"The more films I made, the more I realised what an indelible mark Italian cinema had left on me."

Martin Scorsese presents a two-part personal tour through Italian cinema, from the Roman epics he watched on television as a child through personal favourites, key influences and the classics he can't live without.

 Gallery: See some of Scorsese's favourite directors at work

Throughout these enlightening programmes Scorsese not only shares a deeply individual take on directors such as Fellini, Rossellini and Visconti, but also examines his own formation as a filmmaker and as a person.

To accompany My Voyage to Italy, BBC Four presents a short season of Martin Scorsese's favourite Italian films including 8½ and Ossessione.

 Details of all seven films in the season

Lovers of cinema should not miss what the New York Times called an "extraordinary labour of love".

Hear Rossellini 
The director talks about his film Rome, Open City