This is the first in a series of entries I’ll be writing about my recent experience being cast as a local expert in a new reality tv show that spotlights four of Italy’s most beautiful and beloved locales: Taormina, Lago di Garda, Napoli and the Chianti (my episode), and features three contestants’ proposals for an unforgettable weekend in each place. The show premieres primetime on October 2 on Nove/Warner Bros. Discovery a major Italian network. My episode, the last in the four-part pilot, will air on the 22nd.

At the beginning of April, right after Easter, I got in my car and drove to a location disclosed to me only the day before our appointed meeting.

It was all very hush hush. I was told nothing about the celebrity host until a few days before we began shooting, I met my fellow contestants and an impressively large crew on the first day of filming, and found out about the locations and activities in real time.

A handful of family members and close friends knew what I was doing, and I drove them crazy for weeks on end.  This was a big deal for me, I was frightened yet galvanized. With every day came a new request, a twist or a surprise. It was almost too much for this OCD overplanner to bear.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to how it all began and what followed.

There’s a reason I’m a podcaster!

Due to some sort of serendipity, I was found and contacted by the TV production company, and things moved very quickly from there. I did not seek this opportunity out and I had never aspired to be on television, there’s a reason I’m a podcaster!

In the three or so weeks that followed I had auditions via Zoom, sent in proposed itineraries, amended said proposals and re-submitted them, met with the writers onsite and online, tapped into my network, answered more questions about myself than I can recall, and had endless phone conversations and text exchanges with various members of the production team. I also took photos of my wardrobe and suitcase choices (no visible brands or logos allowed) and submitted them for approval. I spent hours searching for old photos and letters that I scanned and sent in. They served as visual proof of the life I had lived up till then, my history, the narrative I had recounted to them and that they would then craft into my on-screen profile.

I waited for what seemed like an incredibly long time for them to confirm finally that I had been cast as one of three contestants whose task was to design our perfect weekend in the Chianti area of Tuscany.  Each one of us led the others, and our celebrity host, on our ideal itineraries for the best weekend in the categories of food, lodging and experiences.

Recording & Recording

I tried to be meticulous about keeping a video diary, journaling, taking photos and selfies before, during and after. The truth is that I wasn’t as scrupulous as I would have liked to have been because the days were chock-full of non-stop shooting, moving from location to location, and being “on” and on camera almost 24/7. It was exhausting and exhilarating.

Leading up to the show there was a lot of uncertainty and details were (understandably) revealed only at the very last minute. I found out a couple of days prior to the start of shooting that there would be no makeup or hair person, so I’d have to take care of that myself. That really helped with my already sky-high anxiety levels.

Beyond the show, there was also a lot going on in my world.  I was struggling to be present for my family, keeping up with my work and clients, recording and releasing the podcast, networking, volunteering, writing, etc. The typical whirlwind life of a new entrepreneur, busy mostly single mom and life partner of a chef. It was a lot, almost too much at times, and all of this was also perfectly timed to coincide with the opening of Luca’s new restaurant, his birthday, and Easter, a popular time to visit Florence.

Promo time!

There was then, and there is right now, a lot of panic and anticipatory anxiety, much worrying, tremendous amounts of self-doubt and overwhelming fears about looking bad or stupid on national television.

Now that the official promo has been released (and I am in it!), there is little I can do, and I feel relieved that I can finally reveal this secret that I’ve been keeping under wraps for almost six months now.

I can’t wait to share with you how deeply this experience impacted me, how much fun I had being part of such an exceptional team of professionals, and how grateful I am for this once-in-a-lifetime chance that took me so far outside of my comfort zone exactly one year after I took the biggest risk of my life by quitting my job and pivoting professionally at the age of 53.

I hope you’ll watch the show and continue to read about my behind-the-scenes adventures coming soon, right here. Stay tuned!