“Wonders – Stars of Europe” – RAI Press Office

Athens, the cradle of Western civilization, and its Acropolis, home to the legendary temple of perfect proportions, the Parthenon. Alberto Angela’s journey begins here with “Wonders – Stars of Europe”, the Rai Cultura 4K program that goes to discover the most amazing UNESCO sites on the European continent, broadcast on Wednesday January 4th at 21.25 on Rai 1. Alberto Angela’s Acropolis Museum Discover Caryatids, virgins of stone “condemned” for centuries to support the weight of the loggia. Luca Zingaretti interprets Pericles’ famous speech to the Athenians and Yuri Chichi recalls his Olympic adventure in the Greek capital. The path ends against the colors of the Aegean Sea at Cape Sounio, where the Temple of Poseidon stood before sunset thousands of years ago.
The Italian stage of the cycle is Florence, which during the Renaissance left a deep imprint on European culture. From the cathedral’s dome, eyes fall 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 whole new light, and enters the stately Boboli Gardens, the magnificent park of Palazzo Pitti. Carlo Conte pays homage to the house and speaks of his love for the city.
The journey ends in Bavaria, in the setting of fairytale castles imagined by King Ludwig II in the 19th century. The architecture was so daring that one of them, Neuschwanstein, inspired Walt Disney for his princesses’ castles. In the parks and halls of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee, the Bavarian king wanted to repeat the glories of the Sun King, but unfortunately his story has a tragic end, told in an ambiguous key by Carlo Lucarelli.