Barinia: Food and People of the Mediterranean - 1 ª Season

In this first episode, we visit the boatyard where Barinia is being prepared for the the voyage ahead by specialist wooden boat artisans. We join Manuel and his son Cristian to go fishing in the shallows of the Venice Lagoon. They are skilled fisherman known as the Moecanti, who fish for Moeche - a soft shell crab. It's an ancient tradition of net and pole fishing that dates back over 1,500 years. We then meet up with a buyer at the local commercial fish auction who selects fish for one of the town's best restaurants. We also join the chefs in the kitchen to watch how they prepare some local specialities. Finally, we join a local artist in his studio and later in his apartment where we chat, over a typical Chioggotto lunch and learn about the local culture.

Before we re-launch Barinia, Narelle visits the fish and street markets where you'll meet the delightful Giovanna, she has been peeling artichokes for 70 years. We've also been invited back to the fisherman's lair for a feast, followed by a visit to Sottomarina with Manuel and his children. We revisit the boatyard and launch Barinia into the water, ready to start the season. And before we sail to Venice, we join Narelle in the galley where she prepares branzino al sale, using all the fresh produce she bought at the markets.

Before Barinia sails from the traditional fisherman's huts of Pellestrina, Narelle prepares a barbecue on deck to cook capesante, Chioggiotto fisherman style. Barinia then sails into Venice for an appointment that Narelle has with Renato - an old friend and head chef at the Cipriani Hotel in Casanova's gardens. Then Berto, a friend (who happens to be gondolier) takes us off the beaten track through the canals of Venice, before we head to the Rialto markets to pick up some produce. We also visit old friends at the Squero - a gondolier repair yard that's been converted into a private club.

Before Barinia sails out of Venice, Patrick and Narelle will visit the Island of Murano to visit Gianfranco. His vision is to attract the artists from around the world to Venice. He also cooks for his students. You will also meet a Venetian-born activist at the Cantina Schiavi. Patrick chats to Manfred about the problems Venice is having with mass tourism. You will then visit one of the secret gardens in Venice to have dinner by candlelight with a dear old friend Liselotte and her guests. Narelle prepares a couple of her favorite Venetian dishes in the galley, Spaghetti alle Vongole and Rise e Bise before Barinia sails south down the Adriatic to Greece.

After sailing south down the Dalmatian coast, and into the Gulf of Corinth, Barinia emerges from the canal to pick up the journey in Cape Sounion. The skipper will continue southeast, and take you through the Aegean, with a brief stop in Mykonos, to finally reach the Lycian coast of Southern Turkey. You will visit the ancient city of Aperlae which was abandoned in the 7th century AD. Barinia will then arrive in the castle village of Kalekoy, to catch up with friends Hasibe & Ismail and their family at the Lykia restaurant. We then join Mehmet and pick carob beans off a tree in the village, then learning how the locals make their pancake, Gozleme. The skipper will explore the village and it's ancient culture where the inhabitants still live in the 2500 year old dwellings of their ancestors.