Checker Tobi: Adventure Italy
Tobi discovers Italy: In his 80-minute adventure film, the Checker travels from South Tyrol to Rome. He meets unusual people who are as exciting as the country itself. With mountain guide Simon, he climbs the highest of the "Three Peaks" in the Dolomites - a pretty tough test for climbing novices. Because without rope and safety hooks, nothing works on this steep face. Tobi already has a lot of questions on the way there: Why does breathing become more and more strenuous at altitude? Why does everyone in South Tyrol speak two languages, Italian and German, when South Tyrol belongs to Italy? What do you actually do when you have to go to the toilet in the middle of the steep face? From the summit at 3000 meters, the route goes straight down to sea level: to Venice. In the lagoon city, Tobi finds out how a city without streets works: Does garbage collection come on foot or by boat? And why do you only see children riding bicycles in Venice and never adults? Tobi explores the historic city together with Elisa, a student from Venice. The two take a boat-bus, the "vaporetto", along the Grand Canal. They visit the famous studio "Pietro Longhi" and try on magnificent carnival costumes there. From architect Clemens, Tobi learns how to build houses in a city on the water, and how the Venetians try to protect them from floods. Tobi even gets to take a look at the MOSE construction site: It's a gigantic dam in the lagoon, far out toward the Adriatic Sea. The underwater dam system is intended to protect the city and its magnificent art treasures from flooding. Of course, there's one thing you can't miss on a visit to Venice: a gondola ride. But Tobi really wants to steer the gondola himself: standing up and with only one oar, as the rudder is called. Will that go well? Tobi's last stop is the eternal city: Rome. There the past is omnipresent: Everywhere you can find ancient ruins and remains of the ancient city. Rome has been around for 2700 years, a time span that is hard to imagine. Together with archaeologist Fabio, Tobi sets off in search of traces of the ancient Romans. They were already very advanced: tenement buildings seven stories high, running water and roads - all of that existed back then. Fabio and Tobi dress up in Roman garb and check out a Roman tenement house that is over 1800 years old to see if Roman children went to school and what slaves were all about. Rome was a huge empire that extended into modern-day Germany. Little by little, the Roman army had conquered half of Europe. With archaeologist Tanja, Tobi checks out what it was like to be a Roman legionnaire. On the outskirts of Rome, the "gruppo storico romano" group has recreated a real Roman camp, complete with guard fence and grim-faced legionaries. Tobi slips into one of their heavy suits of armor and trains combat formations with the legionnaires, such as the "turtle". I wonder what's behind it.
Broadcasting on 13th of May 2021 at 12.25am on KiKa/ZDF
Music: POPVIRUS Library