Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium Sponsors Season 3 of PBS’s Dream of Italy with Special Guests Massimo Bottura, Andrea Bocelli and Marisa Tomei
The hit travel series Dream of Italy returns to PBS stations and streaming this winter with underwriting provided by the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium. Host Kathy McCabe brings her enchanting mix of star power and authentic Italian life to Season 3 of the series, which features legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli and Academy Award-winning actress Marisa Tomei. Two very special episodes introduce viewers to 3-Michelin Star Chef Massimo Bottura and wife Lara Gilmore, along with Modena’s treasures – including the region’s iconic cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano.
“Public television series like Dream of Italy rely exclusively on funding from sponsors like the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium. Their support helps us bring authentic Italian culture and life to American viewers and it doesn’t get any more authentic than the king of cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano,” said McCabe.
“The Consortium exists to safeguard and share the ancient tradition of Parmigiano Reggiano – we aim to educate consumers on how this special PDO product vastly differs from Italian-sounding, hard cheeses on the American market, aiding them in the purchase of true Parmigiano Reggiano,” explained Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium President Nicola Bertinelli. “We are delighted to support Dream of Italy, a program that aligns with our mission to amplify genuine Italian products and experiences.”
There are fewer champions of Parmigiano Reggiano than Modena native and 3-Michelin Star Chef Massimo Bottura, who takes McCabe to Caseificio Rosola. In the segment, Bottura points to his arm and jokes, “you see these muscles, they are all Parmigiano!” The two taste a rare 72-month aged wheel that has just been opened and Bottura’s enthusiasm cannot be contained.
As part of their sponsorship of Dream of Italy, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium’s messaging appears
before and after all six episodes in the season including:
- “Andrea Bocelli’s Tuscany”
- “Americans Moving to Abruzzo”
- “Caserta: A Grand Palace and Pizza with Chef Franco Pepe”
- “Massimo Bottura and Modena Part 1: Slow Food, Fast Cars, Big Dreams”
- “Massimo Bottura and Modena Part 2: The City, Philanthropy and Opera”
- “Searching For the Black Madonna with Marisa Tome
Dream of Italy is distributed by American Public Television and airs in more than 97 percent of US TV households on local PBS stations and Create TV, the public television how-to network. Each station throughout the US will program the season to air and repeat for years to come, with most stations premiering the season in January and February of 2024. Viewers can look up local airdates here. The episodes are also available in the US on-demand via the PBS app, PBS.org and PBS Passport and will be available in Italy and around the world on YouTube as of June 2024.