The legendary Roman entrepreneur leaves his beloved USA for Europe: who will deserve the title of Little Big Italy? Let's find out where and when together!
The mythical is back Francesco Panella on television with the new season of its successful format Little Big Italy. For this fourth season, the Roman restaurateur is leaving the beloved United States of America to move to Europe. Always with Italy in my heart, Francesco Panella The search for real Italian food and the best Italian restaurants abroad continues with enthusiasm. The new adventure of the show, produced by Banijay Italia for Discovery Italia, begins Monday 20 September at 9.25pm on the Nove (already available in preview on discovery +, for those who just can't wait!).
Little Big Italy in Europe
The journey in search of good Italian food starts from Madrid to then move to Stockholm, Tenerife, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels, Prague, Marseille and Zurich for a tour of Europe with the forks always raised. The game does not change and Francesco Panella will rely on Italians living abroad to find restaurants that deserve the title of "LITTLE BIG ITALY". In each city, as usual, Francesco will meet 3 Italians, competitors of the challenge, who will take him to eat in their favorite restaurant, the place that makes them feel most at home. The Roman restaurateur and the Italian guests will taste and vote on 3 dishes: the choice of Expat, the chef's main dish and Francesco's desire, an off-menu dish. At the end of each meal there will be a vote. Francesco and the three Italians will have from 1 to 5 tokens for each dish. Francesco will have one more vote, that of Italianness, from one to ten tokens, which can make the difference in proclaiming the winner. Up for grabs for Expat is a bonus card valid for one year to eat free in its favorite restaurant and for the restaurateur the title of the best Little Big Italy restaurant in their city. Are you ready to go?
Little Big Italy (12 × 60 ') is produced by Banijay Italia for Discovery Italia NOVE is visible on channel 9 of the Digital Terrestrial, Sky Canale 149 and Tivùsat Canale 9.
Francesco Panella debuts today with his new TV program: guest of the first episode our Director Maddalena Fossati in the role of secret customer.
Today October 26th he leaves LET'S RESTART THE FIRES, The new tv program of Francesco Panella, and the debut is played "at home". In fact, the first episode shot in Milan sees the extraordinary participation of Maddalena Fossati, our Director, already practicing in front of the cameras thanks to her successful series Sapore Italiano, which led her to search for the best Italian restaurant around the world alongside chef Emanuele Pollini. A pleasant television situation born from the mutual esteem between two professionals who finally meet on the same set.
What is it LET'S RESTART THE FIRES Francesco Panella, the restaurateur known to the public thanks to the success of Little Big Italy and businessman, who fromAncient weighs of Rome has successfully brought the family tradition to New York, returns to TV with a new format: LET'S RESTART THE FIRES. Returning to Italy to support his colleagues, he puts all his know-how and experience at the disposal of five family-run restaurants, just like the vast majority in our country, and as many families. Its main objective is to support parents, children, siblings, who share life and work and who risk losing everything if the business does not work – especially in this emergency situation due to Covid-19.
Francesco Panella in LET'S RESTART THE FIRES
ITALIAN CUISINE is the first secret customer Unlike other real tv programs, in LET'S RESTART THE FIRES it is really fun to discover Francesco Panella as an … actor! In fact, in every episode he manages to infiltrate undercover (and disguise!)thanks to the help of an accomplice – a relative or friend of the restaurateur. With cameras hidden inside the restaurants, he can observe the real problems of these activities up close and without filters. After the unveiling, he meets the owner at work in order to identify errors and propose real solutions.
But there is another interesting news. Panella attends a complete service in the presence of a secret customer, or a professional in the sector who will give his opinion on the restaurant, different at each episode. For the first episode of RENIGHT THE FIRES shot in Milan last summer in total safety in compliance with the anti Covid-19 regulations, Francesco Panella and our Director meet in the first restaurant under observation. It is located in the Ponte Lambro area: it is the historic Bagutto 1824 trattoria. And this is where the professionalism and sweetness of our Maddalena Fossati, Who describes his experience as follows: "Apart from the pleasure of collaborating with Francesco who manages to give a boost of optimism in a very difficult moment for Italian restaurants, the program is spot on and useful for helping a category that is really put to the test" . We don't want to reveal more, no spoilers!
Maddalena Fossati and Francesco Panella al Bagutto (photo frame from the first episode of RIACCENDIAMO I FIRECHI, shot in full compliance with anti Covid protocols)
At the helm of Il Bagutto, there are Gemma and Veronica. Gemma is the companion of Veronica's father. It is he, in 1992, who took over this restaurant with a very ancient tradition, which was even born in 1284, and who entrusted it to Gemma. At first, the restaurant gives great satisfaction and is always fully booked. The cuisine is Italian, with some characteristic Milan dishes, other evergreen dishes (such as sea bass in salt and fillet with green pepper), and the pizzeria (which was added later). In recent years, however, the restaurant's situation has worsened. Gemma and Veronica have different ideas: Gemma loves Bagutto as it is, Veronica, on the other hand, would like to try new solutions. The two should find a common, winning strategy to relieve the situation, but at the moment they can't. A complicated situation that with the help of Francesco Panella and Maddalena Fossati it will take a really interesting turn. Let's find out together how tonight every Monday at 21:25 on NOVE and available in streaming on Dplay.
Maddalena Fossati (photo frame from the first episode of RIACCENDIAMO I FIRECHI, shot in full compliance with anti Covid protocols)
LET'S RESTART THE FIRES (5 episodes of 60 minutes), produced by EndemolShine Italy for Discovery Italy, airing from 26 October every Monday at 9:25 pm on NOVE and available in streaming on Dplay.
Strategic position, tourist menu, but above all sincere cuisine. To eat pappardelle with wild boar, homemade gnocchi and fried lamb
They make leaflets in the parking lot of the ticket office at Frasassi Caves and this could make any gourmet give up. There is a tourist menu for € 11 and hundreds of seats, and this would make a foodie wander off in search of a small, quality tavern. It is exactly between the car park of the caves and the entrance, which is very convenient, but in the "tourist trap" location that you would never enter. But then they take you there and you discover that it is a restaurant to eat like a local; and that basically you would like one so close to your home, and not a Genga (1700 souls in the province of Ancona).
Stria of the caves and the restaurant
The Frasassi Caves they are amazing and attract tourists, onlookers and speleologists from all over the world. Because they are monumental, huge and recognized as the most beautiful in Europe if not in the world. They are worth the visit and this means that they attract thousands of visitors a day every year; also in this 2020 of proximity tourism. There are many people, they eat at all hours, they also arrive by bus with organized trips and then continue. The worst place to look for quality cuisine, so you end up in favor of a quick sandwich. Sin.
The caves were discovered in 1971, opened to the public in 1974, as the Da Francesco Restaurant. The place that was much smaller at the time than today has become a mega restaurant with an indoor dining room and a covered terrace for dining with a mountain view, but the family that runs it has remained the same: now in the kitchen the mother Giuseppina has taken turns son Jonathan, while Christian joins his father Francesco in the dining room. Clean, well organized and ready to welcome you at the table for a late lunch or dinner at German time.
The tourist menu comes out with ridiculous figures: Pappardelle with wild boar (signature dish), encore of grilled meats, french fries, wine and water and € 14. Veal burger from the Marche region, chips and water for € 11. Schools, groups and passing tourists are needed, and for groups the special menus promise "generous portions and review". Top, but also an à la carte menu: always the same and with the great classics. To have fun with more elaborate dishes, for a € 20 type of receipt. The cuisine is sincere and to keep the prices low, almost everything is made from scratch, and you can hear it.
Eggs with melted pecorino with truffle, melted pecorino with truffle and cheese pizza, polenta with wild boar, tagliatelle with mushrooms, homemade gnocchi, fried lamb with Ascoli olives and gogo embers. Desserts and crescia, homemade. House wine in jugs, Verdicchio or Rosso Piceno 7 € per liter.
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