3780 Francesco's Italy: Top to Toe

...I'll have to learn how to use the DVD recorder then!

......oh, and his [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F3T918/026-7991716-7830063]Venice series[/url] is out late in June too so it looks like he'll be able to get that vast palazzo of his done up a bit :D

Oooh I'll look forward to that. Have to say he did make my heart beat a little faster - its the voice I think..Combined with Venice it was quite distracting, in a good way...

M

Thanks alot for the info! I'll be glued to the telly... though we'll miss the final episode as we'll be abroad! :(

Shame it's just 4 episodes... you can't really cram the whole width & length of Italy into 4 hours!

Still... looking forward to it! :)

Hello Licciana,

thanks also for that information. I must make a note of the date and time, as I love to watch any programmes on Italy.

As Stephanie commented, I shall be intrigued to see how they can show all of Italy in just 4 x 1 hour programmes, but will just have to wait and see!!

Also, just loved Francesco's series on Venice. I wonder if that is available on DVD? Will have to go and check on Amazon.

A presto
Francesca

[quote=tuscanhills]......oh, and his [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F3T918/026-7991716-7830063"]Venice series[/URL] is out late in June too so it looks like he'll be able to get that vast palazzo of his done up a bit :D[/quote]

I gave you the link Francesca; it's out on 26th June ;)

Hello tuscanhills,

Thanks for the link.

Francesca.

Just for the record, the itinerary for the first episode at 9.00pm on Sunday 11th June will be:

" Francesco da Mosto, author, architect and the charismatic Venetian presenter of BBC Two's Venice, returns for a new series exploring the history, culture and modern-day life of Italy. For the series he trades in his boat for an Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider sports car, leaving Venice, his birthplace and home, and heading south to Sicily.
In episode one he visits the spectacular lakes and fashionable cities of northern Italy, passing through Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Ferrrara, Bologna, Mantua, Milan, Turin and Portofino. He encounters the birthplace of Renaissance art, the home town of Romeo and Juliet, the tomb of Lucrezia Borgia, the world's oldest university, the greatest Modernist factory in the world and, of course, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.
And donning his wetsuit, Francesco sees for the first time the Statue of Christ hidden under the coastal waters of Portofino".

.... regards,

Mickey 'O'

Hi Mickey,

Thanks alot - that sounds great!! Must put a yellow stickie on the telly to remember, though, as I'm notoriously bad on Sundays!!! ;)

Looking forward to it very much!

Cheers,
S

[quote=2nd Generation Calabrian].... Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider sports car.....[/quote]

Delightful cars!

...it'll be amusing to see his style vs. Brian Sewell's!

I wonder if Francesco will be as distracted by all things corporal as Brian was :D

What a shame i am living in Italy!, i would love to see it!, Never mind there is nothing quite like the real thing!!!. Brendon.

Rub it in, Brendon!! :D ;)

Saw a trailer last night & nearly jumped into the telly!! Looks very good (the car & scenery that is!)...;)

Roll on Sunday!

Saw an hour long preview of the Francesco da Mosto series at the Italian Embasy in London on Monday night. It's true that an old red Spider makes a few appearances on the road but the series is at least as good, if not better, than the Venice programmes two years ago. It's all about the impact of Italian culture on the world. The BBC audience will love it.

Apparently the book to the series is already out. My other half spotted it yesterday & thought it looked very nice...

Argh... that's another book to buy then! :eek:

Hi

Last year me and my partner hired a vintage red Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider and travelled around the Lake Garda and Valpolicella regions for a few days. It was a magical experience and very reasonably priced considering we were hiring a genuine classic car and we stayed in a really nice Agriturismo (working farm). The car attracted a lot of attention from locals and tourists, lots of people stopped to admire it. The car we hired was very similar to the one Francesco da Mosta will be driving on his tv show this Sunday. We bought a car hire and hotel package from Garda Classic who have a website. They were very friendly, helpful and professional and it's a short break we will never forget. I would have no hesitation in recommending them and would advise you to have a look at their website (just google search garda classic slow mille). They have other classic cars as well as the Alfa, old porsches, fiats, triumphs etc.

Thanks for your time.
Steve

[quote=Iona]Thanks alot for the info! I'll be glued to the telly... though we'll miss the final episode as we'll be abroad! :(

Shame it's just 4 episodes... you can't really cram the whole width & length of Italy into 4 hours!

Still... looking forward to it! :)[/quote]

As it is called top to toe, will it be missing out the heel which will save a few minutes I guess? :(

[quote=DaveJ]As it is called top to toe, will it be missing out the heel which will save a few minutes I guess? :([/quote]

Maybe he's another one with something against Puglia? :D

Erm.. Licci.. I'm sure Daves comment was very much tongue in cheek as he has a home in Puglia, so I doubt he has very much against it.. but even if he did.. so what?

I hate Italy.. especially Naples.. it's a dirty, disgusting, awful place! :D

Hey there Iona - yes the book is already out I saw it today whilst shopping in town so I bought it. Looks good. Whoopee!

Nice one, Rina!! ;)

It's on our list of books to buy after we come back from hols...

Sassy... of course Licciana means Frrrancesco! Unless Dave's developed a Puglia phobia recently?? :D

Somehow doubt it ... ;)

[quote=Anastasia]...I hate Italy.. especially Naples.. it's a dirty, disgusting, awful place! :D[/quote]

We await your follow up to Francesco's programme, Alienestasia.....what'll it be called?
Hip to heel?
Heel and back?
@rse to elbow? :D

Can't wait, hehehehehehe!

D

Tusk..

You've done it! You've hit the jackpot!! Alienastasia is the best name ever! D'ya fink Ronni will let me have that name?

How about painted toenails in stilettoes or do you prefer thigh high boots to slingbacks? :D

Don't worry... Puglia will be in the 4th episode, as well as Sicily and all the south of Italy.
I was at the Italian Cultural Institute and I was lucky enough to be treated to a sneak preview presented by francesco da Mosto himself. Lots of people from the crew were also present at the event.
The response seemed to be pretty much unanimous! EXCELLENT!
We were given previews from all 4 programmes:
A very unusual beginning from the first part, which catapulted straight into Francesco's life and gave us a quick glimpse of Venice (stunning as ever).

From programme 2 we saw some beautiful Tuscany scenery and a lovely sequence in Assisi (which I hear has been re-cut since the event, taking in complains about da Mosto's comment "our church has a sense of Theatre that your church of England doesn't have"... I believe the line has now been cut)

Programme 3 seemed to be the most unusual: a very funny scene in a cafe' in Rome which took the mickey out of the foreign audience who drink big cups of coffee instead of mini-espressos...
A very spooky and excellent scene underground in Naples in places I had never even head of... and some beautiful sculptures in some chappel (I think in Naples)

finally, clips from episode 4 were straight from the editing room (apparently they were still working on them, though they did seem fine to me).
Matera and a breath-taking Easter sequence in an unknown village featuring some insane people beating themselves till they bleeded. very strong stuff... (the scene had some of the biggest response from the audience) but comelling and mesmerizing!!

Do watch this series, it's going to be really good!
A quick note about the soundtrack of the series. I spotted tracks from Fellini's movies, Benigni, Ennio Morricone, Spaghetti westerns and some old Italian classic...

I love it already

Marinaw, Did you know you are on the BBC2 web page? ;)

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#800080][URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=francesco_italy"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=francesco_italy[/URL]

[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

Don't forget.. it's tonight.. Sunday 11 June 9pm BBC2

Fame & fortune for Marina!! Nicely quoted... :D Ooohh Big Brother BBC is watching us!! :eek:

Thanks, echobase... nice! :)

....we have the DVD Recorder set up & waiting!

Looking at the schedule the Italy theme continues with the programme following on from Francesco... the dark, satanic story of calcio!!

I really enjoyed the way Francesco da Mosto showed me the Italy I know!

I loved this programme.. every moment.. from top to toe! :D

Oh, yes.........he's not Brian Sewell, that's for sure!

You can say that again Tusk.. Sewell got a six part series to indulge in his phallic fantasies! Che schifo! :p

I much prefer the imagery shown through the eyes of Francesco.. I loved the way he almost dared to flirt with the nun and that the Armani suit did not take away his individual dishevelled look! It is a real shame this is only to be four programmes, I could watch it for months. :)

Well I preferred Brian Sewell! One thing I did notice was that they visited quite a number of the same places and viewed the same works of art and buildings e.g. Leonardo's Last Supper, the dissecting theatre in Bologna[?], a villa of pleasure with erotic works and there were more, I think.

I found da Mosta a little bit cloying after Sewell's acidity/acidulousness, but I did like his motor car.

[QUOTE=Ivan]...but I did like his motor car.[/QUOTE]

Just as well, since just about the only time it was out of view was when he was in one church or another.

Al

I thought it was a fun way of looking around Italy and enjoyed it, different and not stuffy. Looking forward to next week.

He's so sexy and a lovely guy too!!!

ha just noticed me being quoted - thats hilarious. no secrecy in cyber space eh..
Loved the show - it was just lush.

M x

Hi,

I too enjoyed the show. Francesco seems a very down to earth type of person and especially smiled when he declined the designer suit!!

The best part for me was when he was driving between cities, the scenery was so delightful and it shows how varied the weather can be in different regions.

By the way, does anybody know if he was given a parking ticket when he parked in a pedestrianised area? If he did, he did not seem too perturbed about it!

Roll on the next episode.:)

Francesca

I loved his comment that nothing brought about fear to an Italian driver as much as a Venetian getting into a car, hehehehe :D

I enjoyed it as well, although the pace was a little frantic. Whether it was by design that he bypassed Brescia and (more unfortunately) Bergamo I would not know, but I would have liked to have seen views of Bergamo Alto. The funniest part for me? Meeting his brother (and his son) at the San Siro; I cannot imagine there are many people who go there and look as disinterested as F's fratello - was he actually reading a book? And doubtless all those Japanese tourists wondered what was going on under Juliet's balcony in Verona.

He has such an infectious way about him, which for me puts him well ahead of the pompous, 'I'm-so-much-superior-to-you-plebs' Sewell geyser.

LOL had to laugh about his brother reading during the footie too!! ;)

We really enjoyed the programme - and discovered many places yet to be visited ... and that's just in episode 1 !! :eek:

Shame about having missed out on the lakes really - other than a passing shot from the car of Lake Garda! Would've loved some impressions of Lakes Como & Maggiore.

Still... can't wait for next Sunday!!

It wasn't even the best view of the lake, IMHO.

We thought it was interesting what he left out. For instance, He didn't do anywhere in Friuli or the Dolomites. I'd have thought Trieste would have merited a quick look. And Ferrara is, I'd have thought, central Italy rather than northern isn't it? I guess with only 4 eps they had to be ruthless.

[QUOTE=Licciana]It wasn't even the best view of the lake, IMHO.

We thought it was interesting what he left out. For instance, He didn't do anywhere in Friuli or the Dolomites. I'd have thought Trieste would have merited a quick look. And Ferrara is, I'd have thought, central Italy rather than northern isn't it? I guess with only 4 eps they had to be ruthless.[/QUOTE]

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Licciana. There is simply too much to include in just 4 episodes, or even 44 come to that. Whatever get's left out will cause some consternation. But what he covered was interesting, but in teasing little bites that probably get's you saying 'hey I want to go there', just like a travelogue.

Hello everyone,

We stumbled upon this programme just as it was about to start Sunday evening. We've been to Italy only once so far, the Amalfi coast, and loved it so thought it would be worth viewing.
What a fantastic programme.....and as for the car, brilliant.

I see from a previous post it's an Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider although it looked different at the back compared to images I've found of this car.

Does anyone have any information on Francesco's version ? AL 365 BA

Italy in four programmes may well not get everthing in, but we thoroughly enjoyed the first one and are certainly looking forward to the rest.

Thanks/GT

I agree with whoever said that four episodes will hardly be enough to do justice to the whole of Italy. But judging from the first episode, which admittedly barely scratched the surface, there will be plenty to keep some of us glued to the telly!

Probably close to a troll, but below is a letter in today's Financial Times:

[B]Do Mosto's Italy is not the real Italy[/B]

[I]From Dr Lucinda Byatt and Mr Giorgion Granozio.[/I]

Sir, It is dispiriting to see how Italy is misrepresented as a one-dimensional country by the irritatingly self-satisfied Francesco da Mosto in the first of yet another misleading series, [I]Francesco's Italy: Top to Toe[/I] on BBC2. The banality of his comments reinforces the usual stereotypes of the Italian macho-, food- and football-oriented society. Mr Da Mosto's Italy is not the real Italy!

An important example of Italy's on-going renewal, such as Turin, cannot be reduced to the racetrack on top of Fiat's former factory at Lingotto. The Lingotto is now an art gallery, concert and exhibition venue, and a commercial centre developed by Renzo Piano.

However, the underlying problem is that the BBC reflects the British obsession with "postcard" Italy, not the real, hard-working 21st-century Italy that struggles to reconcile the needs of a modern society with the danger of treating its extraordinary artistic heritage as a massive theme park.

- - - - - - - - -

I could add some comments about patrician insouciance and middle-aged men who have difficulty accepting the reality of what they see in the mirror, but that would definitely be trolling, petty and personal.

While I do intend to watch the next programme, I found the first disappointing. But perhaps that’s because I’m not a member of the intended audience. As I watched, I found myself wondering if the Italian State Tourist Board had been involved in the production.

In the end, it seemed to me that the programme was less about Italy than about da Mosto and his Alfa Romeo. Much time was filled with shots of him in his pretty car, zooming down empty roads, hair billowing in the slipstream while attractive scenery flicked by in the background. If you’re looking for the video equivalent of a coffee table book, that’s fine, but I hoped the programme would have more content. I did learn some things, but I don’t think my understanding of Italy is much improved by knowing there’s a statue of Jesus (complete with rosary) 20 metres under the sea somewhere near Portofino. It doesn’t help me understand Italy, but I suspect that da Mosto deciding to make the filming of that icon a significant part of the programme allows us to better understand him and his relationship with Catholicism. In fact, taken at face value, that sequence – along with all the other visits to curiously empty churches – could suggest that Italian society is very pious. Everyone who knows a little about Italy knows it is a Catholic country; but anyone who knows a bit more than a little understands that the relationship most people have with the Church is complicated and ambivalent.

Clearly, if you like looking at Francesco da Mosto, the four programmes are bound to be a real treat. But I think it remains to be seen if the series is anything more than eye-candy.

Al

That's an interesting point Allan; I'm unsure whether I've seen any such programme that's not self-indulgent.

....was Michael Palin giving us any more insight to the world than Da Mosta? Whilst Floyd & other 'foodie' programmes show recipeis, it's still more about ego than education, isn't it?

If it's an analysis of 20thC Italy, then maybe it's more Newsnight, Paxman & Money programme than Da Mosta!??! I think you're right about the audience; Mosta is aimed at those who quite like a postcard programme.......so is there still a gap for the more analytical programmes?

Question is, though.... would as many people watch other types of programmes at all??

Yes, the programme provided us with insights into lovely places to visit and I did like the statue under the water (though I'm not a by-the-book Catholic). I've seen shots of places I haven't thought of visiting but may now add to my list... And as our visits bring money to the country, it's not such a bad idea!

Such programmes are intended to give viewers ideas of where to visit, food to try and buildings to gape at in wonder! They're not intended for in-depth analysis.

Though I wouldn't mind such programmes on mainstream telly, I can still check out Euronews for any serious news from Italy.

I'll still be watching in equal amazement and the book's been ordered!!! :D

Iona is quite right - on prime time terrestrial channels such shows have to wash their faces ratings wise. They may have received some funding from the Italian tourist board (it'll be in the titles after the show if so) but it would have been an expensive show to produce. I think it is wonderfully shot and well researched for such a fly through in 4 shows..
A serious analytical documentary about the current state of Italy's economy, employment etc no doubt has a place on TV but not in peak time unless its on a very niche satellite or cable channel. It would get very low ratings - the mass audience in the Uk have little taste for such stuff. And low ratings mean low revenue for commercial channels so it simply isn't attractive.
Francesco's show will count in revenue terms for the BBC for book sales and DVD sales plus foreign sales but it also has to perform well within the schedule or the BBC get slated in the battle for the licence fee - if its entertaining as well as educational and shows great places I don't see a problem. It hardly presents itself as intellectual telly,
Like Stephinie I'm loving it..
M

Have just noticed that Amazon are doing the book for only £12.50 Half price.
V tempting.

M