don't look to the east to get. discovered who. subscribe to the documentary to. hi welcome to a new week of euro max i'm your host meghan way and we're making our way around to all of europe's cultural hot spots so let's get right to it here's a look at what's coming up. in the spotlight metairie italy is one of this year's

european capitals of culture. for the palate to take a very trip through finland. and in the snow is the very in town of ru paul ding is a magnet for black long enthusiasm. we kicked off today show in italy's oldest city terra it's around nine thousand years old and has been named at this year's european capital of culture alongside the bulgarian city of. what makes my terrace so special are its caves where it served as dwellings to its residents for thousands of years already a world heritage site now by tara can celebrate a new status and of course we were on hand for the opening ceremonies. making a fanfare on their way to the center of one of europe's new capitals of culture

much era these nations come from all over basilica the seven italian region where material is located. and from former european capitals of culture like stuff on here in norway. on opening day one piece of music was heard more than any other beethoven's ode to joy illegal you saw him with him for europe and all of its people the. sound of a few thousand if you aren't this is are these celebrations are just about the city and. the dome of the grizzled and supposed young and old feel like they're playing a leading role i think you need to go to john and ken down siani. much here is a small city with a long history. starting at sundown residents illuminate the night sky. others sing in the choir on the cathedral square where floating figures symbolizes the city's high flying hopes for the future.

conceptual artist florian advent from the group he dumbs which means every man is visiting from france. his larger than life force figures were invited to take part in the parade. for comedians every artist makes his or her own costumes afterwards there are a few repairs and rehearsals are always changing locations so we have to be prepared his best mustn't let me. follow very is the general director of materials year as a european capital of culture. he says several hundred events are planned for twenty nine hundred. people and i love these projects just as

much as a mother loves her children. after the opening ceremonies i especially recommend the ones about the poet done to. which we do together with robyn. up it came with the program is shaped by the participation of local residents and the coproduction but. if the father talk about see on a. stint as a european capital of culture is a good reason to take another look at the city of some sixty thousand inhabitants. it lies in an impressive canyon carved out by the gravina river. people lived here in cave like dwellings in extremely primitive conditions until the early one nine hundred fifty s. . at that time the italian prime minister called much of a national disgrace. but in one nine hundred ninety three unesco made this treated a saucy or city of stones a world heritage site. since then some of the cave dwelling said been converted

into luxury is hotels. where this year artists will be showing works to draw on history. like this abstract picture of the communist politician palmira who spoke about conditions in matera. for lack of sauna he was the one. who came to much april first nine hundred forty six and called it italy's shame it or not you're not an. artist alfredo peary draws attention too much air is cisterns in systems of water channels . there's some. i want to underline the passing of time. if it is or whether visits this piece also changes it. if you go. louise months own is showing works in a church around the theme of migration the sculptures are made from nails and

materials found in the region surrounding much era. we are what we are to be thanks to all the small ferment that was from ever. chewed the end of the times the new cultural capital material is hoping to ignite a southern italian renaissance. time now for a brief look at other stories making headlines on the european cultures thing. last weekend saw the twentieth traditional sled dog race into mind in romania twenty seven teams with one hundred dogs compete against each other the drivers are mushrooms could choose the size and weight to their runners. some opted to be pulled on skis.

thousands of flamingos are taking their annual stop on cyprus the most easterly mediterranean island. they're gathering at the leaky salt lake which only fills up during winter the lake colds ample brine shrimp and the birds spend. most of the day with their head underwater hunting the christian nations. the flamingos are popular with tourists who also like to visit cyprus during the winter. the newly renovated synagogue in super teats a in northern serbia opened its doors to tourists last weekend. on. this and it got dates from one thousand know to and is one of serbia's most impressive art nouveau buildings although it was originally intended for the hungary and capital budapest. the synagogues

renovation took forty years it's open to visitors and is also used by the jewish community for events and services. every year berlin hosts international green week giant agricultural convention featuring specialty is from around europe well this year finland is the partner country there are the trend towards organic food is growing reflection of the abundance of the country's natural landscapes water and fresh air all at least that is the image the finns are projecting at green week here's a closer look. finland boasts plenty of unspoiled nature so it's hardly surprising that natural foods play a major role in classic finnish cuisine. most of what lands in the frying pan or on

the plate come straight from the great outdoors hidden away in the north of the finnish capital helsinki lies the culling area team finland training camp here top young chefs develop new dishes almost like in a lab and prepared to compete in an international competition. finish christine. we get a lot of influences from you know if you make it a day on the east side meeting also from the russians we have all that so i'll bring greens want your. meat stew with some. sour cream products yes that's and also pickling all that stuff is very very. traditional finnish cruise even features potatoes pearl barley cabbage other veggies reindeer meat and red berry surfs even fine dining establishments like the

knocker restaurant in helsinki to use down to worthing gradients. if you taste like rain there. the florist that's. fish is also a staple especially rainbow trout in a kitchen of this holiday resort goods made into tart on. beans like to cook with high quality produce especially from organic farms eighty kilometers northeast of present he is monograph one of finland's best known estates and records manages the entire production this includes the cultivation of ancient grains. but the main crop that's here we have oats. oats is the most popular grain in finland. i can say that almost almost every fan starts the day with. both parts. click votes are produced and sold on the news day along with camera week grandness

. and cold pressed grapeseed oil. the estate also houses a successful brewery supporter made here won a world beer award in twenty eighteen. brewing beer is becoming increasingly popular in finland with the number of microbreweries rising steadily. brewery in meant around two hundred kilometers north of has set up shop in an old shoe factory in twenty seventeen run by two brewers go specializes in the production of ales including black ale and india paling. people. and their drinking. beer from. the if the. bloody. getting drunk searching for the new and the new experiences in there in the last summers are short in this nordic country but despite the limited

growing season things grow quickly and ripe and well so friendly even produces wine from berries and other fruit not from breaks which don't try and fear. the order to make you wonder it was the first of its kind and friendly sort of founded in one thousand nine hundred ninety five when wine is a little bit difficult to make wine because the have to chris to use and then at. least i'm fed a month they said by mr perry a three or four months. and we have to put to go because if you just bury some foods including not so much like grapes. plain simple and natural. finish crazy. the english boy band the one nine hundred seventy five have just released their third studio album called a brief inquiry into line relationships and as frontman matt healy put it

confidently no big bands are doing anything as interesting as us and they might be right there upbeat mix of dance pop and rock reflects the social media generation but listen closely to the lyrics and you also hear about the lead singer of struggle with drug addiction. thanks. to. the video to the nine hundred seventy five's lump it if we made it is full of music images the song is a kind of protest against the way in which scandals and disasters dominate the news cycle. if we design an algorithm to keep us informed on every aspect of human life from the second we wake up to the second we go to bed human life being. give me

a time and a place specifically in human history that you would want to be right now. is it before the civil rights movement is it before the invention of penicillin this is you know i mean it's like it's always been a nightmare and we've created a computer to tell us and remind us how much of a nightmare is all the time. the one nine hundred seventy five is the darling of the social media generation maybe because the band from manchester is a bit of everything mainstream with alternative influences r. and b. me how song eighty's retro and yet modern to. a rock band a pop band somebody who's into metal somebody who's the internet has broken down all of these walls we don't have that anymore but then we stand on stage and it's

not hold on these are for what they look a bit like in excess or they just were who do they think they're. the band members started playing together as teenagers in two thousand and two but only released their first album eleven years later it was their second album i like it when you sleep but you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it that made them superstars to top the u.k. and u.s. chance for weeks. months you healy is the band's front man and songwriter and performer. i'm never really going to understand. whether i'm a really good performer or not because it is me i want to sing i'm dancing when i'm on stage i'm kind of being so. i'm constantly surprised that ten thousand people want to watch me to look around to do whatever is that i do i think everybody

should be like i think that being a great performer is knowing your craft but me being a great performer is like not crying because that i'm a very emotional chap. to the one nine hundred seventy five's latest album is in times also a brief inquiry into online relationships people interact with the internet is a major theme in the band's work last year he struggled with drug addiction is another. i. got to play a reader of fifteen thousand people be like connect with me connect with we connect with me on an inhuman scale turn the lights off get in a car go back to the hotel room sit there you like. i thought i was trying to change culture ten minutes ago i'm now i've got

a wall pick my tone i don't might i need somewhere to go and i always wanted to go down. this is going to sound really dark and it's normal but like the idea of being like sosa day or night need a day to kind of experience real peace has something i've kind of struggled with my life. nine hundred seventy five have plans to release the next album in the coming months it will be called notes on a conditional form. for the first part of this week series about having fun in the snow i travel to the bavarian town of ru paul ding which is synonymous with. professional athletes there in the winter months to train and compete this winter olympic sport is so popular that many many regular tourists are also keen to give

it a shot literally it does require some real stamina as i witnessed first hand. the book variant a winter destination for vacationers of all ages numerous trails give cross country skiers and hikers a chance to combine sports with me church the village of group holding just west of the austrian border offer simple southern german architecture an atmosphere nestled in the foothills of the alps it only has a population of roughly sixty four hundred but quite often tourists alf number of the locals residents that's because we polled ing is home to the biathlon world cup it also serves as a training ground for professional athletes like ski cross champion tommy fisher. said a picture is where. a thousand words it's true behind me you'd see lakes in the summer that are now covered in snow the ski runs here are sensational you can ski for

hundreds of kilometers you might even run into a professional. but amateurs to have the unique opportunity to train here like special athletes with professional coaches. this is the area's biathlon can run by former by athlete fritz fisher. now. because when it's time to shoot safety is a paramount importance don't fool around with a rifle. or the motto here is safety first. we practice the skating technique and then after one hour of practice everyone has the chance to try shooting at targets there's a small competition to give participants an idea of what it's like for a pro to train. this year was germany's gold medal by athlete at the one thousand nine hundred two olympics in france even though he has

retired from competitive sports he remains active as a coach at his sports arena the guns are the real deal. this is a small caliber rifle five point six millimeters. he says the ammunition. goes here . each magazine carries five rounds of safety is a big issue when we try to. this is a real gun so you've always got to keep the bow facing forward with the muzzle over the line. the participants range from students carpenters and ex athletes to businessmen and women they all have one thing in common fun. it's just about having fun. from the shooting. and there are. the skiers have to complete one lap before moving on to shooting. each gun is accompanied by

a professional coach to make sure the rules are being followed. and like in a professional biathlon those who don't hit all the targets are penalized in this case three squads. the action takes place in relates a whole round must be completed before the next member of the team can go. this bit of fun doesn't come cheap a two hour camp session costs one hundred forty nine year olds per person. at the end of the day there is nothing more enjoyable than a refreshing drink at one of the separate ski huts built in the traditional log cabin. your strewn all over the valley. in all seasons. the huts are also a great place to wind down the top ground biathlon training. it

was a little tiring but lots of fun we're having so many didn't miss every shot sometimes we actually hit the target so it was really enjoyable. mountains trails sports and great weather made group holding an unforgettable winter destination. you. want to know more about european lifestyle and culture visit euro max on facebook. you'll find highlights from our programs. three hundred sixty degree videos of the most beautiful places in europe and snapshots taken by our reporters take an exclusive look behind the scenes at how the program is produced and follow us on facebook live. we do love it when fans visit our facebook page and give us their feedback visit d.w. euro max on facebook. and finally it's amazing how balloons can change the feeling of any space and that is what artist ciena granite

specializes in she uses all types of balloons to create sculptures for any occasion her business needs to has become so popular that sculpting with balloons is now her full time job while we met up with her in hamburg to see more. six announcements balloons are ready and waiting. to put together like a puzzle to create a cloud for a company having to. keep it on the moons ago from the floor of the ceiling cover a portion of the ceiling and then stretch all the way to the stage you know. built his dented team began working in the early morning back on the home stretch now but it will still take a few more hours to complete the cloud. pillars where once seen a guy natalee then she might have been you know artist on the subway today as a ten years later she's left the office job and founded

a company called colonists down in hamburg. venice about when i tell people i'm a balloon artist usually don't bother trying to explain what that is in words how he just got his balls that i show them photos instead and almost always they say well i've never seen anything like it and while not an easy and. the artist gets at least one launch a commission of ten months many come from abroad but regardless of the amount of effort that goes into the balloons help chance the works don't last long. and also put on you did this huge pyramid in sarajevo we had extra helpers and work from morning till night for three days from blogs this should be. like enough as it was for a children's festival and when we turned our backs for a moment the kids knocked it over then they tore into it with a lot of noise and laughter. a few spots of a couple f.m.r. ality is part of seen the grown ups autistic contests she went with bio degradable

rub a balloon the sat means everything disappears in the end and that's part of the appeal does musts i think that's what makes balloon sculptures special. they only last for a short time just a few days. so people looking at them know they're the only one seeing these one off pieces. even by the time the cloud is finished it's late at night time to take photos of the sculpture that will soon disappear. and i with that we wrap up the show but before we go we want to let you one on this week's draw now for the past fifteen years or all max has been bringing you beautiful images and exciting stories from across europe so we would like to know what your favorite report on your own max has been just go to our website to take part and you can qualify to win a euro max watch for now thanks for joining and listening again tomorrow.

next time on your own max to mark the five hundredth anniversary of the death of leader mao through differentiate the construct a very large city is dedicated to a multimedia show to this for a new songs man along with the ventures masterpieces for forbes for raphael and michel angelo can also be seen as huge great year projections on the walls underscored music. giants of the renaissance next time on your own words.

odd. the fast pace of life in the digital globe shift as the lowdown on the web showing new developments and providing useful information in the wittiest finds and interviews with makers and users. should be fifteen minutes i'm going to.

take on such going to sleep guy is back. defending champions by and munich achings off against hoffenheim and shows desk still a force to be reckoned with. but league leaders both top munro's to the challenge getting by on a plane with a window open ice age. thirty minutes on d. w. . where is home. when your family is scattered across the globe. but this is to. keep the focus on the journey back to the roots should get a minimum of. the shots family from somalia live around the world. i'm going to

cut into systems. global family starts january twenty third on t.w. . raring to me. everyone who loves books has to go in the same. t.w. literature list hundred plus crete. this is the international forum i was came from dealing with any and they killed many civilians. including my father. i was a student i wanted to build a life for myself. but suddenly life became alledge. providing insights global news that matters d.w. made for minds. we make up oh but we want to go.

back to. the seventy seven percent. want to shape the continent's future. part of africa youngsters of testing share their stories their dreams and their challenges. the seventy seven percent. platform for africa. britain's prime minister has presented parliament with an alternative plan for braggs it that she hopes when lawmakers supports the reason i was forced to amend her original deal to take the u.k. out of the e.u. after a big majority of parliamentarians rejected it last week the main sticking point is the so-called irish backstop the political insurance policy to keep an open border

between north and ireland which is part of the u.k. and the irish republic which will remain in a year.