Athens, the cradle of Western civilization, and its Acropolis, home to the legendary temple of perfect proportions, the Parthenon. Alberto Angela’s journey starts from here with “Wonders – Stars of Europe”, the Rai Cultura program in 4K which goes to the discovery of the most spectacular UNESCO sites of the European continent, broadcast on Wednesday 4 January at 21.25 on Rai 1. In ultra-modern museum of the Acropolis Alberto Angela discovers the Caryatids, stone maidens “condemned” for centuries to support the weight of a loggia. Luca Zingaretti interprets the famous speech of Pericles to the Athenians and Yuri Chechi recalls his Olympic adventure in the Greek capital. The route ends in front of the colors of the Aegean sea at Cape Sounio, where the temple of Poseidon has stood out for thousands of years in front of the sunset.
The Italian stage of the episode is Florence, which during the Renaissance left a deep imprint on European culture. From the dome of the Cathedral, the gaze rests on the surrounding treasures: Giotto’s bell tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Alberto Angela shows the details of Michelangelo’s David in a completely new light, and enters the luxuriant Boboli gardens, the splendid park of Palazzo Pitti. Carlo Conti does the honors of the house and talks about his love for the city.
The journey ends in Bavaria, in the atmosphere of fairy-tale castles imagined in the 19th century by King Ludwig II. Architectures so daring that one of them, Neuschwanstein, inspired Walt Disney for the castles of his princesses. In the gardens and halls of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee, the Bavarian sovereign wanted to repeat the glories of the Sun King. Unfortunately, his story has a tragic ending, told in a mystery key by Carlo Lucarelli.
