ITV - The Secret Mediterranean (2011)

The Secret Mediterranean Following on from Sir Trevor McDonald's popular Secret Caribbean travelogue, this epic new series see the award-winning journalist visit some of the 21 countries spanning the three continents making up the Mediterranean Today, amid the stunning landscapes, more cultures live side by side here than anywhere else on earth. Sir Trevor McDonald explores the various countries that make up the Med, their individual cultures and traditions and looks beyond the beaches and old towns of holiday brochures to discover the truly secret Mediterranean.
The series gives viewers unique access to hidden, forgotten and overlooked wonders from across the entire region, from the south of France, to the Greek islands and into the north of Africa as Sir Trevor visits cities both ancient and modern, architectural and natural wonders and meets the people who live very different lives in this area.

Episode One:
In the first episode Sir Trevor visits three countries where history cannot be ignored by those living their today: the Italian city of Venice, Turkey’s capital Istanbul and its southern coastline and the Mediterranean’s most famous coastline which has always traded on its glamorous reputation, the French Riviera. The French Riviera is where many of the most luxurious yachts in the world are moored in idyll splendour. Chief Officer Lee Wilkes takes Sir Trevor out to sea to board one of the most famous ships to have sailed the Mediterranean in the 1950s and 60s, the Christina O. This boat more than any other epitomises old Riviera chic and has played host to some of the biggest names of the 20th century. Here he meets general manager David Jean Jean whose job it is to cater to every whim and fancy of his wealthy guests.

Episode Two:
In this episode Sir Trevor visits three countries where the landscape has determined how people live there, whether it is living by an ancient lagoon, being a cowboy in southern France or turning a barren Tunisian landscape into a multi-million pound Hollywood film set. Sir Trevor heads to the beautiful Greek island of Santorini, where he visits the caves that the island’s earliest dwellers dug into the side of the volcanic rock. Here he meets Kostis Psychas who turned these caves into an unusual modern hotel in the mid 1980s. Although the hotel is now some of the most expensive real estate in Greece, Kostis explains how the caves were originally very humble dwellings: “The people here didn’t have the possibility to build a proper house. They didn’t have materials, they didn’t have wood, so the easy way to create a house was just to dig a cave.”

Episode Three:
In this episode Sir Trevor travels to deepest Morocco and meets the young British vets working with mountaintribes to ensure the working animals upon which they rely on are kept healthy. In Barcelona he explores the magnificent La Sagrada Familia and then to Italy’s third biggest city Naples, where he meets a judge who is trying to smash the local mafia and meets some of the people who live in the shadow of one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world – Vesuvius. Which scientists believe is overdue a major eruption Over 600,000 people live within range of Vesuvius. Sir Trevor meets volcanologist Carmen Solano who takes him up to the volcano’s giant crater. him to the volcano’s summit. She says: “We cannot tell [when it will erupt again]. That is our difficulty and our problem. That’s part of the mystery of this volcano and at the same time the hazard, the risk this volcano poses.”

Episode Four:
In this final episode Sir Trevor visits three countries which have been shaped by conflict – Cyprus a divided island after a bitter conflict in 1974 , Malta, the most fought over island in the history of the Mediterranean and Egypt, which for 3000 years was the dominant power in the region. Sir Trevor begins in Cairo, the largest city in Africa. Cairo is a vibrant and every expanding city but Trevor discovers how where once 35 years ago there was desert now the urban sprawl has come to within touching distance of the great Pyramids. Cairo is also famous for its souks, which have been in the city since medieval times. Local writer and historian Mahmoud Sabit is Sir Trevor’s guide and takes him to visit the last Fez maker in Cairo. Mahmoud explains how this iconic headwear came about: “It was the military who adopted it as head gear in the 1820s for a new style army based on conscription, they removes the turban and replaced it with the Tarboush or Fez.”

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BBC - Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage (2008)
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ITV - Joanna Lumley's Postcards Series 1 (2017)
BBC - Sicily Unpacked (2012)
BBC - Francesco's Venice (2007)
ВВС - Francesco's Italy: Top to Toe (2007)
BBC - Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream (2016)
BBC - The Riviera: A History in Pictures (2013)
BBC - Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage (2008)