Chef Massimo Bottura will be the protagonist of two episodes - those of January 5 and 12 - of the American television series Dream of Italy. The program-which boasts more than sixty million viewers-is to dedicate the two episodes in question to the city of Modena and more generally to the Food Valley of Emilia Romagna: Massimo Bottura, in this context, will play a bit of the role of symbolic ambassador and protagonist.

The new season - the third - of Dreams of Italy has been focused on successful Italian personalities and the so-called "places of the soul": in this foray into the world of taste, the cameras are going to focus on chef Massimo Bottura and the Francescana Family projects, world-class symbols of gastronomic excellence in the local context.

"I think the American public," commented the program's host, Kathy McCabe, in reference to the two episodes in question, "will be as enchanted as I was in discovering Modena, an authentic city where everything seems more vibrant, from the food to the light to the music."

The second episode of Dreams of Italy will be dedicated to the passion for Opera and Belcanto that permeates the cultural fabric of Modena, the birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni.

In fact, the titles chosen for the two episodes are more than eloquent-"Slow Food, Fast Cars, Big Dreams" for the one that will air on the fifth of January and "Modena, Philanthropy and Opera" for the twelfth of the same month.

Filming actually took place during February and May last year, and will be aired on the national Pbs channel.