♪♪♪ Duran: The open road has always been an open invitation to me... ♪♪♪ ...winding through new adventures and personal experiences.

♪♪♪ And nowhere does this happen more often than along the yellow roads.

♪♪♪ On a Michelin map, one will find many different colored roads.

While red are the major highways, it's the yellow roads I'm chasing, the more scenic roads winding through a country, through cities and towns, and never knowing what lies just beyond the horizon.

Well, saluti!

Grazie!

[ All shouting "Saluti" ] It's these roads that are calling me on a journey unlike any other.

♪♪♪ My name is Paulino Duran, and I travel the world looking for exotic and unique experiences.

I'm always up for making new friends, listening to tall tales, and trying fantastic cuisine.

♪♪♪ So I planned out my trip.

My agenda is set, and I'm ready to explore the yellow roads.

♪♪♪ [ Soft piano music plays ] ♪♪♪ [ Violin playing classical music ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ I find myself in a private concert in one of the most amazing music rooms I've ever seen.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Alla Posta dei Donini is a 17th-century residence turned luxurious hotel.

Elegantly decorated with beautiful gardens, it's a picturesque villa amidst a lush backdrop of medieval Umbria in central Italy.

[ Vocalizing ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ But I find one of the true treasures of the hotel to be this room where every note I hear explodes with color and acoustic clarity.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Few countries in the world.

fuse art and life in the way that feels effortless.

♪♪♪ From the intricate frescoes of the Renaissance... [ Cork pops ] ♪♪♪ to a simple glass of wine, Italy's beauty and romance is everywhere.

♪♪♪ The Lungarotti vineyard and winery is just outside the small town of Torgiano.

♪♪♪ Here, I'm invited to a personal experience, a wine tasting in the middle of the Lungarotti vineyard.

I grew up, Paulino, as a winemaker.

Uh-huh.

I grew up walking in the vineyards, and my father made me walking with bare feet to feel the soil, to feel the earth.

Chiara Lungarotti now runs the winery her visionary father began over 60 years ago.

It's a family tradition in my father's family since ever, and I'm very proud to continue that.

And I hope to pass over to the next generation because wine doesn't stand only for a glass, but it stands for many other things, history, tradition, but first of all, friendship, amicizia, as we say in Italy.

Well, let's go make some more friends and get ourselves in front of some wine.

Let's go.

Andiamo.

Okay.

Andiamo.

♪♪♪ I make some new friends while tasting Lungarotti's flagship red -- Rubesco.

♪♪♪ [ Glasses clinking ] Woman: We've traveled in Italy several times, but not this particular region.

It's absolutely beautiful.

Duran: Isn't it?

And it's nice to go to the smaller towns.

Yeah, the small towns, I think, are the true gems of any country you visit.

I agree.

I agree.

It's really nice.

And the wine is delicious.

Well, saluti!

Grazie!

[ All shouting "Saluti" ] Thank you for having me and inviting me in.

Appreciate it.

Man: Cheers.

Anytime.

Anytime.

♪♪♪ My journey through Italy continues to Umbria's capital city, Perugia.

[ Hammered dulcimer playing softly ] ♪♪♪ [ Speaking Italian ] ♪♪♪ Built on a hill overlooking beautiful valleys, the city is a blend of past and present.

It is also the birthplace of some of Italy's most famous artists.

♪♪♪ A private tour is waiting for me, which will take me around the city.

♪♪♪ I'm given an earpiece so I can hear what the guide is saying as I check out the sights.

Romano: Okay.

Woman: Okay.

So, let's start our tour.

♪♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] Duran: I soak in the experience of this beautiful city and the fantastic friends I meet.

Romano: Perugino was one of the greatest painter of this country.

I'm talking about the 1500s.

So, he was the one who could compete with Leonardo da Vinci and also Michelangelo.

Raphael was Perugino's student.

Duran: Realizing the history of the Renaissance like this as the yellow rose guide me not just through the country, but also through history, is starting to paint a beautiful picture of the past.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Our tour ends at the famous Collegio del Cambio.

♪♪♪ Romano: It is really important to see the Cambio because I told you it's the second most important artwork in the country.

Duran: Romana tells me that the Collegio del Cambio was where lenders would exchange money, and it was at the guild's request that the great artist Perugino decorate the hall.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Here, the masterpieces of Perugino are on display.

♪♪♪ I learn from Romana that the only other artwork in Italy more important is the revered Sistine Chapel.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ My journey along the yellow roads continues to the city of Orvieto.

[ Cyril Giroux's "Lacrima E Mare" plays ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [ Woman singing in Italian ] ♪♪♪ Rising above the city's cobblestone streets and tiled rooftops is the Gothic Duomo di Orvieto.

♪♪♪ On the outside, the facade is a visual feast of jewel-like mosaics... ♪♪♪ ...while inside is the great Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli's masterpiece, "The Last Judgment," which is considered his finest work.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ While one might consider the Duomo to be the jewel of this charming city, I find it to be the endearing restaurant Trattoria La Grotta, where the owner Franco, is waiting for me.

[ Speaking Italian ] ♪♪♪ Franco tells me that for over 50 years, he and his family have cooked some of Italy's best cuisine.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Duran: I'm invited to a table to try some of Franco's delicious food.

And the food's amazing.

Yeah.

Oh, the food's fantastic.

The food's dangerously fantastic.

I feel like I could eat, like, five meals a day.

Yeah.

All pasta.

Yeah.

And just drink wine and leave Italy at, like, 700 pounds.

Yeah, definitely.

[ Laughter ] Okay.

[ Soft violin music plays ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ There is a saying -- "All roads lead to Rome."

♪♪♪ And on this adventure that rings true.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ While Italy is known for its romance, Rome is specifically known for its scale and grandeur.

♪♪♪ This was the center of the world for centuries.

♪♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪♪ And while in Rome, the Grand Hotel Minerve is the perfect spot to begin.

Elena: This used to be an aristocratic mansion transformed in the 18th century into hotel.

And it was totally refurbished, of course, and -- But we try to maintain the atmosphere of the old times.

♪♪♪ What is your favorite part about the hotel?

My favorite part is the roof garden, of course, because above there, you really feel to be in Rome.

You really feel that you are in the heart of Rome.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ You can see practically everything because you have a view on 360 degrees.

♪♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicking ] ♪♪♪ So, from the hotel, you can walk everywhere.

You can go to the Pantheon, which is just in front of the hotel.

You have Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and the Colosseum, all walking distance.

♪♪♪ Elena introduces me to Olga, who offers me a one-on-one personal tour of the Eternal City.

Just one block away is the Pantheon, where we start to explore Rome.

♪♪♪ Olga: Here we are, in front of the Pantheon, the most mysterious building we have in Rome.

And it's almost 2,000 years old.

It was built in the second century, and that's basically the only thing we know about it for certain.

[ Choir singing in foreign language ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ I learn that the Pantheon inspired some of the greatest Renaissance masters.

Olga: And this is where Brunelleschi, the Florentine architect, actually came to study the dome when he was preparing his project for the famous dome of the Duomo in Florence.

And even Michelangelo, when he came here for the first time, he said, "This must have been built by angels."

[ Singing continues ] ♪♪♪ And talking about angels, the painter who was most famous for his beautiful chubby little angels and the Madonnas with the babies, Raphael -- this is his tomb on that side.

♪♪♪ There are many important tombs in the Pantheon, but Raphael attracts most attention.

♪♪♪ Duran: Back outside, I take advantage of one of Rome's great resources.

Water has always been free in Rome.

That's what you do.

[ Laughs ] Delicious.

It is delicious.

Water is one of the main reasons why Rome became what it became.

Yeah.

And cold.

The abundance.

Exactly.

[ Cyril Giroux's "Quando Ti Guardo" plays ] ♪♪♪ ♪ Tu non mi guardi io non resisto ♪ ♪ E continuo a cadere giu ♪ ♪ Quando ti guardo quasi sparisco ♪ ♪ Dentro a quegli occhioni blu ♪ ♪ Tu non mi guardi, tu non mi guardi ♪ ♪ Io non so respirare piu ♪ ♪ Quando ti guardo, quando ti guardo ♪ ♪ In tutto il mondo ♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪ Ci sei solo tu ♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Duran: We end our adventure through Rome in the Piazza Navona.

♪♪♪ [ Man singing in Italian ] And we grab a bite to eat at Tre Scalini with the restaurant's owner, Antonio Tucci.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ From the architecture and design of the Forum, with its majestic ruins, to the Colosseum and its history of gladiatorial battles and life-and-death matches, Rome sets a benchmark for the world with its art, architecture, culture, and even religion.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Across the Tiber River is the seat of the Roman Catholic religion.

♪♪♪ A tour of the Vatican Museums is an experience on a grand scale.

♪♪♪ Up to 20,000 visitors a day explore one of the largest collections of art in the world.

This evening, I will get a once-in-a-lifetime, up-close-and-personal experience.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Inside the museum, I walk through the hallways where history's greatest artifacts are on display.

It's an extraordinary collection built by the popes throughout the centuries.

Here I'll find some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art.

♪♪♪ I also take the opportunity to make some new friends.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [ Man singing in foreign language ] ♪♪♪ At last, I find my way into Michelangelo's masterpiece.

♪♪♪ Inside the Sistine Chapel, it's quiet and peaceful.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ My new friend Giorgio shares with me some interesting facts about Michelangelo's most revered masterpiece.

The fortune to be able to spend that much time looking at it and hearing about it with the guide right in front of you.

Franco: The experience they had tonight, there is a big difference.

Most of the people, everybody is doing this during the day.

They can not see the Sistine Chapel the same way.

Like tonight, it sounds like the Vatican belongs to us.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ You can look at things for a long time, really take your time to look at all the details of Michelangelo's work.

Peyton: My grandfather was saying when he was here before, there were so many people, he wasn't able to appreciate it as much as he could today.

And just being able to stand there and look up and listen to our tour guide and see the work and imagine him painting there for years and years and years, you were able to appreciate it much more, I think.

♪♪♪ It took Michelangelo four years to paint his masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

♪♪♪ Giorgio: Because when you're in that kind of a space and there's nobody else around, not just from the physical point of view, but just partially because of the nature of it being so grand, even in the sense of not just spatially, but the importance of it.

500 years later, it's an experience that I'll never forget.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ My journey across Italy along the yellow roads has been an incredible experience.

♪♪♪ And as I reflect on my adventure, I also realize a new one is about to start.

♪♪♪ I don't quite know what lies beyond the horizon.

But taking the yellow roads promises it will be a journey unlike any other.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [ Camera shutter clicks ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪