I recently had the pleasure of visiting three northern Italian regions on a wine tour sponsored by the European Union’s Taste The Difference campaign to promote quality wines from the heart of the continent. I love discovering new wines and places in Italy, though at the end of this trip I decided to embark on a nostalgia tour of Venice, Florence, and Rome.
Like many, this was the itinerary for my first trip to Italy (nearly 30 years ago!); unlike most, though (I have to assume), this inaugural trip to Italy changed my life. It was on this trip that I decided to quit my corporate job and move to Florence for one year to pursue my dream of being a novelist (the details of this adventure can be found here). Spoiler alert: My dream came true, and I eventually used my experience living in Florence, and a subsequent summer teaching creative writing in Rome, to inform the narratives of two of my novels: Cucina Tipica and Cucina Romana. The original and sequel are packaged by my publisher as the “Italian Adventure" series, and my dream 2.0 is for them to be made into movies.
Returning from Rome on my recent nostalgia tour, I had the distinct displeasure of watching a movie set in Italy. Solo Mio, starring Kevin James, is, like my books, a narrative set between Rome and Tuscany. Unlike my books, I can only hope, the plot of Solo Mio is preposterous. The penultimate scene has the Kevin James character, an American on his first trip to Italy, singing an aria in perfect Italian alongside Andrea Bocelli. Yeah. And that’s not even the worst part…
After the film ended, and the stupification subsided, I began to think of all the bad, contemporary American movies that take place in Italy. I'm talking La Dolce Villa and When In Rome and To Rome with Love. I thought to watch the recent release, You, Me & Tuscany before writing this rant, but the trailer was simply too much. Yes, these are Rom-Coms, I guess, a genre that allows for absurd plotting to an extent, I guess, but still…Can’t someone make an entertaining, plot-driven modern movie that incorporates the real (as opposed to superficial) splendor of Italy into the storyline?
If so, please get in touch as my “Italian Adventure” series has been heralded by readers for doing just that. Yes, there is romance and comedy, but also conflict, adventure, heartbreak, and discovery experienced by complex, real and original characters. (There’s also a very cute dog and a massive wild boar.) The beauty of Italy, from its two famous cities to the swooning countryside to the ancient villages, is on full display and functions as an important part of the story. As one reviewer wrote about Cucina Tipica: “This is a love story, and the heroine is Italy.”
Most importantly, secondo me, is how both narratives explore and celebrate cuisine (hence the “cucina” in both titles) as not just as a source of pleasure but also of physical and mental wellness while fostering community. This broad insight into the magic of Italian cuisine - in conjunction with the plot, characters and setting - elevates the “Italian Adventure” series beyond anything contemporary, Italian-based portrayed in film to my knowledge.
Filmmakers: Call me…
