​Episode 1 - Maria
​A group of friends from Portugal, led by Maria, plan their first trip abroad - a train trip to Italy. They find Leonardo, a host and a police officer with glowing reviews. But he's not who he seems and their trip takes a terrible turn.

By Lorenzo Bagnoli and Alessia Cerantola for The Ground Truth Project.

Matteo Salvini is one of Italy’s most popular politicians. His harsh rhetoric against migrants, the media, and cultural integration has resonated with Italians, especially the youth. His party is the Lega, or league in English, and in the last 6 years, their support among Italians under 35 has grown from 8% to over 20%. And even more broadly, Lega is now the second most popular party across Italy. In this episode, targeting outsiders in Italy, our global fellows Alessia Cerantola and Lorenzo Bagnoli spoke with young Italians who are joining right-wing movements. They say that Italy’s white, Christian identity is under threat from the influx of arriving migrants. 

In 2011 a powerful earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off Japan, causing a series of huge waves that devastated the north-east coast. Nearly sixteen thousand people were killed, and several thousand more are still missing. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes, but one man - Japanese musician Nehito Ishida - has been creating something hopeful from the debris of the disaster. Outlook's Alessia Cerantola went to Nagoya, west of Tokyo, to meet him.

​Precious objects or artworks are at risk of theft, vandalism, even terrorism in some cases. Protecting them is quite a task. But whose task? Outlook's Alessia Cerantola has been to meet one of those people, an Italian man called Alessandro Goppion who's been given the job of protecting some of the most valuable objects in the world including the Mona Lisa painting.

​Kodo Nishimura is a Buddhist monk from Tokyo. But he also moonlights as a makeup artist. Alessia Cerantola went to meet him.

There's a rather unusual museum in Japan, called Chinsekikan - which is full of strange rocks. But these aren't fossils or rocks of geological significance, most of the rocks on display have been chosen because they look like faces. Funny faces, scary faces, famous faces....even faces resembling our Outlook presenters. Our reporter Alessia Cerantola has been to find out more. (Picture credit: Alessia Cerantola.) 

​https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p053vmkz

In March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami caused devastation in Japan. Nineteen-thousand people were killed. And, another 2,500 are missing - including over 400 people from the town of Otsuchi. The town is still partly in ruins, and partly a construction site and many people there have been struggling with their losses. So one resident, Itaru Sasaki, has taken action. In his garden he has a phone box, and inside it a black rotary phone, though it is not connected, but he began inviting people to come and use the phone to have imaginary conversations with their missing loved one. Outlook's Alessia Cerantola paid a visit to the booth. Continue here.

Fumie Takino is an 84-year-old Japanese woman who has started a cheerleading squad for the over 55s. It's called Japan Pom Pom - they don't cheer for any sporting teams, but they do put on regular performances. For Outlook, Alessia Cerantola went to a dance studio in Tokyo to meet Fumie.
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Image: The Japan Pom Pom cheerleading squad
Credit: Alessia Cerantola​

​(by Alessia Cerantola for BBC Outlook)
Underneath Rome's main station the rumble of trains gives way to a different sound: the beat of music. The Termini Underground dance studio helps integrate young migrants through hip hop and breakdancing. The project was started 10 years ago by former dancer and choreographer, Angela Cocozza. 
Photo credit: Andrea Di Biagio