We're gallivanting around Europe this season, and for our first two (of 30!) episodes, we headed to Italy to enjoy Florence and Rome. Whenever we begin a new series it is very stressful. We are trying to figure out the focus of the show, how it flows, how many scenes will make up a 30-minute episode, how much time we can spend on each scene, etc. And, perhaps, the most important question, When can we eat?
Luckily, I have been with the same production company since waaaaay back to my first show for the Travel Channel, Great Hotels. We simply love each other like family. This is, of course, because we share more time together than with our families. Anyway, since it was our first two episodes of Passport to Europe, we had with us the heads of PineRidge TV, Jerry Smith and his wife Cindy Smith, and an extra producer on top of the normal crew we travel with, to make sure that if anything went wrong - and it did - we would have extra help.
Shooting in both Florence and Rome proved challenging, to say the least. Despite the permits the producers had, which they'd paid heavily for, we were confronted by whatever "authorities" there were wherever we were shooting. And in Italy, the so-called authorities could be anyone from a police officer to a custodian. The rules are extremely puzzling -- from "The camera is allowed but it can't be on a tripod" to "You can show the host walking around but she can't talk."
At virtually every major monument, I would get one take before we were shut down. Then, there would be a 20-minute dialogue between the authorities and our Italian liaison. (Mmm, sounds like an espresso break for me.) I felt enormous pressure to get, say, the history of the Roman Empire right in one shot while I stood by the Parthenon or the Roman Forum. These experiences are frustrating at the time, but they do make for a great laugh when all is said and done. So, I thought it would be fun for you to have a behind-the-scenes look at what REALLY happened, or maybe a wonderful experience I had, when the camera wasn't rolling. Here's the first batch of what will be my journal of making Passport to Europe.
End of Day 1: When in Rome, always wear comfortable shoes.
Yes, this is one of my ugly feet. We all agreed that I should be a fashionable traveler, i.e., no sneakers or walking shoes. But really this picture should be titled "Don't let this happen to YOU!" Oooooh boy, at the end of the day my feet hurt! My calves shake in muscle spasms and my lower back aches. I definitely do not want to be wearing sneakers, but it has been a real challenge to find shoes that don't cause pain. So, if you are wondering as you watch the show whether my stylish shoes or boots are comfortable, you can believe me when I say, "Nope."
Day 2: Florence
We were filming in front of the Piazza Del Duomo when a few police cars stopped us. Apparently because of similar frequency channels what I was saying was being transmitted over all the police radios. They heard me for hours but didn't know what I was saying because it was in English. They would hear the word "Pantheon" and would go there but by that time we were gone. The Police finally caught up to us at The Duomo. We changed our frequency after that.
Day 3: A Day in Vatican City
We got to have an audience with the Pope! And Stan, John, Sid (our director) and I were allowed to film it! However, the rest of the gang and the executive producers from PineRidge TV had to stay back. This disappointed them greatly, but we assured them that we would get the job done.
Before we could do any filming, we had to go to the media office of the Vatican, where they did background checks and then issued our media passes.
We saw the whole event at the Vatican, then headed out to meet the rest of the gang. I don't know what came over me, but I looked at Stan and John and said, "Follow my lead."
When the rest of the producers asked how it went, I started to shake and with tears brimming in my eyes, I said, "You will not believe what just happened to me." Then, I really got a head of steam going:
"While we were waiting for the security check to go through, a gentleman came out and said, 'Is there a Samantha Brown here?' I raised my hand, and without expression, he said, 'Follow me, please.'
He took me down a long, nondescript hallway that led to a door. When he opened the door, the environment changed completely. Now, I was walking down a hallway painted a dark red and trimmed in gold. On either side you could see beautiful works of art. There were frescoes of angels on the ceiling and tapestries as big as movie screens on the walls. I asked the man where we were going, and he replied in flat voice, 'The Pope has requested a meeting with you.'
I didn't believe him, but before I could ask him why, the gentleman was giving me the protocol. He said, 'When you walk into the room do not make eye contact with the Pope. He is very frail; come to his right side, and lower down onto your knees so he can talk into your ear.'
I was thinking, What in the world would the Pope have to say to ME?! When I walked into the room I was overcome. There sitting in a chair was the Pope. I walked over, knelt down by his right side, and lowered my eyes. I clasped my hands so that he wouldn't see them shaking.
The Pope then started to speak, but he was talking so faintly I couldn't even recognize what language it was. When he was finished, I looked over at the gentleman and gave him a what-did-he-say-to-me look. The man turned to me and with the same blank stare replied, 'He said he really likes it when you jump on the beds.'"
After two seconds or so, I could see the producers faces register that I had just fed them one big fat (but beautifully executed) lie -- and in Vatican City no less! But, hey, you never know, maybe the Pope IS a fan of Great Hotels.
Day 4: Back in Florence
We headed up to a lovely hillside town just five miles out of Florence called Fiesole. Fiesole overlooks the Renaissance city, and after I walked around the town, the producers arranged for me to talk to the mayor. (Actually, the mayor sort of insisted.)
"Does he know I'm not a journalist?" I asked.
"Yes, we have told him what the show is about, but he still wants to be interviewed."
"Oh. Really? OK, um, well, how am I going to meet him on-camera? Do I to go to the mayor's office for some strange reason, or do I just happen upon him at a café and he asks me how I like his town?
"Well, that's the other problem," said my producer. "He doesn't speak a word of English."
Did I meet the mayor? You bet I did. ... I haven't seen the final copy, but in the first two edits of this episode, the mayor scene makes it. And this is how it played out: There I was, talking to a man with no English and, of course, I speak no Italian. What you don't see is our guide, who was standing behind me interpreting my questions for the mayor. I would ask a question and the mayor would go on for over a minute. I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, but every once in awhile I'd do that journalist/interviewer nod and throw in a little chuckle if it sounded like he was saying something witty. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This scene didn't make it into the show. No surprise there, right?)
Day 5: Eating out in Rome
Every night I pass this Chinese restaurant with a red hanging lantern out front. It's near my hotel down a narrow dark alley. It has a forbidden look to it. The windows are completely covered, so there's no way to see if it's busy, dirty or even open. I've been in Italy for 12 days now and have had Italian food for lunch and dinner -- that's 24 meals. (For those of you counting at home, I was here several days before shooting began and I started keeping a journal.)
Out of a desperate need to eat a meal without pasta, cheese or bread, I decided to take my chances. I walked in to find all the big tables filled with multigenerational families and their kids running around. I was in heaven! I took a table close to one of the big families enjoying their Sunday meal. The waiter took this picture. I had the Imperial Tofu -- it was fantastic.
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