse" begins in Benin, a very poor country which like many other places on the planet represents the "front line" of the fight against microbes and viruses. And international organizations operate here which have saved many children through vaccinations. But how and when did humanity begin to use vaccines? In "Ulysses", a documentary brings to life a "revolutionary" moment: the one in which Luis Pasteur tries the impossible to save the life of a child bitten by a dog suffering from rabies. An episode that will forever change not only the lives of the people involved but also our relationship with diseases. And, today, how can we protect ourselves from infections? What precautions to use? How effective are simple gestures like washing your hands?

What pressures act behind the choice of a person to marry? What are the chances of keeping the promise of loyalty? Or to cheat? And what allows the union to last? Starting from a wedding reception, the episode of Ulisse will observe the particular relationship that is established between two people. And it will also explore the way in which sexuality is experienced at various ages, from childhood to older age, also following the small stories of the guests.

In this episode Alberto Angela offers us a fascinating journey into the minds of animals. How many times, looking at your dog or your cat, have you asked yourself: who knows what he thinks, and what he would say if he could speak like us. Well, many researchers have asked themselves the same question, in particular neuroscientists and animal behavior specialists; and not only for dogs and cats but for many species. Today we know that the minds of animals are similar to ours in many respects, and behaviors that once seemed mysterious to us, or that we misinterpreted, finally have an explanation.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, a chapter in the history of pre-unification Italy in many ways surprising and little known. In fact, among all the Italian Kingdoms, that of the Two Sicilies was by far the largest, richest and most populated. Almost 10 million people, that is to say one in three inhabitants of our peninsula, lived under the aegis of the House of Bourbon. And Naples was the heart of this kingdom: it was one of the largest cities in Europe, second only to Paris, the fifth in the world, a destination for scholars and travelers of the time. In this episode we will discover why the Bourbon kings, as loved and respected sovereigns, were then fiercely fought by their people and why their kingdom, rich in economic records, technological achievements and cultural treasures, has gone down in history as a closed and retrograde world , responsible for the evils that still afflict our south.

Paris, its secrets and its wonders. The Bridges of Paris and the Seine have been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Alberto Angela, aboard a vintage boat, travels along the Seine, using the river as a journey through time. He explores Paris in various stages: from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, to the Eiffel Tower, to the towers of the spectacular Nôtre Dame Cathedral. The appointment with the Eiffel Tower is unmissable, as told by Alberto Angela in all its details, and the surprising transformations of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century: from the birth of the department stores to the many attractions of Montmartre, to the cafés of the Latin Quarter. And then the changes that occurred in the twentieth century: from Beaubourg to Défense.

Alberto Angela recounts what has been defined as "Italian Normandy"; the arrival of allied troops on the beaches of Anzio, near Rome. On January 22, 1944, when 40,000 men landed on the coast of Lazio, a few hours' drive from Rome, the German army was taken by surprise. The road to Rome seems open. But the man in command of the army, General John Porter Lucas, is instead convinced that he is facing a crushing defeat. The overall objective is the city of Rome, the main prize of the Italian Campaign. Would Rome become the first European capital liberated from Nazism? How long would it have taken to break the German Army's resistance? And what price would the population have paid?

Alberto Angela guides viewers on a journey to Andalusia to discover a region shaped over the centuries by a succession of civilizations that have overlapped with each other and which, despite their differences, have managed to coexist peacefully. Moving from Seville to Cordoba, from Granada to Ronda, we see for example how Christian churches have become mosques and then churches again, remaining intact in their structures and indeed enriching themselves from an architectural and decorative point of view. Names, words, customs have remained unchanged despite the succession of different and apparently opposing cultures. An era of peaceful coexistence that seems to have no equal in today's world. These are the main places told by Alberto Angela: in Seville the Alcazar, the Cathedral, the Plaza de España and the Casa de Pilatos; in Cordoba the Mezquita; in Granada the Alhambra and the Royal Chapel.

"Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta" brings to life an extraordinary adventure. An adventure that we have all gone through, but which we cannot remember in part, or which we have spent with such enthusiasm that we cannot understand its significance: we are talking about the adventure of growing up, from birth to that shocking period that is 'adolescence.

Alberto Angela takes us on an extraordinary journey to discover the thousand secrets of Naples, a city that reserves constant surprises. Between a ride in the most beautiful subway in the world or in the old but very efficient funiculars, and one in the extraordinary University Museums, Angela takes us to discover a city that reserves constant surprises. Then the Sansevero Chapel, with the extraordinary statue of the Veiled Christ, commissioned by the famous prince of Sansevero and again in the splendid halls of the Royal Palace to speak of the glorious past of the city. Naples, founded by the Greeks, then "welcomed" the Romans, the Byzantines, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, and the Bourbons and they all left beautiful traces of their passage both in the urban fabric but also more so in the language and traditions.

In the company of Alberto Angela we travel in the middle of the tropical jungle, the green ring straddling the Equator between the Tropic of Cancer and that of Capricorn. This is 8% of the emerged land of our planet and it is our lungs: the tropical forest is one of the environments richest in life on the planet. It has been calculated that on an area of a few square kilometers of forest in Central America, 125 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 100 species of reptiles, 60 species of amphibians and almost 40,000 species of insects can be found. Among them there are legendary animals such as tarantulas, which can reach 12 cm in length, the anaconda which can reach 8 meters and the boa constrictor which reaches 2 and a half metres. Then there are felines such as the jaguar in America, the leopard and the tiger in Asia.

Writing paper, reading paper, money paper, wrapping paper, wallpaper, kitchen paper, even construction paper and toilet paper. But also letters, diaries, coasters, birth certificates, board games, business cards, photographs and tea bags... An ancient material that we have always used and whose consumption shows no signs of decreasing, but which over the centuries has evolved to become almost 100% recyclable and reusable. A fiction will reconstruct the environment of the first medieval European paper mills, born here in Italy, in Fabriano, when the paper, which is of Chinese origin, after crossing the Arab world, arrives in the West. We will discover in the Tuscan industrial center of Capannori, near Lucca, that Italy is a world leader in paper production: a sort of economic lung from which a large part of the handkerchiefs (and not only) produced in the world come.

The history of Man can be seen as a succession of conquests: we never think about the history of colors and yet it has changed our lives. "The conquest of colours" is a journey to discover how our world has been enriched with millions of shades over the centuries, thanks to the appearance of increasingly bright hues and colours. We will start from the Paleolithic, when humanity could essentially only have three colours: black, ocher and white. And we will continue to discover how the deep Egyptian blue, the first synthetic color in history, and the elegant purple of the Phoenicians and Romans were then added. We will see how the great glass masters learned to flood the cathedrals with colored lights, and how the greatest artists of the past obtained their colors using precious stones, such as lapis lazuli from which the blue used for example by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel was obtained.

Alberto Angela will accompany us on a journey through time spanning over two thousand years, during which we will discover Carthage, the queen of the Mediterranean, with its large fleet, and Republican Rome, at the time still a young power on the rise which, thanks to the strength of its legions, it had recently managed to impose its hegemony over a large part of the Italian peninsula. Through graphic reconstructions and re-enactments, Alberto Angela will make us relive the most dramatic moments of the centuries-old war from the inside, taking us to some of the most representative places of this crucial conflict: from the shores of Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal's army defeated the Roman legions led by the consul Flaminius, to the Sepulcher of the Scipioni, on the Via Appia Antica, one of the most evocative testimonies of the Rome of the Scipioni. But our journey will above all be an opportunity to retrace the life and deeds of Hannibal, one of the greatest leaders of antiquity.

Ulysses' two-stage journey to Puglia begins from Castel del Monte - the pleasure of discovery during which Alberto Angela will travel the roads that lead from the Gargano to Salento to revive the splendors of this land rich in history, culture and art. Many beauties that the centuries and the people who have inhabited this territory have left as testimony. The first stage of this journey started from Castel del Monte, to then pass by the Museum of Ostuni and admire the sea of the Gargano and Tremiti, but also the caves of Castellana.

Alberto Angela is at the helm of this second episode once again dedicated to the splendors and history of Puglia. We start from Salento, and in particular from the city of Lecce: the host guides us through the buildings of the Baroque era, passing through streets, palaces and churches, arriving at the main square where the remains of a Roman amphitheater are preserved. Subsequently, the processing of papier-mâché is illustrated, inside an ancient laboratory: it is a characteristic art of the place, very useful for creating the statues of saints carried in processions. "Ulysses, The pleasure of discovery" then offers the opportunity to enter the basilica of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, in Galatina, and to learn about the meaning of the taranta rite. He reaches the sea, to explore the caves of Zinzulusa and the waters of Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca.

In this episode, "Ulisse" takes us into the fascinating world of nature. Led by Alberto Angela, we make a curious exploration through two very distant but parallel worlds.

This episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" guides us through the 5 most dramatic years in the history of the United States of America; the years of the Civil War, of the free North against the slave South. A conflict that will cause more deaths than all the others ever fought by the United States combined, including World Wars I and II.

A long journey back almost two centuries, a period in which the sea was still an unexplored world and was believed to be inhabited by extraordinary creatures and populated with myths and legends. Alberto Angela will accompany spectators to discover one of the masterpieces of world literature: Moby Dick. The novel written by Herman Melville in 1851 is one of the most famous and read books in the world. Little known, however, is the fact that, to write Moby Dick, Melville was inspired by a true story: the sinking of the US whaler Essex in the Pacific, due to the attack of an enormous sperm whale.

A few steps from Rome is the largest archaeological site on the planet (150 hectares) yet little known to the general public: Ostia antica with its ancient port. Tourists who, upon arriving in Rome, give up visiting the remains of the ancient town do not know that in Ostia it is possible to see how society was organized and how daily life took place in the times of the empire.

"Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" presents the story of St. Peter's Basilica, whose door is the first to be opened as a rite that will begin the Holy Year. Alberto Angela retraces the history of this great church going back in time to two thousand years ago, going down with the cameras to the place where it all originated: the tomb of Saint Peter.

For many centuries, Rome has been a destination for millions of tourists every year. What attracts them are the archaeological remains of the empire, the artistic wonders that have overlapped over the centuries, but also (and above all) its being the center of Christianity. During the episode, Alberto Angela takes a journey to the many places, monuments and buildings that have made the history of Christianity. The journey touches the main Basilicas but also more secluded, hidden corners of the city, where there are important testimonies of the history of the Church.

Ulisse takes us to high altitude scenarios, among snow-capped peaks, glaciers, green valleys; discovering the Alps, the natural border of our country and the highest mountain range on the European continent. With the three champions, Bianco, Cervino and Monte Rosa. Thanks to spectacular films, we travel through places that we seem to know quite well only to discover, instead, that they are a world full of curiosities and surprises. In fact, every step, peak, valley has a story to tell.

Alberto Angela takes us on a grandiose journey into one of the most crucial periods in the history of Rome: the birth of the Empire. Through the images of the film "Il Destino di Roma", we get to know the protagonists of those years more closely. From Bruto and Cassio to Antonio and Cleopatra. It is a historical reconstruction, if you want a film, with real actors, but with places reconstructed on the computer.

The cameras of "Ulisse" guide us in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi. Let's discover the traditional saint, admirably depicted in Giotto's cycle in the basilica of Assisi. But we also try to reveal the more human side of Francesco, a man with the same passions as him, even heated ones. We know his enemies and his friends, such as Santa Chiara, also from Assisi, founder of the female equivalent of the Franciscan order.

In this episode Alberto Angela takes us to discover one of the most famous and important characters of the ancient world: Alessandro Magno. Our journey begins in Pompei: inside the house of the Faun there is one of the most famous mosaics in history: that of the "Battle of Issus" which illustrates the clash between the army of Alexander the Great and the Persian army of Darius. Venerated by his soldiers for his courage and generosity, but also capable of excesses and uncontrollable outbursts of anger, this young ruler originally from Macedonia, a small kingdom in northern Greece, represented the ideal model for centuries of the great leader, fueling legends and tales from the Mediterranean to India.

One hundred and fifty years ago the annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy took place. To commemorate the anniversary, Ulisse will travel to this region, one of the richest in history, culture and art in our country. One of the most productive in Europe. The journey will be divided into two episodes: in the first of the two episodes, Alberto Angela will start from Lake Garda, the westernmost tip of the region, until reaching the Brenta Riviera with its stupendous villas. The journey will pass through splendid cities: Roman Verona, Palladio's Vicenza and Galileo's places in Padua.

One hundred and fifty years ago the annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy took place. To commemorate the anniversary, "Ulisse" takes a journey to this region, one of the richest in history, culture and art in our country. One of the most productive in Europe.

Today there are over 7 billion people living on earth. There are in fact 7 billion Homo Sapiens, the dominant species on the planet, so much so that we are used to thinking of Earth as our world. Our house. But it wasn't always like this. "Ulisse" takes us back in time hundreds of thousands of years, when the Sapiens were not alone.

It is the force of nature par excellence, the source of ancient human wonder: it is fire. Lighting a fire means igniting life, opening up new possibilities and giving birth to new objects. We tell you what are the "children of fire" that we hold in our hands every day: glasses, terracotta objects, rails, tracks, firearms and all those objects that we owe to the industrial revolution.

We have always been used to thinking of the deserts of our planet as places with an infinite horizon but without life. We set off with Alberto Angela for an extraordinary journey around our planet, a journey between horizons that seem infinite, under a blinding sun, listening to the wind, in the company of the sound of silence. We explore enchanted landscapes where nothing and no one can stand still. It turns out that in the desert everything moves, the sand, the animals, the plants. And especially men.

In this episode, Alberto Angela proposes a singular journey among the hidden surprises of Rome. "The fourth day" is what tourists always miss. Travel agencies reserve a short time for visiting the city, just three days. In this way many wonders of the capital, suggestive and fascinating like the famous ones, remain hidden. Alberto Angela "reveals" the fourth day, so to speak, hunting for the masterpieces hidden for centuries in the eternal city. Password: what's beyond that facade?

DNA: the most surprising "invention" of nature and evolution, the true director that allows everything that lives to exist. In fact, DNA is the key that opens the doors to our past and allows us to discover a lot about everyone's behavior, on how to protect ourselves with new treatments and medicines, and even on how to unmask a murderer, or manage to reconstruct the appearance of disappeared living beings. Alberto Angela explains why in some areas of the world there are mainly people with light complexions, or almond-shaped eyes, or long-limbed bodies and why, despite all the differences between human beings, it makes no sense to talk about races. And then, diseases, epidemics such as the plague and the exception of individuals with the same DNA: homozygous twins. We also go to ancient cemeteries in search of the deadly microbe responsible for the Black Death to understand if this or other epidemics could return to exterminate humanity.

With Alberto Angela we take a journey into a disappeared world that is talked about a lot but little is known: love in the times of the ancient Romans. There are many curiosities to satisfy: how did people kiss 2000 years ago in the alleys of ancient Rome? How did we love 2000 years ago in these houses? Did you bring roses to your girlfriend? What tricks did a woman use to seduce a man? And to cheat on her husband? How did you get married? Were wedding rings used? Is it true that it was easy to get divorced? And then what were the taboos under the covers?

Canada, a journey of five thousand kilometres. Endless forests, lakes, whales, bears, boundless and sparsely inhabited spaces. Canada has nature as its absolute protagonist.

The Rocky Mountains and the parks of Alberta, majestic and uncontaminated landscapes: the second part of Alberto Angela's trip to Canada starts from here. A five thousand kilometer long journey, to discover a country in which the differences between the various ethnic groups are an integral and fundamental part of the nation's identity. Starting from the search for the mythical Northwest Passage, in Drumheller, near Calgary, Alberto Angela takes us to an ancient mine, where Italian emigrants also went to work for decades and where large dinosaur skeletons were found and housed in a museum. everything to visit. In conclusion, the landing in Vancouver, on the Pacific: a city by the sea, famous for its livability, its skyline, the Science Museum and the anthropology museum.

A leap into the past of almost 2000 years that takes us along the borders of the Roman Empire and shows us how the borders were organized on the borders of a boundless empire.

Alberto Angela tells us the history and origin of the Metals of Kings: Gold, Silver and Copper. We begin this journey from the Royal Palace of Turin, the Royal Palace of Savoy: it is here that the treasures of the earth were transformed into the treasures of the Kings of Italy, shining and celebrating the magnificence of the Court.

Alberto Angela takes us on a journey to the Wild West: between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast where law and right were unable to guarantee protection to the men of that era who had to rely only on their own strength.

"Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta" brings to life an extraordinary adventure. An adventure that we have all gone through, but which we cannot remember in part, or which we have spent with such enthusiasm that we cannot understand its significance: we are talking about the adventure of growing up, from birth to that shocking period that is 'adolescence.

In this episode of "Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta", Alberto Angela tells us the story of Gaio Giulio Cesare Ottaviano, better known as Augusto, the man who changed history, transforming Rome from a Republic into an Empire.

It is surprising how living beings are able to adapt to the most extreme situations and the most inhospitable places on the planet and even manage to live there: from the fiery deserts of Iran, Libya and the United States, up to the Danakil plateaus.

This episode retraces the dramatic shipwreck of the largest and most elegant of our transatlantic liners, the Andrea Doria. A story that sixty years later still arouses great emotion throughout Italy. The Andrea Doria was a jewel of our navy, a very luxury ship, considered unsinkable due to the technical innovations with which she had been built. And in these days an exhibition is also inaugurated at the Galata Museo del Mare in Genoa which tells the story of this beautiful and unfortunate ship.

Alberto Angela takes us on an extraordinary journey to discover the thousand secrets of Naples, a city that reserves constant surprises. Between a ride in the most beautiful subway in the world or in the old but very efficient funiculars, and one in the extraordinary University Museums, Angela takes us to discover a city that reserves constant surprises. Then the Sansevero Chapel, with the extraordinary statue of the Veiled Christ, commissioned by the famous prince of Sansevero and again in the splendid halls of the Royal Palace to speak of the glorious past of the city. Naples, founded by the Greeks, then "welcomed" the Romans, the Byzantines, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, and the Bourbons and they all left beautiful traces of their passage both in the urban fabric but also more so in the language and traditions.

Alberto Angela invites us on an extraordinary journey in the footsteps of a protagonist of history, a man who many consider the father of modern Europe: Charlemagne. We are surprised by the many adventures of the famous ruler, discovering his conquests, his life and his countless loves. Through his events we also discover how daily life took place in the Middle Ages.

Alberto Angela embarks on a great journey through past civilizations and their enigmas, exploring one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the world, in the heart of the Pacific Ocean: Easter Island.

The story of the Roman slave Spartacus: the indomitable fighter who decided to rebel against his destiny as a slave is at the center of this episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta". Alberto Angela recounts the rise of this warrior from Thrace who, endowed with immense physical strength and enlisted as a gladiator, organized a revolt against Rome destined to remain, due to his greatness and violence, in history. From the amphitheater of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, in the province of Caserta, a stadium capable of accommodating 40 thousand people, we delve into the history of the Roman arenas, places of tragedy and pain but which for centuries served as the backdrop to the most loved and appreciated shows of the whole Mediterranean: the gladiatorial games.

This episode of "Ulisse" makes us relive the glory and fall of one of the most sumptuous courts of the 19th century: that of the Romanovs. Alberto Angela, in the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale, in Piedmont, talks about this court that reigned over an immense territory without however managing to govern it, closed in its own splendor and impenetrable to the anger and hunger of its people, which would open the doors to the influence of a dubious and discussed character, and still not definitively deciphered: Rasputin. A name inextricably linked to the Romanovs: no one was ever so skilled at bewitching men and women of power without the help of a noble title and with a very limited education. Who was? A healer? A boaster? And what were the relations with the imperial family? Thanks to historical re-enactments and a documentary we tell the parable of a family and an Empire, until the dawn of the First World War.

This episode of "Ulisse" follows the thread of the story of one of the most important Italian novels of all time: "The Name of the Rose". Who were the scribe monks? Why were they so fundamental in the transmission of our country's culture? And why did some books never reach us? Alberto Angela, from Subiaco, where Saint Benedict founded the famous convent, retraces the plot of the book by Umberto Eco, a worldwide publishing success, and the film by Jean Jacques Annaud with Sean Connery as the protagonist. What was daily life like inside the Abbeys in the Late Middle Ages? What role did these buildings have, which at the time functioned like real companies? There is also talk of forbidden books and the inquisition, with a mystery to be solved in the background.

One of the most famous paintings in the world is at the center of this fourth episode: the Mona Lisa. Who really was the Mona Lisa? Alberto Angela, from the places where Leonardo lived and painted his masterpieces, takes us on a journey through the history of art and, in front of the painting in the Louvre, makes us understand why it is the most famous painting in the world, the most reproduced, and what is so unique and special about this woman who has enchanted courts around the world for 6 centuries.

This episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" is dedicated to the tragic news of recent months: the earthquake that tore through Italy last autumn/winter. Thanks to the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, we are witnessing the recovery of important works of art and the safeguarding of our historical and artistic heritage wounded and scarred by these catastrophic events of recent months.

This episode of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" guides us through the 5 most dramatic years in the history of the United States of America; the years of the Civil War, of the free North against the slave South. A conflict that will cause more deaths than all the others ever fought by the United States combined, including World Wars I and II.

Invisible but very powerful, microorganisms have always been our life companions. Alberto Angela proposes a journey to discover infinitely small creatures, showing how our life, but sometimes also our death, depends on them. The journey of "Ulisse" begins in Benin, a very poor country which like many other places on the planet represents the "front line" of the fight against microbes and viruses. And international organizations operate here which have saved many children through vaccinations. But how and when did humanity begin to use vaccines? In "Ulysses", a documentary brings to life a "revolutionary" moment: the one in which Luis Pasteur tries the impossible to save the life of a child bitten by a dog suffering from rabies. An episode that will forever change not only the lives of the people involved but also our relationship with diseases. And, today, how can we protect ourselves from infections? What precautions to use? How effective are simple gestures like washing your hands?

Alberto Angela takes us on a journey to the borders of the Roman Empire to narrate the moment in which the latter reached the peak of power and expansion with the conquest of Dacia. An exciting story, which has changed the destiny of millions of people over the centuries, pointing the compass towards a specific era: that of Emperor Traiano, of whom this year marks the anniversary of his death which occurred 1900 years ago.

From the Castrum of the ancient Romans to the castles of the 17th century. From the first forms of defense and fortification such as the famous walls of Jericho, Troy and Mycenae to the sumptuous Castles of Sissi and Ludwig in Bavaria. Few know that Italy has over 20,000 sites including fortifications, defensive walls and castles. Ulisse, the pleasure of discovery accompanies you on a unique journey to discover this artistic, architectural and historical heritage, told through the stories, legendary or true, of the rich inhabitants who lived there over the various centuries both in Italy and in Europe. King Arthur, Paolo and Francesca, the Baroness of Carini, Mary Stuart, the Borgias, Sissi and Ludwig and many others.

The most impressive military landing recorded in history: 160 thousand soldiers, 11 thousand planes and almost 7 thousand boats of all types. It's D-Day, the longest day. Thousands of young American, English and Canadian soldiers wrote one of the most important pages of the Second World War. While the pale light of dawn spread over the Channel, the largest amphibious invasion force ever assembled up to that moment lands on the coasts of Normandy: it is June 6, 1944. Alberto Angela from the places of the landing on the coasts of Normandy will reconstruct the crucial moments of the D-Day through exclusive testimonies of the last survivors.

The most impressive military landing recorded in history: 160 thousand soldiers, 11 thousand planes and almost 7 thousand boats of all types. It's D-Day, the longest day. Thousands of young American, English and Canadian soldiers wrote one of the most important pages of the Second World War. While the pale light of dawn spread over the Channel, the largest amphibious invasion force ever assembled up to that moment lands on the coasts of Normandy: it is June 6, 1944. Alberto Angela, from the places of the landing on the coasts of Normandy, will reconstruct the moments crucial through exclusive testimonies of the last survivors. Ulisse reached these ex-boyfriends in their homes: in France, in England, in the United States but also in Germany, where Alberto Angela met, among others, the young German sentry who on the night of the operation, on the famous Pegasus Bridge, spotted the first allied soldiers and fired the first flare into the air.

Alberto Angela takes us on a very special journey to discover the most famous monument of ancient Rome: the Colosseum. For almost two thousand years its mighty mass has stood out in the panorama of Rome, and even today this exceptional construction leaves millions of visitors amazed (over 6 million in 2016) from all over the world. For the preview with Ulisse we look out from the magnificent attic of the Amphitheater with its breathtaking view which will also be open to the public from early November. How was the Colosseo built and why? This is what we discover together with Alberto Angela who tells us the stories of the three great emperors who were decisive for the construction of this wonder of antiquity. Three names that still echo today in history books: Nerone, Vespasiano and Tito.

In a truly extraordinary journey, with Alberto Angela, "Ulisse" passes from one island to another: starting from the Isola Maggiore of Lake Trasimeno, the program tells the thousand stories of which the many islands on earth are the protagonists. born suddenly, disappeared slowly, changed over time due to natural events.

"I only followed orders", is the typical excuse advanced by Nazi criminals. And Hermann Göring and Adolf Eichmann, two figures of the Nazi regime responsible for crimes against humanity, also justified themselves with this sentence. Alberto Angela, with the help of two dramas, reconstructs the personalities and history of the two Nazi hierarchs also through the story of the trials in which they were accused and which finally brought justice to millions of victims.

A journey between the Renaissance, the 1600s, the 1700s and the entire 19th century. In this episode of Ulisse we will explore places such as Palazzo Farnese, Palazzo Barberini, Villa Medici, passing through Villa Torlonia, Villa Farnesina and finally the Casina del bel Breath in Villa Doria Pamphili. In each of these places you will find the wonders hidden in Raphael's frescoes, Bernini's staircases and Borromini's works. In fact, it is precisely through the explanation of these works that Alberto Angela will reveal to us the power games of papal Rome. Each noble family tried to extend its dominion over Rome through the election of one of its members to the office of pontiff. In fact, each pope then started works and commissions that brought masterpieces of all sorts to the capital.

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A long journey back almost two centuries, a period in which the sea was still an unexplored world and was believed to be inhabited by extraordinary creatures and populated with myths and legends. Alberto Angela will accompany spectators to discover one of the masterpieces of world literature: Moby Dick. The novel written by Herman Melville in 1851 is one of the most famous and read books in the world. Little known, however, is the fact that, to write Moby Dick, Melville was inspired by a true story: the sinking of the US whaler Essex in the Pacific, due to the attack of an enormous sperm whale.

50 years after the event that marked the history of medicine, the program dedicates an episode to one of the most shocking medical achievements of the last century: that of allowing a person to live by removing their diseased heart and putting the heart of another in its place. Something that no one in the past could have even imagined and which was achieved in December 1967 by an unknown South African surgeon who later went down in history: his name was Christiaan Barnard. The program will tell his story, and above all the behind the scenes of the first heart transplant ever performed on a human being. We will follow the operation step by step thanks to a fascinating filmed reconstruction of Wall to Wall directed by Patrick Reams. we will also see original film documents, shot in Cape Town, with the protagonists of this great adventure: doctors and patients of the time. The stories of some Italian patients who live today with the heart of another person will also be told.

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We cannot remember the most intense period of our lives, that of the most surprising discoveries, of unstoppable progress, of dizzying goals. These are the first two years after birth, about 700 wonderful days that, even without remembering them, we sometimes partially relive as adults, observing a small human being growing up.

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Alberto Angela takes us on a grandiose journey into one of the most crucial periods in the history of Rome: the birth of the Empire. Through the images of the film "Il Destino di Roma", we get to know the protagonists of those years more closely. From Bruto and Cassio to Antonio and Cleopatra. It is a historical reconstruction, if you want a film, with real actors, but with places reconstructed on the computer.

Paris, its secrets and its wonders. The Bridges of Paris and the Seine have been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Alberto Angela, aboard a vintage boat, travels along the Seine, using the river as a journey through time. He explores Paris in various stages: from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, to the Eiffel Tower, to the towers of the spectacular Nôtre Dame Cathedral. The appointment with the Eiffel Tower is unmissable, as told by Alberto Angela in all its details, and the surprising transformations of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century: from the birth of the department stores to the many attractions of Montmartre, to the cafés of the Latin Quarter. And then the changes that occurred in the twentieth century: from Beaubourg to Défense.

Renzo, Lucia and Alberto Angela: "Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta" travels through the pages of I promessi sposi, Alessandro Manzoni's masterpiece. It is not a school reading, but the fresco of an entire era: the seventeenth century. Alberto Angela demonstrates how the author used very accurate documentation concerning first of all the habits and customs of the time and the great historical events: the famine, the plague, the Thirty Years' War, the spinning mills, the duels. All these aspects are also explored in depth with the help of the Rai drama directed by Salvatore Nocita in 1989. Even more surprising is the correspondence of some characters in the novel with real-life figures: Don Rodrigo and the Unnamed are not only the fruit of Manzoni's imagination, but they are present - albeit with other names - in the "black" chronicles of the seventeenth century.

In this episode of "Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta", Alberto Angela takes us on a journey to the limits of what the human body can do. Let's try to understand if there are, and where they are, the limits of our organism. We meet extraordinary people, capable of incredible feats, and the researchers who study to understand how they do it. But we also meet those who experience the challenge of overcoming a limitation of the body every day, and we discover some of the technological solutions being worked on to allow the body to recover lost functions. This journey, however, has a peculiarity: Alberto Angela takes us by the hand towards the goals that human beings can achieve today, also keeping an eye on what our species has always dreamed of doing and which it thought was only possible for superior creatures, like gods and heroes of antiquity.

We follow Alberto Angela into the depths of the abyss. The world of the deep sea is still little known and full of surprises. We know the surface of the Moon in more detail than the depths of our seas. In this episode we discover the stories and adventures of the pioneers who led humanity to discover the oceans and their underwater world. "Challenge to the abyss" takes us on board one of the most advanced submarines of the Italian Navy, the Todaro, to discover what happens on board a modern submarine and how its crew lives.

"I know I have a fragile and delicate woman's body, but I have the stomach and heart of a king, of a king of England." These are the words of Elizabeth I, the virgin queen, protagonist of this episode of "Ulisse - Il piacere della scoperta". With the help of a drama, Alberto Angela reconstructs the life of Queen Elizabeth I Tudor from her difficult childhood to the last days of her long reign. A life lived like a Shakespearean tragedy, made up of deception, revenge in the name of religion, bloody deaths.

Alberto Angela dedicates the first of the two episodes to the beauties of Rome. But this time we will talk about a "hidden" eternal city that centuries and centuries of construction have buried. Rome under Rome. The hidden secrets of the city. They will be told through little-known locations, never-discovered treasures, secret doors and unexplored dungeons. One for all, the Baths of Trajan in the park of Colle Oppio, where the largest Roman wall mosaic ever discovered was found: 300 square meters discovered, but a part is still buried and to be brought to light. The Basilica of Porta Maggiore, discovered by chance during work on the railway viaduct leading to Termini Station. In the Appio Latino neighborhood, under a manhole, is a hypogeum hidden with magnificent frescoes, where Christian and pagan symbols mix? This too was discovered by chance, while laying the foundations of a building. Alberto Angela will make us relive the activity that he carried out in these spaces.

Second appointment with the two-episode journey of "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta" with Alberto Angela among the secrets of underground Rome. A city that never ceases to amaze us, which reveals new aspects among more recent neighborhoods with new buildings, the accumulation of debris, the raising of the walking surface which have made buildings which once constituted authentic wonders disappear underground and which sometimes they randomly re-emerge in all their splendor. This is the case of the Basilica of Porta Maggiore, discovered by chance during work on the railway viaduct leading to Termini Station. Or the hypogeum with magnificent frescoes, where Christian and pagan symbols mix, hidden under a manhole in the Appio Latino neighborhood. Or, again, of the astonishing maze of tunnels and service areas that hides underground of the grandiose Baths of Caracalla, and the small lake with pure water that was formed under ancient ruins on the Celian Hill.

An extraordinary journey by Alberto Angela to the continent furthest from us and perhaps the least known: Australia. Why was it discovered just 250 years ago? Why are there animals very different from other continents? What is Ayers Rock, the enormous rock block located in the center of the continent, and why is it considered a sacred place by Aboriginal people? Is it true that Giuseppe Garibaldi was in Australia? These are some of the many curiosities that the episode answers. Just two and a half centuries ago, until James Cook's expedition, Australia was not even suspected of existence; and even today its interior - the so-called outback - behind the large coastal cities remains almost completely uninhabited and largely unexplored. There are many wonders and surprises that Ulysses reserves for us on this journey to discover the lesser-known aspects of Australia.

Alberto Angela accompanies viewers to discover the adventurous events of a place fundamental to history, art and Christianity. A living place, not just a splendid museum. Starting from the heart of the Vatican, and then moving to Florence and London, Alberto Angela will recall characters, stories, ideas of a historical period that has so far had no equal: the Renaissance. A true journey through history, to discover the lives of the protagonists who have linked their names to the Sistine Chapel: artists such as Michelangelo, Raffaello, Botticelli, Perugino and popes such as Sisto IV, Giulio II and Leone X. Together with Alberto Angela Gigi Proietti, who will give voice to the great protagonists of the past by recounting the work and genius of those who contributed to the birth of one of the most spectacular places in the world.

This second episode of the series will be dedicated to one of the most famous and fascinating female figures in history: Queen Cleopatra. Alberto Angela will guide viewers on a real journey through time to discover the world at the time of Cleopatra, describing the fundamental stages of her existence and those events that changed the destiny of history forever, contributing to the birth of the great Roman Empire . No woman of the ancient world exercised such a strong seduction on her contemporaries, as well as on posterity, as Cleopatra: the last ruler of the powerful Egyptian dominion. Starting from the Colosseum, symbol of Roman civilisation, crossing ancient Egypt and ancient Rome and stopping at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Alberto Angela will reconstruct the life and history of the last queen of Egypt, a woman whose existence has marked the fundamental transition between the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Empire.

The episode of Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta, by Alberto Angela, is dedicated to the story of one of the most shameful events in the history of our country: the roundup of the Jews in the Rome ghetto which took place on 16 October 1943. It all began with the laws racial groups, which from one day to the next had deprived thousands of Italian citizens of many rights and freedoms simply because they were Jews. And it ended with the extermination camps from which very few had escaped after experiencing all sorts of horrors. Alberto Angela will tell the story of the events in the same places where the tragic events took place. The strong point will above all be the direct testimony of those who escaped death in the concentration camps, certain that listening to their voice will be a renewed opportunity for reflection, analysis and knowledge for viewers. Among the testimonies is that of Senator Liliana Segre.

Alberto Angela presents a new episode of "Ulisse, il piacere della scoperta", the program dedicated to history, art and culture. This fourth episode of the series will be dedicated to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as "Princess Sissi" thanks to her films played by the unforgettable Romy Schneider. Retracing the life of this fascinating and controversial historical figure, Alberto Angela will guide viewers on a journey through the sumptuous court palaces of the Habsburg dynasty. From her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph in Vienna until her dramatic death in 1898 in Geneva at the hands of an Italian anarchist, Sissi was for many a symbol of female independence in a century of great social transformations. Her rebellious nature, in contrast with the rigid conventions of the court, foreshadowed the end of the old world decades in advance.