Great Continental Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo experiences Italy’s need for speed first‑hand, taking the wheel of a Maserati sports car and feeling its power on open roads. He also discovers how engineers rescued the leaning Tower of Pisa from near collapse, detailing the restoration work that saved the historic monument.

The broadcast titled Pisa to Lake Garda is a single‑episode programme that forms part of a travel‑focused series. It follows a presenter as he moves between two iconic Italian locations, offering viewers a glimpse of the country’s landscape and heritage in a concise, self‑contained format. In this episode, Michael Portillo gets behind the wheel of a Maserati sports car, giving him a direct taste of Italy’s well‑known appetite for speed. While enjoying the high‑performance drive, he also learns about the dramatic rescue of the leaning tower of Pisa, which had once been on the brink of collapse. The segment on the tower explains how engineers and restorers intervened to stabilise the famous structure, preventing it from toppling. By pairing the adrenaline of a fast car with the story of the tower’s preservation, the programme juxtaposes modern Italian enthusiasm with a pivotal moment in the nation’s architectural history.