Islands in the Sun

Gino begins his latest Italian escape in a place very close to his heart, Olbia on Sardinia's North East coast, where Gino has lived for the past 3 years. As a chef Gino is passionate about fresh produce, so at his beautiful home he grows his own vegetables and tends to his very own vineyard too. What better than to invite a few close friends over for an Italian Festa to celebrate Sardinia's national dish? As Gino prepares Porcheddu, the mouth-watering roasted suckling pig.

Gino leaves the coast behind and heads deep into the mountains, to unlock the secrets to Sardinia. The island is home to more 100 year olds than any other, and it’s all down to its landscape and diet. He visits the town of Orgosolo, made famous by the abundance of murals on the walls, depicting its proud history. Then on to a working farm where he meets a shepherd who explains how the simple food from the land sustains the Sardi people. He visits a distillery that still brews Sardinian moonshine and gets more than he bargained for when he tastes this fiery tipple. Finally, Gino whips up a hearty rustic pasta dish, using traditional but simple ingredients, and serves it to his new found friends.

In this episode, Gino is back on the road again, leaving the mountains and heading south to the coast and the capital of Sardinia. On his way he takes a fishing trip and learns how fishing in the deep blue waters runs a close run second to farming on this island. He then visits the bustling capital city of Cagliari, where he is introduced to the unique textures that the locals use to enhance their fish dishes. After a whistle stop shop at Europe’s largest covered market, he makes his way to the magical ancient site of Nora, where he cooks a succulent tuna dish, as the sun sets over the ruins.

Tonight Gino says arrivederci to Sardinia and arrives in the capital city of Sicily, Palermo. Sicily is somewhere Gino has never been before, but has never visited, so this is a real journey of discovery for him. Home of the mafia, a vibrant street food culture and interesting history, this portside city stops Gino’s in his tracks. He has an unexpected encounter at the street food market, meets the man who stood up to the mafia, and ends up wine tasting in Marsala, finishing up his day in the vineyard cooking a beautiful chicken in marsala sauce.

Tonight it's all about the food and how Sicily’s interesting history has influenced the food they eat and the ingredients they use. Crossing the island, taking in the beautiful baroque towns of Noto and Modica, Gino learns about chocolate and cassada. Past the temples of Agrigento, he makes his way up to the foothills of mighty Mount Etna, to Sicily’s lemon riviera, and makes a sumptuous lemon risotto in a lemon grove.

Gino finishes his food odyssey of Sicily with a bang! In the pretty town of Taormina, Gino learns how to make cannoli - Sicily's most famous sweet. Gino climbs the craters of Mount Etna and tastes Etna fire water, a fiery tipple with a recipe that's stayed the same for centuries. Gino then makes a personal pilgrimage to the town of Savoca, the setting of Corleone in The Godfather, which just so happens to be his favourite film of all time! Here he meets the owner, shares a world famous granita, and ends his magical journey by cooking on the terrace of this infamous bar. How did he do that? Well, he made them an offer they couldn’t refuse!