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Read more about the Bikers' trip to Italy.

Biker and cameraman bonding in Italy.

VENICE

Venice receives more than 14 million tourists a year. Built on a series of low mud banks amid the tidal waters of the Adriatic, Venice became the gateway to the Orient, and its exclusive trading links brought immense wealth and power. This wealth and success is in evidence all over the city, with stunning works of art and architecture at every turn. After falling to Napoleon in 1797, Venice finally became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

The gondola has been part of Venice since the 11th century. Even today a gondola ride down the Grand Canal is the classic introduction to Venice - but it isn't a cheap option. Ironic then that it was a decree of 1562 that ensured all gondolas would be black - to stop people making an ostentatious show of their wealth! A more affordable tip is to take advantage of the traghetti, gondola ferries that offer a cheap and convenient way of crossing the Grand Canal.

An intriguing bit of gondola trivia is that they have a slight leftward curve to the prow, which counteracts the force of the right sided oar - hence preventing the gondola from going round in circles.

Cannaregio (where the bikers cooked their focaccia) is the 2nd largest of Venice's six districts. It is located to the north and east of the Grand Canal. Traditionally a working class area of the city, it offers a peaceful, largely tourist free way to experience this one-off city.

EMILIA ROMAGNA, PELLEGRINO ARTUSI AND FERRARA'S PASTA PIE

Emilia Romagna lies in central Italy. Cobbled together from separate papal states in 1860, modern Emilia Romagna was given its present borders in 1947. Its capital is Bologna. Rich agricultural land, historical cities and thriving industry make it one of Italy's most prosperous regions.

Pellegrino Artusi was born in the small Emilia Romagnan town of Forlimpopoli in 1820, the son of a wealthy businessman. His working life as a silk merchant allowed him to acquire considerable wealth, which was used to fund his passions: literature and food. He self-published the now famous Italian cookbook 'La Scienza in Cucina e L'arte di Mangiare Bene' (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well) in 1891 which sold over 200,000 copies before his death.

Writing only two decades after the unification of Italy, Artusi was the first person to include recipes from all the different regions of Italy in a single cookbook. In so doing, he helped establish a truly national Italian cuisine and with it a national Italian identity.

Full of the author's wry reflections and anecdotes L'Artusi, as the book is called in Italy, remains a household icon, a source of inspiration for generations of cooks, and a family heirloom passed from mother to daughter.

Ferrara is one of Emilia Romagna's great walled towns, a superbly preserved example of Renaissance architecture. And it is in Ferrara that the Osteria al Brindisi offers the ‘Pasticcio di Maccheroni’, (‘pasta pie’) featured in Artusi's great book. 

EMILIA ROMAGNA TO TUSCANY

The scenic route from Faenza to Florence is route 302. It's a great biking road, rising into the hills separating Emilia Romagna from Tuscany, and descending to Florence (with spectacular views of the city en route). Run in the opposite direction is a punishing road running race called '100km del Passatore'. Started in 1973 this endurance run has become a national event and is known affectionately as 'the Olympics of the foolish'.

The race takes its name from a local bandit, notorious in the 19th century, called Stefano Pelloni, who became known as 'Il Passatore' (‘The Shepherd'). This villain's life crossed with our hero Pellegrino Artusi's on January 25th 1851, when Pelloni and his gang came to Forlimpopoli. They took all the town's wealthier people hostage, including Artusi and his family. The hapless victims were held captive in the town's theatre while their homes were looted. The following year the family moved - to Florence.

CINQUE TERRE

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside. The Cinque Terre is a very popular tourist destination.

PIEMONTE AND THE STORY OF NUTELLA

The hills in Piemonte, known as Le Langhe, offer the perfect conditions and climate for growing hazelnuts. Hazelnuts had always been an important crop for the region but in the 19th century high taxes on another local crop, cocoa beans, hindered the production of chocolate, one of Piemonte's important specialities. Someone had the bright idea of mixing crushed hazelnuts with what cocoa was available. The result was a paste called 'pasta Gianduja' (named after a Piemontese carnival marionette character). The chocolate made using this paste - infused with the flavour of hazelnuts - proved popular and became a famous product of the area.

Then, in 1946, Pietro Ferrero, who owned a patisserie in Alba, decided to market the pasta gianduja - as a paste. At first it was sold as a solid block, made into loaves and wrapped in tin foil, so it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children. In 1949, Ferrero altered the product into a paste that came in a jar, so it could be spread on the bread. This new variation became known as "supercrema gianduja," because it was a spreadable version of the gianduja. In 1964 "Supercrema gianduja" was renamed...'Nutella' and the rest is history.

TURIN AND THE LINGOTTO

Set against the spectacular snow-capped peaks of the Alps, Turin is the capital of Piemonte. Once the centrepiece of the Savoy Kingdom, it has strong links with central Europe yet is home to the quintessential Italian institutions of La Stampa newspaper, Juventus football team, and FIAT. In fact Turin played a key role in Italy's unification, housing the country's first national parliament.

Turin lies off the beaten tourist track, yet its baroque and art nouveaux architecture, historic cafes, excellent food and modern outlook make it a city awaiting discovery. 

In the south of the city, in the Lingotto district, is the extraordinary Lingotto building. Originally one of FIAT's car factories, it was designed by the architect Giacomo Matte Trucco. Building work started in 1917 and when it opened in 1923 it was the largest car factory in the world.

The design was innovative. Built on five floors, cars were built on a line that went up through the building. Finished cars emerged on the rooftop, and were tested on the rooftop test track. Le Corbusier called it 'one of the most impressive sights in industry'. 

When the building was closed in 1982 there was much public debate about its future. An architectural competition was held, which was eventually awarded to Renzo Piano, who envisioned an exciting public space for the city. The old factory was rebuilt into a modern complex, featuring a huge shopping mall, an auditorium, a spectacular rooftop conference centre, the Agnelli art collection, a modern restaurant and Turin's only five-star hotel.