Award-winning documentary film-maker, Folco Quilici takes a searching look at his homeland. Roaming the length and breadth of Italy and its coastal waters, he delves into legend and local life, probing the secrets of history and the environment with an expert eye. The result is an amazing kaleidoscope of superb photography that brings to life the timeless vitality of a country that has seen it all. From the Etruscans to Ancient Rome, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, from the City States to the present day, Quilici reveals forgotten links with the past and dwells on Italy's immense historical heritage and wealth of natural splendours.

Infinite Italy roams mountains, valleys and plains, from the mainland to the islands tracing movements of peoples and goods that have inspired some of the world's finest art works and architecture.

Italy and its Mountains

The story of Italy's geographical backbone, the succession of peaks and valleys that run from the Alps to the Apennines, from the Dolomites to Mount Etna. An environment full of surprises, from magnificent panoramas and extensive wildlife conservation to towns, castles and abbeys that safeguard centuries old traditions and art treasures. Retracing Ancient Roman roads that negotiated high altitude passes to unite a country divided by towering natural barriers. Discovering little-known mountain locations that preserve traces of Italy's origins in a rich heritage of primitive art, passed down from the days of the Samnites and the Etruscans. Finally, an adventurous exploration of the slopes of Italy's most important active volcano and the brooding Mount Vesuvius, with the ancient town of Pompei, frozen in time, at its foot.

Italy and its Waters

Lakes and rivers, magnificent vistas steeped in history, lifelines of human aggregation and development.
The majestic River Po, its tributaries, its cities - Mantova, Verona, Pavia - its problem plagued delta, now a burgeoning National Wildlife Park.
The River Arno and Florence, the ultimate cultural reservoir.
The River Tiber and the astonishing network of Ancient Roman aqueducts that served Rome, the greatest cauldron of art and history the world has ever seen. A first ever investigation into how the use of hydraulic skills influenced the city's growth and monumental heritage .

Italy and its Plains

Probing the more than two millennia of human endeavour that has transformed Italy's richest and most productive areas. Centuries old agricultural communities have accepted the challenge of high technology and become bustling industrial cities with a complex art heritage that spans the country from the Po Valley to the Plains of Catania, from the Tavoliere plains in Puglia to the Campidano plain in Sardinia.
Exploring the Tiber valley in search of the roots of the Latin people who laid the foundations for the greatness of Rome - the metamorphosis of pastoral life to Imperial grandeur symbolized by a graphic comparison between the original huts of the Latins and the opulence of Hadrian's Villa

Italy and its Coastline

Over two thousand kilometers of cliffs and beaches, bays and promontories lapped by the waters of six seas, punctuated by cities, towns, resorts and troves of archeological remains inherited from the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Arabs. Virtual 3D reconstructions will reveal the complexities of the Ancient Roman naval bases of Aquileia and Baia and the ports of Emperors Trajan and Claudius adjacent to the marvels of Ostia Antica.
Off shore discoveries range from the bronze statues of Riace to sarcophagi in "lapis niger", from lost cargoes of amphorae to sunken marble from Imperial quarries.
Investigating the "seafaring republics", trade and military bastions of Imperial Roman power have that become modern Italy's import and export terminals for goods, people and innovation.

Italy and its Islands

A voyage of discovery among the more than 800 Italian islands, some volcanic, others granite or porphyry outcrops, some populated, others deserted. Each the jealous guardian of its own destiny as Italy's forward outposts in the Mediterranean Sea, microcosms of tradition and style. The Aeolian Islands, the Pontine Islands, the Tremiti Islands, the Archipelago of the Maddalena, the Tuscan Archipelago, "island oases", havens for marine wildlife in danger of extinction. Age old shipping hazards that took a heavy toll of Ancient Greek, Phoenician and Roman shipping, creating underwater caches of archeological treasures that continue to supply Italy's museums with priceless exhibits.
A rare private view of unique submarine beds of "rubrum coral" and, finally, a tour of Venice and its unrivaled lagoon, delving into the glories, problems and the secrets of this once-dominant maritime power.