Every Italian cook has a soffritto - the 'starter kit' of olive oil, garlic and herbs from which a great dish is built. Lucio Galletto was in search of the soffritto of his life.

He'd grown up between the tables of a restaurant built by his family on a beach in north west Italy. He had moved to Australia for love, and launched two successful restaurants.

Now Lucio goes home again to recover what he may have lost in translation - an emotional journey that introduces the fishermen, farmers, cooks, winemakers, shepherds, hunters, waiters and scholars of the region that gave the world pesto, parmesan, prosciutto, ravioli, white truffles and balsamic vinegar.

Soffritto is a family saga, an eating guide, a war adventure, a travel memoir and a love story.