Francesco da Mosto

Four-part BBC series following Francesco da Mosto as he explores the history of Venice, beginning with its creation in the 5th century and concluding in the modern era. Each episode focuses upon a certain area of Venetian history, interlaced with various anecdotes from da Mosto's own experiences and family history. A book of the same name was published to accompany the series in 2004.

Francesco's Italy: Top to Toe was a four-part BBC television series hosted by Francesco da Mosto and originally shown on BBC2 from 18 June to 2 July 2006. In the series, da Mosto drives his Alfa Romeo Spider the length of Italy, from North to South, exploring the architecture and traditions in different regions. This series was rebroadcast by The Travel Channel in January 2007 and repeated on BBC2 in May 2007 and BBC Four in October-November 2007. The series was rebroadcast in Canada on the Knowledge channel during July and August 2011. During Episode 1, "The Romantic North", da Mosto left his native Venice and his family, and visited the Fiat Factory in Turin, Romeo and Juliet's balcony in Verona and the city of Milan. During Episode 2, "The Garden of Italy", da Mosto visited a 19th century reproduction of Michaelangelo's David in Florence, the city of Siena and the town of Assisi. In Episode 3, entitled "The Heart of Italy" da Mosto visited the Trevi Fountain, explores Italians love/hate relationship with Mussolini, visiting the city of Sabaudia, Rome and Naples, its underground secrets and the beautiful Chapel of St. Severo. In the fourth episode, "The Land of My Mother", da Mosto travelled to Sicily where he climbed to the summit of Mount Etna, visited the Trulli buildings and explored the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo with its array of mummified bodies – before being reunited with his family at last.

Venetian architect and historian Francesco da Mosto sets out from Venice to cross the Mediterranean - following in the wake of his ancestor, the explorer Alvise da Mosto - to discover the cities and islands where Western civilization was born. Sailing in a late nineteenth-century yawl, his journey starts in Venice and finishes in Istanbul. Along the way he takes in spectacular ruins, like the Acropolis in Athens and the Lycian Tombs in Turkey; sacred sites like the monasteries of Mount Athos and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul; and beautiful Dubrovnik (destroyed and rebuilt in the last decade). Ancient history and bygone legends intertwine as Francesco visits these wonderful ancient sites, bringing the past vividly to life, and taking viewers on a thrilling cultural odyssey.

JMW Turner's paintings are world famous, but what if they're not what they seem? This revealing documentary film could change the way we interpret some of Turner's most familiar works as two plucky enthusiasts, joined by art historians and academics, reveal the startling hidden codes they believe are woven into his paintings. Follow their Da Vinci Code-esque quest as they delve into the unseen images which have been staring out from their frames for centuries.

Francesco da Mosto takes to the Italian road again in search of Shakespeare in Italy.