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Michael Portillo embarks on an action-packed adventure from the Italian Riviera to the Austrian Alps with his Bradshaw's 1913 Guidebook in hand. Along the way, our man of the match discovers how an Edwardian Briton brought 'the beautiful game' to the historic port of Genoa. Michael is ambushed by singers of the city's legendary trallalero and learns how to whip up a mean pesto genovese.

Michael takes the train as it clings to the cliffs along the Riviera Di Levanti to reach the picturesque and remote villages of the Cinque Terre, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a national park. A fishing trip in the bay affords spectacular views of the villages from the water. At an important Italian naval base, Michael discovers how Italy's imperial ambitions put her at the forefront of modern aerial warfare. Michael is piped aboard the frigate ITS Virginio Fasan to learn about naval technology today.

Italy's most famous ingredients, parmesan cheese and parma ham, go down well in Parma, as does a trip to the exquisite Teatro Regio opera, where the company is rehearsing work by the hero of Italian unification, Giuseppe Verdi. Striking north on the fast train across the Po valley, Michael heads towards the Alps. On the winding roads at Rovereto, he discovers how one of the world's best known carmakers sealed its international reputation by winning the 1913 Alpine Trial in a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. To hear the story, Michael hitches a ride in the famous marque's most modern counterpart, a gleaming new convertible Dawn.

To cap off his journey, Michael travels to the Austrian border and the famous Brenner Pass, mastered by the railways in the 19th century and the scene today of a groundbreaking engineering project to build one of the world's longest rail tunnels.