Ulisse - The Pleasure of Discovery - Season 16

First aired: 10/3/2015 21 episodes

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Episodes

1. Hannibal, the Man Who Challenged Rome

Aired: 10/3/2015

Alberto Angela will take us on a journey through time spanning over two thousand years, discovering Carthage, the queen of the Mediterranean, with its vast fleet, and Republican Rome, then still a young, rising power that, thanks to the strength of its legions, had recently succeeded in establishing its hegemony over much of the Italian peninsula. Through graphic reconstructions and reenactments, Alberto Angela will take us through the most dramatic moments of the centuries-old war, taking us to some of the most iconic sites of this crucial conflict: from the shores of Lake Trasimene, where Hannibal's army defeated the Roman legions led by Consul Flaminius, to the Tomb of the Scipios on the Via Appia Antica, one of the most evocative relics of Scipio Rome. But above all, our journey will be an opportunity to retrace the life and deeds of Hannibal, one of the greatest leaders of antiquity.

2. Splendors of Puglia

Aired: 10/10/2015

The two-part journey through Puglia by Ulisse – the pleasure of discovery – begins in Castel del Monte. Alberto Angela will travel the roads leading from Gargano to Salento, bringing to life the splendor of this land rich in history, culture, and art. The centuries and the peoples who have inhabited this region have left behind a wealth of beauty. The first leg of this journey departed from Castel del Monte, then passed by the Ostuni Museum and admired the sea of Gargano and the Tremiti Islands, as well as the Castellana Caves.

3. Splendors of Puglia. Salento

Aired: 10/17/2015

Alberto Angela hosts this second episode, once again dedicated to the splendor and history of Puglia. We begin in Salento, and specifically the city of Lecce: the host leads us through Baroque-era buildings, passing through streets, palaces, and churches, arriving at the main square where the remains of a Roman amphitheater are preserved. Next, we learn about papier-mâché making in an ancient workshop: a characteristic local art, invaluable for creating statues of saints carried in processions. "Ulisse, The Pleasure of Discovery" then offers the opportunity to visit the Basilica of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria in Galatina and learn the meaning of the taranta ritual. We then head to the sea, exploring the Zinzulusa caves and the waters of Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca.

4. Learning From Nature

Aired: 10/24/2015

In this episode, "Ulysses" takes us into the fascinating world of nature. Led by Alberto Angela, we embark on a curious exploration of two distant yet parallel worlds.

5. America in Gone With the Wind

Aired: 10/31/2015

This episode of "Ulysses: The Pleasure of Discovery" guides us through the five most dramatic years in the history of the United States of America; the years of the Civil War, the free North versus the slave-holding South. A conflict that would cause more deaths than all others ever fought by the United States combined, including World Wars I and II.

6. The True Story of Moby Dick

Aired: 11/7/2015

The story of the whaling ship Essex: departing from the East Coast of the United States, it was wrecked by a sperm whale. The survivors remained at sea for 88 days without food or water.

7. Journey Through the Secrets and Treasures of Ostia Antica (Second Version)

Aired: 11/14/2015

Just a stone's throw from Rome lies the largest archaeological site on the planet (150 hectares), yet little known to the general public: Ostia Antica and its ancient port. Tourists who, upon arriving in Rome, forgo visiting the remains of the ancient city are unaware that Ostia itself offers a glimpse into how society was organized and how daily life unfolded during the times of the Empire.

8. St. Peter's - The Secrets of a Basilica (Second Version)

Aired: 11/21/2015

"Ulysses: The Pleasure of Discovery" recounts the story of St. Peter's Basilica, whose door is the first to be opened as part of the rite marking the beginning of the Holy Year. Alberto Angela retraces the history of this great church, going back two thousand years, bringing cameras to the place where it all began: the tomb of St. Peter.

9. The Wonders of Christian Rome (Third Version)

Aired: 1/11/2016

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.

10. Journey to Discover the Alps (Second Version of the Episode "Journey Through the Alps")

Aired: 1/18/2016

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.

11. Antonio and Cleopatra - The End of a Love Story, the Birth of an Empire (Second Version of the Episode "Anthony and Cleopatra")

Aired: 1/25/2016

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.

12. Francesco of Assisi, the Surprises of His Life and His Time (Second Version)

Aired: 2/15/2016

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.

13. Alexander the Great - When a Man Becomes Legend

Aired: 4/9/2016

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.

14. Wonders of the Veneto - From Lake Garda to the Brenta Riviera

Aired: 4/16/2016

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.

15. The wonders of Veneto - From the Lagoon to the Dolomites

Aired: 4/23/2016

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.

16. Neanderthals and Sapiens - The Conquest of the World

Aired: 4/30/2016

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.

17. The Secrets of Fire

Aired: 5/7/2016

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.

18. Living in the Desert

Aired: 5/14/2016

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.

19. Rome, Day Four - Unknown Wonders (Second Version)

Aired: 5/21/2016

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?

20. DNA Surprises (Second Version)

Aired: 5/28/2016

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.

21. Roma Amor - Passion in Ancient Rome (Second Version)

Aired: 6/4/2016

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?