Ulisse - Il piacere della scoperta

The Cairo museum is one of the most extraordinary places in the history of humanity: it houses the treasures of the Pharaohs. Thousands of objects recovered from the tombs: jewels, statues, works of art, sarcophagi. A priceless heritage that tells the story of almost three thousand years of Egyptian civilization. It is at the Cairo museum that Alberto Angela will be found to guide us on this journey into ancient Egypt: not only discovering the most precious objects of the Pharaohs (and their own mummies), but taking us to the most impressive places discovered by archaeologists. Thanks to special permits, Ulysses' crew was able to enter the tomb of Queen Nefertari, forbidden to cameras, to film the almost intact frescoes of this queen, Ramesses II's beloved wife. At night, the crew also entered the Pyramid of Cheops, showing the charm of these places.

Ulisse recounts the "Splendor of Rome", when the empire reached its maximum power and territorial extension in the second century. The land borders ran for over 10 thousand km from Scotland to the borders of Iran, from the Sahara to the North Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The driving force of everything was Rome, located exactly at the center of the Empire, with almost 1.5 million inhabitants. It was the most populous city in all of Antiquity. It had 423 neighborhoods, 1400 fountains, 11 colossal baths, 40 triumphal arches, 100 temples, more than 4000 large statues, 28 libraries.

The protagonist of this episode is water: through a story that will take us from the origins of life on Earth to biology, from engineering to molecules and art. With the help of graphics we will be able to simulate a journey inside a drop of water to discover its composition and microorganisms. We will then follow the long paths taken by water, through extraordinary images of glaciers, caves, oceans, atolls, icebergs, discovering how rivers are born, how raindrops are formed. We will also discover the effects that water produces in our body and how much we need for our survival. Alberto Angela will go to Villa d'Este in Tivoli to show us the works of artists and architects who over the past centuries have created an immense complex of water features and fountains on an entire hill; and again at Niagara Falls, where we will be able to admire one of the most magnificent spectacles that exist in nature.

Ulisse will make a long journey through the extraordinary scenery of Peru, to discover one of the most important civilizations of the past: the Incas. Alberto Angela will travel to the heart of the Andes, to let us discover some of the most beautiful archaeological sites on the planet and to tell us about the habits, customs and rites of the Incas. We will get to know Machu Pichu and, through graphic reconstructions, we will see how it must have looked 5 centuries ago. It was a city full of life with temples, palaces, sanctuaries, homes. We will talk about deities and human sacrifices, healing methods, writing systems and, thanks also to filmed reconstructions, we will discover some aspects of daily life. Alberto Angela will also travel to Cuzco, where the most important temple of the Incas stood and where the Spanish built the church and convent of Santo Domingo.

This episode will be dedicated to the evolution of weapons from prehistory to the present day. From the stick to the bow, from the arrow to the rocket, from the sword to the rifle, from the Greek shield to smart rockets, weapons tell the story of the art of attack and defense. Alberto Angela will present spectacular pieces preserved at the Stibbert Museum in Florence and at the Historical Museum of the Artillery in Turin. Thanks to the collaboration of the Carabinieri, we will relive the sensations of a galloping cavalry charge.

The first episode of Ulisse will take a great journey through the civilizations of the past and their enigmas, exploring one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean: Easter Island. We will tell the story of this civilization, trying to find out where the first inhabitants arrived from, considering that the island is located almost 4000 km from any coast or inhabited island.

Rome. A capital of two, three million inhabitants with all its palaces, its churches, its monuments, but what is underneath all this? What can you discover by going under churches, palaces but also under very famous places such as Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna or even the Trevi fountain? Well, there lies a forgotten world made up of archaeological sites, ancient tombs, surprising sites. It will be a real journey to discover the secrets of Rome.

In this episode the lost capital of Pharaoh Ramesses II. The incredible story of the Siamese brothers who lived in the 19th century and were joined together: they had 21 children. Human cloning: will it be possible to stop it? Tricks to seduce men with beauty through the ages. The 43 wonders of Italy. But to start we will tell you about a man who sacrificed everything, putting not only his life at stake but also that of his collaborators, his wife and even his children, to try to stop a bloodthirsty ferocity, one of the worst dictators who ever existed. This man was a senior German officer and the operation was called Operation Valkyrie.

The journey we invite you to take this evening is perhaps the most beautiful one. Let's go in search of our most ancient origins. The starting point for our journey is the discovery of a new important hominid that has been added to our family tree. If we had been in Ethiopia about four and a half million years ago, perhaps we might have come across an Ardipithecus ramidus. He is the most ancient ancestor of man; scientists have called him Ardi. She was probably a female and lived in the same region of East Africa where over a million years later another very famous creature of antiquity, Lucy, would roam. Until Ardi's arrival, Lucy's remains were considered the oldest hominid skeleton in our possession. Alberto Angela tells the long history of our species, which starting from very primitive beings led to modern man. An exciting journey in two episodes, a new look at our past, told through what research allows us, albeit incompletely, to reconstruct.

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.

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.

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, 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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Alberto Angela takes us on an exceptional journey: Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. Following the narrative thread of the story of Jesus, as it is presented by the Gospels and tradition, we discover Israel as it was in those years and getting to know the historical figures who forged. Starting from Herod the Great, at the end of whose reign Jesus was born, with the numerous architectural testimonies he left in the territory: from the fortress of Masada to the city of Caesarea Maritima, from the sumptuous tomb of Herodion to the Temple, up to his successor, Herod Antipas, to whose name the story of Salome is linked. The investigations into the death of John the Baptist and the events of the complicated trial of Jesus. We meet Pontius Pilate, a figure who has remained enigmatic due to the few historical testimonies available.

The fantastic travels of Ulisse il piacere della scoperta resume with an episode dedicated to Rome. Viewers will be able to look at the capital from another perspective by finding Alberto Angela in the most fascinating and emblematic places of the city.

In this episode Alberto Angela celebrates Rome's Christmas by accompanying viewers on a fascinating journey through the wonders of imperial Rome: the Rome of the Caesars. Starting from the Mausoleum of Augustus - just reopened to the public after a restoration lasting 14 years - we retrace the fundamental stages that characterized the birth and expansion of one of the greatest empires of all time and we discover how and why the city of Rome in that period reached its maximum splendor.

One hundred and ten years after its sinking, Alberto Angela will accompany us to the places that marked the events of this transatlantic liner, a technical jewel considered "unsinkable", shipwrecked on the night between 14 and 15 April 1912.

The first episode of Ulisse takes us to Petra, the fascinating city of the Nabataeans, forgotten for centuries and rediscovered only at the beginning of the 19th century. It is the starting point for an itinerary to discover Jordan, a land of merchants, prophets and kings. Here, in a corner of the Jordan River, Jesus was baptized.

In Regio IX of Pompeii a new unexpected discovery: a large fresco, a megalograph with a Dionysian theme. Alberto Angela shows exclusively a sumptuous banquet hall with extraordinary frescoes, witnesses of rites, art and life in the ancient city.