I am orgogliosissimo, very proud, to share that Season 3 of our PBS Series Dream of Italy has won three prestigious Telly Awards. Our third season, which premiered on PBS this winter and is still airing and repeating on PBS stations and platforms like the PBS app and PBS Passport is the:
- Silver Winner in Television: Culture & Lifestyle
- Bronze Winner in Television: Food & Beverage
- Bronze Winner in Television: Travel & Tourism
Since 1979, the Telly Awards honor the best work in television and video and we are happy to say that our third season stood out from the crowd of 12,000 entries. A body of over 200 diverse judges chose the winners who best represented this year’s category: “Beyond the Frame.” Winners showed diverse points of view, unlocked creativity and brought interesting stories to the screen.
Our Silver win in Television: Culture & Lifestyle is a testament to our devotion to the art and culture of Italy, that are unparalleled in the world. In the six episodes of Season 3 we explored the Madonna Nere of Campania in Southern Italy, the opera-rich region of Emilia Romagna and Andrea Bocelli’s other-worldly talent. As arguably one of the most prominent faces of Italian culture, our Andrea Bocelli’s Tuscany episode delves into the places that made the Maestro who he is and showcases Bocelli’s immeasurable contributions to Italian culture. Our American Expats in Abruzzo episode really sums up why so much of the world is attracted to Italy and dreaming of living la dolce vita themselves.
Food is not only the very essence of Italian life but the heart and soul of our TV series so we are incredibly proud to be the Bronze Winner in Television: Food & Beverage. There is no better ambassador for Italy’s new era of culinary innovation as well as combining food and philanthropy than our friends 3-Michelin Star Chef Massimo Bottura and his wife and partner Lara Gilmore. In not just one but TWO episodes, this dynamic couple take us through the culinary mecca of Modena and, most famous for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Balsamic vinegar, which Massimo insists runs through his veins. Most of all they teach us that food can teach us so much about life and help us craft our dreams of the future. Our other culinary guests this season equally shared their passion, from Franco Pepe in the province of Caserta, known worldwide as perhaps the world’s best pizza chef, to Abruzzo’s Chef Gabriele Maiezza sharing his passion for spaghetti alla chiatara.
We work so very hard and producing this series so that YOU TOO might enjoy some of the magical Italian moments we share on the television screen. Ultimately my goal personally is to inspire you and for many that is to take that first trip to Italy or that next trip. Most of what I do on-screen you can do too and I’m proud we provide travel guides and a travel planning service to help you do it. So our Bronze Winner in Television: Travel & Tourism means so much to the whole team, a wonderful group of people in the U.S. and Italy who worked tireless to make a dream-come-true season.
How can you watch? In the U.S., you can put your zip code in our search box (on this page) to find current broadcast airings on your local PBS station and Create TV or check the PBS app/PBS Passport for viewing on Demand. For our international fans, the episodes will be available worldwide on our YouTube channel this summer.
— Kathy McCabe