Not a Reluctant Traveler, Just a Surprised One!

I am incredibly excited to share with you some big news: I got to appear on an Apple Tv show with none other than Hollywood star Eugene Levy, Andar Per Bacari will be out in English by August 2023  and my new website is finally live!

Imagine my surprise when I sat in my cozy living room watching episode three of The Reluctant Traveler on Apple TV+ and saw not one but two of my Venetian friends on the screen!

In the series, actor Eugene Levy travels to various locales around the world, grumping along but being pleasantly surprised that he’s having a great time. In Venice, he stays at the Gritti Palace Hotel, a place I can never imagine existing within my travel budget. But he wants someone to tell him about Venetian food and drink, so he ends up with Monica Cesarato in the Ghetto, at a bakery, and at her favorite ciccheteria (the same one where she hosted a book release party for my book First Spritz Is Free, for which she contributed a chapter!)

With her ever-present smile, mirthful laugh, and vast knowledge, Monica introduces Eugene Levy to Venice’s offerings, such as a chilled raboso and bacala.

As you can see from the caption above, which Monica blogged today, she had to hide her participation on the show for the past year! When I texted her about it, she said that the tv show has really increased her visibility. If you want to book a tour with her, reach out early (here’s her website) because she gets really busy. (I’m not even sure she’ll have time to see me this summer when I’m there!)

I’m in the white dress, with Monica on my right, at the same restaurant she took Levy to!

So my mind was already blown, and next, after Eugene Levy marveled at the luxuries available at the Gritti, he decided to go on a gondola ride with none other than my friend Alessandro Santini!

In my anthology Venice Rising, Alessandro wrote about his experiences with the historic 2019 aqua granda as well as rowing down the empty Grand Canal during Italy’s covid lockdown in spring 2020. His story is fast-paced, nostalgic, but also appreciative of all the things Venice offers and that he missed while Venice closed all its doors. In his chapter, Alessandro told about going for a rowing lesson with his son Samuel–the same Samuel you see in The Reluctant Traveler. In a text to me this week, after I congratulated him on the tv show, Alessandro said that Samuel will be graduating from college soon and rowing alongside him this summer.

Alessandro gave me and my friend Cecilia a gondola ride in the same gondola you see Levy ride in.