Gino's Italian Escape

This little known region sits in the middle of Italy, bordered by Lazio, Marche, Umbria and the Adriatic sea. It's a world away from modern Italy - one third of it is home to three national parks, making it one of the most rural of the Italian states…

It's so far off the beaten track; it only opened an airport at the turn of this century. Fishing and farming are what defines this region, so that's exactly what Gino experiences first hand.

Starting in the coastal town of Pescara, Gino though first starts his food odyssey learning about the region's unique contribution to the culinary landscape – Chitarra pasta, named after the guitar like contraption that shapes the pasta. He learns from Giovanni Minicuci how to make this iconic pasta by using a 200 year old technique.

Gino then travels along the historic Trabocchi coast line where he learns from 25 year old Tomasso Vert how his family of fishermen are keeping another ancient tradition alive. Fishing from the centuries old Trabocchi.

He is inspired to make a pasta dish using the pasta he made earlier in front of a stunning backdrop of the Trabocchi.

Gino then travels deep into the mountainous terrain, where the locals make their living working the land, and meets Mauro, a farmer who also trains the local breed of sheep dog. While Gino tries his hand at herding sheep in this idyllic setting, he learns about the dangers these shepherds face. After trying the simple shepherd snack of Arrosticini, Gino is inspired to create his own Mediterranean BBQ meal. Salute!