All language subtitles for italy4

So here we are in Milan,

the fashion and industrial
powerhouse of Italy.

I've only been to Milan
a few times

and always in passing.

I've never stayed here long
enough

to really get a sense of it.

The first thing that
strikes you about Milan

is its dynamism.

No wonder espresso was
invented here.

I think I might need a few of
these

just to keep up with
the rhythm of the city,

but do the
hard-working Milanese

bring as much to the Italian
table

as they do
to the country's economy?

I'm Stanley Tucci.
I'm Italian on both sides

and I'm travelling
across Italy to discover

how the food in each
of this country's 20 regions

is as unique as the people
and their past.

That's delicious.

Here in Milan, the menu
is nothing like you expect.

Up here in the north,
forget about pasta and pizza.

Oh my god, that's so beautiful.
Perfecto .

This is the land of rice and
polenta.

-Polenta in the ancient time,
it was like the bread.

-People from south of Italy
call us 'Polentoni'.

[TUCCI] There isn't even
a tomato in sight...

This is amazing.

And olive oil
plays second fiddle to butter.

-Butter, a lot of butter.
-Jesus.

Woah, Jesus.

Warning - irresponsible
amounts of butter

were used in the
making of this program.

OK. I hate to say it but...

we need more butter.

Milan is the second biggest
city in Italy.

It's the capital of Lombardy -

a region in the north
of the peninsula,

the gateway to Northern Europe

and all of the trade money
that that brings.

Sophisticated,

elegant,

and rich.

Milan is the epicentre of
design,

fashion,

and finance.

The most iconic visual
representation of Milan's power

is its cathedral -

the biggest church
in the whole of Italy.

This breath-taking
architectural jewel

with its forest of spires
pointing upwards

is the perfect metaphor
for Milanese ambition.

Where are you taking me Beppe?

-It's a very--
-Up. Just up.

-It's a good place.
-Yeah?

One of my favourite
Italian writers

has spent his whole life
in Milan.

Beppe Severgnini is a regular
New York Times columnist.

-Milan loves the future.

-He is a master
at explaining Italians

to the rest of the world

and I want him to tell me
all I need to know about Milan.

-Welcome to Milan's
first ever skyscraper.

-Even better,

he has the keys to the most
exclusive rooftop in the city.

It's extraord-- It's like a
city unto itself isn't it?

In miniature. Wow.

-It's amazing,
it's like a sandcastle

in the middle of
a European city.

And this was started
in the late 14th Century

and it's never finished. Never.
-Never been finished.

I've been told that Milan
is always looking forward,

more so than
other Italian cities.

-Absolutely,
I love Milan because

the success of Milan
in my view

is you walk around
and you actually hear

all these fantastic
Italian accents

from Sicily to Trentino Alto
Adige near the Alps.

-Yeah.
-And all these young people

coming from all over Europe
and bringing new ideas.

-What are the politics like
here now?

It's tricky. It's--
Milan is center-left,

the rest of Lombardy
is solidly on the right.

Actually - the League,
which many people think can...

You know the League can be
very unpleasant, the leaders,

but the voters of the league
are alright.

But the good thing of Milan
is that normally in Italy

if you have a right-wing region
and a left-wing town

they'll spend their time
annoying each other,

boycotting each other.

-And nobody wins.
-And nobody wins.

-In Milan they decided,

look, Milan is more important
and wealth is more important

because Milan,
like the Americans,

oh they know about money

and money is serious stuff here.

Food is important,
money is important.

-What's the thing
that separates the cuisine

of Lombardy?

-In Milan it's food for work -

It's risotto, it's cotolette,
it's meat

it's like something that
will keep you going

and keep working in the cold.

-It's more Swiss or Germanic
almost in its...

-Don't say this to an Italian.
-[LAUGHS]

No never, I would never do that.
Never do that.

Traditionally, food has never
been a focus of this city -

I think people are probably
too busy making money

to worry about what's for
dinner.

Despite this, Milan is
a trailblazing city at heart,

so in the past few years
it's become a culinary Mecca.

Cesare Battisti is one
of the chefs responsible

for the Milan food revolution.

He's at the helm
of the buzzy Ratana' s

a restaurant
that's been making waves

on the gastronomic scene.

Even though Cesare is renowned
for being innovative,

nobody knows how to make
Milan's classic dishes like him.

-Oh my god!

That's when--
That was the record they found?

And there you have it -

proof that Milan led the way

in the invention
of the schnitzel.

Any dissenting Austrian out
there, please call me.

Or call Cesare actually,
don't call me.

So this is clarified butter.

-In this climate olive oil
gives way to butter...

Woah, Jesus!

The king ingredient
of Northern Italian cooking.

Smell that.

Dry sunny fields of olive trees

are replaced
by fertile pastures

irrigated by rivers and lakes,

perfect terrain for cattle.

When I was young we used
to have veal cutlets every week.

Love veal. I know you're
not supposed to but I love it.

I love it. Of course the rearing
practices are much better now.

Like this for instance.

In this wealthy city
humble rice is flavoured

with a spice worth more than
gold.

[TUCCI] So they used the saffron

to color the stained glass
windows in the Duomo.

Those are very expensive
windows. Yeah, yeah.

[TUCCI] Oh my god
that's so beautiful.

[CESARE] For you.

-Cheers.
-Cheers.

Proper.

It's just that little bit
thicker.

Wiener schnitzel is so thin

and it gets kind of dry.

It's so perfectly moist.

-So good! Grazie.
-You're welcome.

Cesare unlocked some
of the gastronomic secrets

of this metropolis for me.

But I hear that
to get to the heart of it

I may need to go underground.

People here are known
for their unrivalled work ethic.

They have always had to
overcome inclement weather

and build their livelihood
on treacherous marshlands.

The Milanese work hard
but they also play hard.

I've heard that within Italy,

Milan is known
as Milano da Bere -

a city to drink.

-It's very, very cool
because it's raining

it's cold but Italian people
they always go to do aperitivo.

-Aperitivo is a post-work drink
meant to whet your appetite,

or aprire l'appetitio
as the Italians say.

I'm here with Tess Masazza

who is something of an expert
on the subject.

I was watching your stuff,
so funny!

-Thank you.
-Oh my god, it's just brilliant

and you started doing it
like five years ago right?

-I started five years ago, yes.

-Tess Masazza is a Milan-based
social media sensation

who is known for her ironic
take on modern living.

Half French, half Italian,

like so many other young people
she now calls Milan her home.

-Now we are going to a bar,
a very special bar

and they do amazing cocktails.

Really?

I don't know if you know,
spritz.

-Is this the joint?
-Yes.

-Oh Jesus. Oh my god
we haven't even had a drink yet.

Spritz has taken the world
by storm...

Carefully.

...but it was originally the
quintessential Milanese drink.

[TESS] Hello. Buona sera.
[TUCCI] Buona sera.

Campari, it's main ingredient
is made here in Milan.

[TUCCI] Great, thank you.
[TESS] Thank you so much.

-Cheers. -Cheers. -Salute.
-Salute.

[TESS] Here, you have aperitivo
with a drink and you can eat.

-Yeah. -And you go back home
and you don't have to cook.

[TUCCI] That's fine. Oh thank
you.
Oh there's the food.

[TESS] So you eat and you are
more hungry so you eat again.

-Every time you order a drink
you get this?

-It's fantastic, yes. -Yeah.
No, it's amazing. It's amazing.

A lot of Milanese
take their work so seriously

that they hardly stop for lunch.

No wonder they need
an aperitivo

at the end of their day.

Luckily this led to

a revolutionary
Milanese invention

we're all grateful for -

the Happy Hour.

-Milan is very famous also
for the secret bars

-Yeah?
-And...

I love it because it's like
in the movies

because to enter you have
to have a password.

-Oh I love that idea.

So it's like the old speakeasys.

-Absolutely like old speakeasys.

-But legal.
-Yes. [LAUGHS]

Maybe, I don't know.
-Maybe? [LAUGHS]

Tess has been given
the password

for a secret bar
just behind the cathedral...

[TESS] It's just here.
This is it.

[TUCCI] This is it?

and the password
is the name of the witch

once believed to be the
protector of this neighbourhood

[TUCCI] Oh, I thought
he was going to say no.

-Arima.

-Are you sure this
is the right place?

-I, I-- Yes it is.
-Yeah? Yeah.

-Oh hello. Buono sera.
Thank you.

This place is so hip

it makes me want to be
20 again...

[TESS] Wow. You like it.
-Wow.

[TUCCI] Yeah I love it.

...or 40 or even 50.
50 would be fine.

[TESS] Hi.
-Hello. Stanley.

Nice to meet you. You're
welcome.

Morris Maramaldi
is one of Milan's

most in-demand mixologists.

Let's order a drink.
What are you going to have?

[TESS] I think, I'm gonna have
the fresh mau.

[TUCCI] I'm gonna have
the martini black saffron.

[MORRIS] Martini black saffron.
-Yes please.

He's known for creating
incredible drinks with a twist.

They are site-specific.

-Oh wow. Oh I see it's black.

Morris has invented a drink

to honour
the history of this building.

That's beautiful.

This was once the residence
of coal workers.

-Remarkably, despite being
among Milan's poorest residents

they all survived
the catastrophic plague of 1630.

-They thought it was her.
They thought it was the witch

but it was the coal?
-To protect-- It was the coal.

-So this is gonna keep me
very healthy?

That's the best martini I've had
in a very long time. -Thank you.

-Wow. And you came to Milan
when?

I'm sorry.
-That's OK.

[TUCCI] No don't let him in.

I wouldn't let that guy in.

It's really interesting, there's
a forward-thinking aspect

to this city - more than I've
seen in other Italian cities.

So many people.

[TESS] They all come from
everywhere, all over.

-Yeah, because there's a lot of
work.

-You're fantastic,
you're just fantastic.

Milan is one of the fashion
capitals of the world.

The love affair between Milan
and fashion

goes back to the
middle ages

when the city was already known

for the production of luxury
garments.

When Milan became the centre
of the post-war economic boom,

here was where ordinary
Italians learned to dress.

Milan spearheaded
the revolution

that was Pret-a-Porter,
ready to wear.

I love fashion, always have.

Every movie I do, almost,
I like to have people dressing.

I think it's a really
beautiful process.

I feel very lucky

because today
I've been invited to meet

one of the most successful
fashion families in Italy.

The Missonis are known

for their instantly
recognizable colorful knitwear.

Their vibrant patterns

have revolutionized
the fashion world.

This multi-generational dynasty
built its success

on the local textile
manufacturing expertise.

30 miles north-west of Milan

next to their factory
in Sumirago

is their family home.

Buongiorno.
[ROSITA] Buongiorno!

I was going out.

[TUCCI] Let's go.
[ROSITA] Follow me.

[TUCCI] Of course,
I'll follow you anywhere.

I'm here for lunch...
And that's for the mushrooms?

... but it seems like I am going
to have to work for it.

88 year old Rosita Missoni,
the matriarch of the empire,

is taking me on a treasure hunt.

[ROSITA] Careful, eh?
Don't walk on my mushrooms.

-Tell me about when you had
your show in 1967. -Yes.

They gave us 16 models and they
didn't have the right underwear.

So I said you have
to take off your bra.

I did it spontaneously
because they had nice breasts

so I didn't see a problem.

So when the girls walked out
on the runway with the light

the clothes were transparent

and they wrote -
Missoni a Crazy Horse Collection

on The Pitti Palace Runway.

It was a coup d'etat! [LAUGHS].

It was not calculated.

-You mistakenly changed fashion.

-Exactly.
-That's fantastic.

This is what my grandfather
used to do.

Rosita is a veteran forager.

There are many varieties
of edible mushrooms in Lombardy

but for today's meal, she's
only interested in porcini.

[ROSITA] No.
-What are those? -No.

No. No.

No. That's poisonous.

[TUCCI] Is that one?
-No.

-No luck today.

But you never know, that's the
pleasure of finding mushrooms

because it's the surprise,
the emotion.

-Luckily, we're not relying
on our pickings.

Who's cooking today?
Is it your grandson?

He said he's going to
cook mushroom for us.

-Oh nice. OK good.

Rosita's grandson Francesco

is so obsessed
with his family's cooking

that he's even written
the Missoni cookbook.

-His mother Angela
now runs the company

and she's just come over
from the nearby factory

to join us in the kitchen.

[FRANCESCO] Hello. Mum, Angela.
[TUCCI] Ciao. [ANGELA] Hi.

[ANGELA] Ciao Stanley, welcome.
[TUCCI] Hi, how are you?

-We will leave her now
because she's the master.

[TUCCI] She'll kick you out
anyway.

[FRANCESCO] Yeah, yeah.

[TUCCI] This was my job
when I was a kid.

My mother would
give me the mushrooms

and I would have to
brush them off.

Not ones we found,
ones we bought

but that was my job.

What are you making?
[ANGELA] Polenta.

And what we do and this
is the recipe of the house,

I don't know where it
comes from,

we put in the water
a piece of garlic.

It will leave a flavour.

-Yeah, yeah, that's nice, yeah.

But you know a lot about
the food of Lombardy, this area.

-Polenta in the ancient times,
it was like the bread.

You eat it warm
with meat if you're lucky

or you would have
eaten it with cheese,

or you would eat it just with
butter.

Or my favourite dish as a child
was polenta e latte,

warm polenta and cold milk.

-You know, people from
south of Italy

call us from north
of Italy 'polentoni'

because we eat polenta.
-Oh is that true, really?

[ANGELA] Usually you
accompany it with juice

and in this case
we have e' un brasato.

Braised with wine,
onions, carrots, celery.

-It's been cooked
for hours and hours

at a really low temperature.

[TUCCI] My god, it just falls
apart.

[ANGELA] We are also
having pheasant,

which is a rural tradition.

[TUCCI] Oh wow,
this is beautiful, yeah.

-I'm cooking now the mushroom,
olive oil, a bit of garlic.

[TUCCI] Well this is like a
perfect autumn meal.

Gorgeous.

Lunch is nearly ready,
but before we sit down to feast

Angela's taking me for a peek
around the house.

Not too shabby.

[ANGELA] [LAUGHS]
You look at this room,

it's not that
everything is Missoni

but it's like,
if we look for things

which are part of our world,

you look at this painting
and you can say,

"Oh yes, this is part
of the Missoni world."

No, it's a Severini painting,
right?

Yeah, yeah.
-It's extraordinary.

And you grew up here?
-Yeah. -Wow.

-Nobody ever moved.

And even the kids,
the third generation,

they left and then
they all came back. Yeah.

That's nice.

[FRANCESCO] Welcome
to the family.

[TUCCI] Thank you so much,
thank you.

[FRANCESCO] Grandma's house
is like a...

[TUCCI] ...the hub of
conviviality.

One of the perks
of living close by

is that the whole family

can drop in for lunch
at grandma's.

All three generations come
together

to share meals regularly.

How many of you are
involved in the business?

-One, two, three, four-- So six.

But enough shop talk.

As if by magic
we were all drawn

to a
beautifully laid out table.

[TUCCI] So, polenta.
Oh and you wrap it in this.

Oh that's lovely.

[ANGELA] I made a point of doing
all the traditional dishes

from the house,
like brasato, fagiano...

[FRANCESCO] At least once
a year, we have this.

[TUCCI] Yes, and lots of that
beautiful sugo,

oh my god, look at that.
Oh my god.

This is very exciting.

The pheasant is incredible

because so many times
you eat pheasant

it can be so dry.

-With this sauce,
it's really, really juicy and--

-This is amazing.
When you come home for lunch

and you're working,
what do you eat usually?

-She had guests on Sunday,
we might have that on Monday.

-Might have the leftovers on
a Monday? That's not so bad.

[ROSITA] This is a typical
Sunday lunch.

-The brasato with the polenta
and the mushrooms

literally melted in my mouth.

It's always a real privilege

learning a family's
home recipes

and their kitchen secrets.

-The sun is shining.
-I know, I know,

and I'm coming back
for breakfast.

This family clearly
take their food traditions

as seriously
as their fashion creations.

That's great. Mm.

It's snowing.

That's very exciting.

The geographical diversity
of Lombardy is astonishing.

Within a few miles from Milan,

the landscape
changes dramatically.

It could snow every day
as far as I'm concerned.

Here in the Orobic Alps,
you're in a different world.

Different culture,

different values,

different pace.

No Milanese in a rush

would have the patience
to do what it takes

to create
the local culinary delicacy.

In the village of Gerola Alta

they are prepared to wait
for more than a decade

for their cheese to mature.

Paolo Ciapparelli has devoted
his whole life to Bitto,

a 2,000-year-old type of cheese
so expensive

it was never eaten
by those who made it.

Wow. And it became
the local currency.

Each of these cheese wheels
can cost up to $850,

making it one of the most
expensive cheeses

in the world.

-Wow.

The secret to this
extraordinary cheese

is that it's made
from the milk of cows

that graze on alpine grass

at different altitudes
throughout the summer.

-Can you tell by the smell?

-Really? That's amazing.

Paolo saved this cheese
from extinction

when European regulation

led to cows
being given industrial feed

in addition to grass
from the mountain pastures.

-This is a cheese
to meditate upon.

Oh my god.

It's quite beautiful.

Oh my god. 12 years?

He says it opens up his heart.

Wow, wow.

It's delicious.

This incredible cheese
would not exist

were it not for the hard work
of a near-extinct community

of alpine herders.
Cheers. Thank you.

Paolo's determination
to protect their tradition

is inspiring
and now I am inspired

to cook with this cheese.

Anyway, I think it's time
to feed the film crew,

who have been
watching me eat all day.

I don't know who these people
are.

Paparazzi in Italy,
they follow you everywhere.

I'm going to make them
one of my favourites -

pizzoccheri, a very special
kind of noodle.

I've never made it

because there isn't
a lot of wheat in this area,

they use buckwheat
which is indigenous.

It's been one of Lombardy's
top culinary delights

for over 500 years
and rightly so.

I can't get enough of it.

So now, savoy cabbage.

Sort of cut almost like the
pizzoccheri themselves.

Then the potatoes.

Like all northern dishes,
it requires lots of butter.

I love this.

And now of course,
Paolo's cheese.

OK, I hate to say it
but we need more butter.

That's why nobody who eats
pizzoccheri lives beyond

the age of 35.

See all that nice cheese
melted in there.

OK everybody just come and pick.

That's enough pizzoccheri
for like a thousand people.

Jamie, Ja-- Jamie,
give me the camera.

You eat.

Do you like it?

[JAMIE] I like it.
Thanks very much.

[TUCCI] Oh, they're eating it.

The crew is exhausted,

they're ravenous
and they're lapping it up

but will my efforts stand
the test of the locals?

The family that owns
the lodge we're staying in

have offered to be my judges,

including the octogenarian
patriarch.

-Very good.

[LAUGHS] Buonissimo.

-Don't say that because I'm
famous.

-Oh that's really good.

-No, no, oh no. Now I'm very
nervous.

-It's a good sign
if he's not saying anything.

-That's the best compliment
anybody could ever have.

[LAUGHS]

I'd like to think
it's my culinary talent

that made this dish so
successful

but my instinct is
its Paolo's cheese.

That's delicious.

I'm so glad that Paolo

saved this cheese
from extinction.

I defy anyone who
tries pizzoccheri with Bitto

not to become a cheese outlaw.

Nice boat. -Yes.
-It's nice and calm.

This is the Lombardy I know -

Lake Como.

It's sheer beauty will never
cease to amaze me.

Merely 30 miles north of Milan,
just below the Alps,

this is Lombardy's
most fabled destination.

-Let's go fishing. [LAUGHS]

-I am here with William
Cavadini,

a local textile manufacturer
with a passion for fishing.

-Como is a very important city
for the textile business.

-Yes I know, yeah. -For silk.
-For silk, yeah.

-Yes and my family is three
generations of textile business.

-Oh really?
-Yes, yes. And for that job

I travel around Europe,
Middle East

and after, I came back to Como

and decided with a few friends
to stay together

to work to help the lake.

-The few friends turned into an
association of 600 fishermen.

That's a nice one.
-Yes that is a nice one.

-They made it their job to help
the local government

enforce fishing limits
across the lake.

You can only keep fish
that are more than 6 inches long

and in limited quantities.

Are people trying
to stop fishing on the lake?

Is that what people want to do?

-What's going on
is global warming.

The lake's ecosystem
has started to have trouble

and we have to do something
to change the system.

-These fish that come
from these lakes

are really crucial to the diet
here for centuries.

-Exactly, you know
our tradition is...

...it's fantastic.

-We're gonna fish right?
I'm very excited.

I love fishing.
I never catch anything

but I love fishing.
-Today you will.

-Today I will, I hope.
-I hope.

[WILLIAM] And down.

-How do you know when you--

Can you-- You can feel it?
[WILLIAM] Yeah, you feel it.

[TUCCI] You feel the nibble.

-And when you feel--

Ah, maybe you have.

I think you have. Yes you have.
This is a nice one. [LAUGHS]

-I could feel it.
-This is a nice one.

[WILLIAM] [CHEERING] Three!

[TUCCI] That's what
I'm talking about.

[WILLIAM] Who is the president?

-Don't cut this sequence,

make sure it's in one shot
so they know.

[WILLIAM] You are invited
to my place.

I'd like to teach you

how to cook
the riso con pesce persico.

I'm very, very excited.

I've heard that,
like many people outside Milan,

William supports the League,

a political party
born here in Lombardy

demanding the independence
of the north from the south.

It's leader Matteo Salvini

has polarized the country

with his
extreme anti-immigration views.

[WILLIAM] This is the
complicated moment to clean.

[TUCCI] Just going up the spine.

I'll have to find the right
moment to broach the subject

with William while we cook.

[WILLIAM] Now you cut the head.

[TUCCI] So you don't cook
the whole fish?

[WILLIAM] You can
but we keep our tradition.

In Como, you know,
you move just 10 kilometers

and everything changes.

This is the nice
and difficulty of Italy.

I think it's something
that is the Italian DNA.

We say, it's not difficult
to govern the Italians

[LAUGHING] -You understand?

[TUCCI] Now we're gonna cook it.
[WILLIAM] We need butter.

A lot of butter.
-Woah Jesus yeah.

[WILLIAM] Sage here, with
the butter and with the garlic.

-So tell me about
the political climate

in Italy now.

-It's very difficult to make a
good government

for all the Italians...

[WILLIAM] ...because something
that is good in the south

maybe is not good in the north.

Mr. Salvini is one politician
that is born from Lega Nord

and step by step, he start
to grow also in the south.

-You worked all over the world

what do you think about

Salvini's attitude
towards immigrants?

-In Italy we don't have
the system

to bring these people
and help these people.

-But Salvini says,

don't bring
these people in at all,

stop them completely no matter
what, even if they drown,

even if-- we're not even gonna
let them off the boat.

I can understand limitations
on immigration

but it's very hard to swallow
the idea of saying

there are children and women,
maybe pregnant women,

and we're not going to let them
off the boat. -Yes Stanley,

I agree with you.

[WILLIAM] Why today I have
to say no more people here

because there is not enough
space.

We would like to have a good
drink, good food,

we don't like to fight.

It is not in our DNA.

[TUCCI] Beautiful.

You speak about Salvini -
you have to speak about rice.

Come on, not some politician,
you are Italian.

If you don't agree, you don't
have to go out from this house.

-I wanted to talk to you
about it

because I agree that

there do have to be
rules in place

however one of the reasons
America is the way it is today

is because it accepted
millions of Italian immigrants.

And that is what I think--

That's the issue I have with
Salvini

because what we're doing
is we're making an attempt

to regulate the human instinct
of saving people.

-My-- What-- Why Salvini--

Well, try because you know...

-Oh, it's really good.

Oh my god.

-Next time we'll invite Salvini,
I know him. -You do? -Yeah.

-Is he a nice guy?
-Yes, like me.

-Hmm, I'm not so sure
I would like

to come back and meet Salvini

but I'd be very happy to come
back and see William again.

I was surprised
William suggested that

as an Italian I should care
more about food than politics

because I believe the two
things are connected,

hospitality can also
be a political choice.

[TUCCI] Are you happy
to be back in lake Como?

[FELICITY] Of course I am,
it's amazing.

[TUCCI] This is where we met.
-Have you got some poetry?

-Not on me.

I tried to come to lake Como
without my wife Felicity

but she followed me.

It's one of the most beautiful
places-- -I know you have the--

-It sounds silly to say it is.
-I love that you have,

you've got this, the sun,
the lake

and then also
just the snow peaks.

-Yeah. -What is that mountain
range over there?

-That's the beginning
of the Alps.

As much as Felicity and I love
spending time here by the lake,

there is a place in Milan
I want to show her

that's doing something
extraordinary.

A restaurant in the centre

embodies the spirit
and history of Milan

like almost nowhere else.

-Angelo Bissolotti

is the mastermind
behind Osteria del Treno,

a haven for
the hard-working Milanese

in an historical venue.

[FELICITY] Felicity,

[FELICITY] Nice to meet you.

-When Angelo acquired
this place 30 years ago

his mission was to create
an authentic osteria,

accessible to everyone.

You can have lunch here
every day for less than $11,

hang out in the afternoon,
but in the evening

this becomes a hotspot,

celebrating the region's
finest foods and entertainment.

-Oh my god, that looks
delicious.

We were joined by Angelo's
nephew, Francesco...

-This is nice.
-Yeah.

...and our mutual friend,
the actress Lella Costa.

-Oh god it looks amazing.

[FELICITY] My god.

[TUCCI] Oh beautiful.
[ANGELO] See? -Yeah.

[LELLA] For a long time
it's been the only place

where people could afford
to go and eat out.

It wasn't expensive.
-Right.

-Angelo couldn't have picked

a better location
for his osteria

as this place was created by
the workers, for the workers.

-In Italy, the first
rail workers' strike

was claimed here in this place.

-A bit of their salary,
they use it to help each other

they use it for a meeting hall,
a place to have dances,

to listen to music,
to build this place.

And in essence,
they create a union.

[LELLA] Yeah.
[FRANCESCO] Yeah.

[FRANCESCO] ...with mashed
potatoes.

This is something for the
workers.

[TUCCI] Delicious,
that's delicious.

-Angelo has brilliantly
recreated

the spirit
of traditional Osterias.

[SINGING]

Before I started this trip

I never would have
imagined such a place

could exist in fashionable,
money-driven Milan.

This seems like
a million miles away

from
the nearby stock exchange...

...the trendy bars
and the luxury brand stores.

Here, in this Milan,

I recognise the power
of the pioneers

that changed the face of Italy
through sheer hard work.

This place, for me,
is living proof

that conviviality can be a
vehicle for social change

after all, most revolutions
begin around a table.