If you’re dreaming up your next Italian vacation from the confines of your couch, Bobby and Giada in Italy is what culinary dreams are made of. The new show, available exclusively on streaming platform Discovery+, features celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis living it up in Rome and Tuscany.
After watching the whole series, we can confirm there’s no shortage of beautiful Italian landscapes, luxurious fresh ingredients, and decadent Italian dishes, leaving us with a major carbonara craving and an itch to travel.
The idea for Bobby and Giada in Italy was actually something Bobby Flay reportedly came up with all on his own, born out of his love for all things Italian. And Flay knew right off the bat that he wanted Giada de Laurentiis to be a part of it. He explained to People,
“We’re friends, we obviously both love Italy, and we’re both on the same network, so it made perfect sense.”
But there’s more to it than that. De Laurentiis was born and partially raised in Rome, and still considers Italian to be her first language.
She’s able to bring that perspective to all of their culinary adventures, along with helping Flay with his Italian vocabulary along the way.
Bobby and Giada in Italy premiered on Discovery+ on January 4, 2021, naturally raising a lot of questions about how this show was made in the midst of a global pandemic. Travel restrictions aside, there are no masks worn on the show and no social distancing. However, there is an explanation for all of that.
Turns out, this show was filmed back in 2019. Both Flay and De Laurentiis shared Instagram posts and stories in September of 2019, documenting their travels and adventures while filming the show. In one Instagram post from De Laurentiis, the two hosts are smiling while surrounded by their crew. In a post from Flay’s account, the chef holds up an Italian soda and a sandwich on a busy Roman street. In another, Flay captures the serene dinner setting from their last night in Montalcino.
While the show mostly features Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis exploring and indulging in the best of Italian cuisine together, the two aren’t totally inseparable. Both Flay and De Laurentiis embark on some solo food fun while in Italy… all on film of course.
In the first episode, Flay takes advantage of De Laurentiis’ early bird tendencies to enjoy a night out in Rome, wandering into some of his favorite late night pizza spots in the city, and making some new friends along the way. In episode two, Flay also ventures out to see how his favorite anchovy pasta is made, while De Laurentiis gets a crash course, and a taste test, in the art of tiramisu. The Italian chef also gets to spend some one-on-one time with her mom, Veronica De Laurentiis, who is an actress and an author.
Before the premiere of Bobby and Giada in Italy, there were few details about the show’s format and what viewers could expect. Would it be a cooking show, with the hosts whipping up a lot of Italian recipes? Would it be a restaurant tour of Rome and Tuscany, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives style? The truth is that it’s actually a little bit of both, but the show leans heavily on featuring some of the best restaurants, chefs, and food producers that Italy has to offer.
Flay and De Laurentiis visit a variety of different spots and people along their journey, from chefs of fine dining cuisine, to the classic and laid back cafes that dot the streets of Rome. The pair also check out local farms and vineyards that look well worth a visit, if you’re down to put on a beekeeper suit or milk a sheep to make pecorino. Take some notes while watching Bobby and Giada in Italy, and you’ve basically got yourself a full itinerary for your next trip to Rome or Tuscany.
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