A FAMILY from Bodelwyddan are set to take a starring role in a documentary set to air on BBC Wales next month.

Welsh-Italian Michela Chiappa is back with a brand new series - 'Our Food, Our Family with Michela Chiappa' - which sees her uncover incredible family stories and the social history of Wales through an array of delicious dishes.

Michela starts with the Welsh-Italian Algieri family from Bodelwyddan, and meets grandson Huw who has some clues about his origins outside of Wales but is keen to fill in the blanks.

What unfolds is a real-life Romeo and Juliet romance. They dig deep into the story of Huw’s late grandfather; an Italian prisoner of war during World War Two sent to a camp in Llanwrst who, against the rules, fell in love with a local girl - Huw’s grandmother.

Michela wants to reconnect Huw and his father Fausto with the Italian side of the family. She traces the Algieris back to Calabria, Italy, and they embark on a pilgrimage to meet long lost relatives. She then helps them prepare a feast back on the farm where Fausto grew up.

From pasta and polpette to pigs’ blood chocolate pudding, the pair share a selection of sumptuous recipes with Michela as she takes them on a journey of self-discovery.

Fausto Algieri said: “Meeting Michela Chiappa on our first day of filming was amazing she is such a bubbly person and so passionate about meeting people. We had a great time throughout filming and she was really excited about meeting my mother and other family members, the visit to the farm where I grew up was very emotional and moving, it was a lovely experience.

“The trip to Italy with Michela and the film crew was fantastic. The visit to the farm where my father grew up was unbelievable. As we drove up to farm, and as soon as I got out of the vehicle, I had a look around and it was then at that point that I fully understood why my father bought a farm back in North Wales, it was uncanny to see how familiar the farm in Italy was compared to the farm in North Wales.

“Meeting the family in Italy was wonderful and listening to them talking about my father as he grew up was so lovely and very moving, I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life I still can`t believe it took place.”

Huw Algieri added; “The trip to Italy was fascinating and being able to see where my Taid was born was incredible to see. I’ve always been interested in Vincenzo’s story so being able to go to Italy and see it first hand is an experience I will always cherish forever.”