Episode 1 Second Chance Summer: Tuscany

IN ITALIAN:

Maurizio's farm in the southern Tuscan hills is up for sale.

Before he sells,

he's handing over the running of his business to ten strangers.

-Hello!

-Oh, hello.

-Bottom's up!

They all share the same dream...

I am too young to go in my rocking chair quite yet.

..of starting a new life in Italy.

Being a farmer, living in Tuscany is what I should be doing.

But this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

comes with responsibility.

What have you done all morning?

You will not get an answer from me.

By taking over the whole farm,

they must tend the 13-acre vineyard...

It's just really, really hard work.

..and five acres of olive trees...

The little babies are starting to be made into oil.

..as well as breathe new life into the bed and breakfast...

I can't quite believe this is happening.

..and serve food to paying customers.

Come with us to our...ristorante.

This is their chance to put their dreams to the test.

COUNTS IN ITALIAN

Right, we perhaps need someone who speaks Italian to know

what that's saying.

After two months, will any of the group

decide to buy the farm together?

I'd never be able to afford to do this sort of thing on my own.

Or will they find other ways to make Tuscany their new home?

What could possibly go wrong?

It's summer in Italy,

and these ten strangers are moving into the La Banditaccia.

90 miles from Florence,

the farm nestles in the hills of rural southern Tuscany.

Thank you.

'I'd always expected to have done something for me

'by the time I was 50.'

And all of the sudden, 50 appeared,

and that hasn't happened.

I can't believe how big this is.

Arriving at their new home,

where they will live for the next two months,

they meet each other...

-Hello.

-Hi!

..for the first time.

-Tracy.

-Rob. Nice to meet you.

What I'd love to get out of moving to Italy is being able

to say I did this,

I took a chance, a massive chance, and then I made it happen.

-I'm Karen, hi.

-Tracy.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-The view, this is just...

-Come and have a look.

-..beautiful.

I always thought I'd like to run a B&B.

I hope the reality will live up to the dream.

I think it's going to be amazing.

The 18th-century farmhouse lies at the centre of a 250-acre estate.

Olive groves line the driveway

and a vineyard looks out over the valley.

It's been run as a business by Maurizio and his wife

for the last 20 years.

Absolutely perfect.

Basically, I just want a different life, away from...

what I've got used to for the last 36 years.

These new arrivals are united by a desire to change their lives,

but have come for very different reasons.

I think I've died and gone to heaven.

I do.

'I'm looking to rediscover the Lesley

'that I use to know many years ago,'

the one that had hopes, the dreams, the aspirations,

before life slapped me in the face a few times

and made me disillusioned.

I'm Andy.

-Karen, hi.

-Karen.

-Hi.

I'm Lesley.

Wow, wonderful place.

It's incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Living with nine other people,

it's always going to create some challenges,

but I think we'll all get on. I hope we all get on.

Hello.

I'm Altaf.

Hi, I'm Andy.

-Andy, pleased to meet you. And you are?

-Hello, I'm Lesley.

-Lesley, pleased to meet you.

-Three.

-Oh, three!

THEY LAUGH

-Hello!

-Oh, hello!

-Another one. I'm Gavin.

-I'm Andy.

Pleased to meet you, Andy, how are you?

'One of the things I'm particularly interested in is wine,

'grapes and olive oil.'

That's where my main interest is lying.

-Bottoms up.

-Salute.

Tin-tin.

Salute!

-Hi, I'm Robert. Good to meet you.

-Oh, my God, this is heavy.

With introductions out of the way...

-I'm Chi.

-Hi.

-Pleasure to meet you.

Sorry, I'm a bit of a hugger.

..the group settle into their new surroundings.

-Beautiful view, isn't it?

-Gorgeous.

So, can anybody speak Italian?

-No.

-Non parlo italiano.

-English, definitely.

-Which one's Scottish?

-That.

'The first impression of the group

'is they all seem lovely at the moment.'

But I suppose, if you ask me in a week's time,

I'll let you know a different answer.

I have kind of warmed to Altaf. He seems really cool.

I was feeling a bit scared, I guess, in a way.

He came up and gave me a hug and was like, "I'll look after you."

THUNDER ROLLS SOFTLY

As a summer storm hits the farm and the new arrivals get

their first taste of the temperamental Tuscan weather...

-Ours was this one, I think.

-Is that the bathroom?

-Oops.

It seems that not everyone has been seduced by the rustic charm

of La Banditaccia.

This room is dirty. Even on the ground.

This is like animal stuff.

Look at this. This can't be real.

So much time and effort with the decor.

Where is the bed?

HE LAUGHS

Tuscany is famed for its storms.

I just thought that this is meant to be

one of the best times of the year.

Yeah, for rains.

I'm well aware that people would probably, on first impressions,

look at me and be like, "How's she going to survive

"in the country?"

But I think I'll be all right.

Everything is about adapting, and I'm good at that.

So, Mr Chef, what are you making?

Gavin, a trained chef with hospitality experience,

makes a start on an Italian classic.

-So, what do you reckon, spaghetti bolognese?

-Yep.

-Do you need butter, Gav?

-Yes, I do.

How many people do you cook for?

I don't like cooking for one, that's just a pointless exercise.

-And very sad.

-And very sad.

So I wouldn't do that.

'I think the thing I'm looking to achieve from now on is

'to have a nice relationship with somebody.

'I've been single for quite some time now,'

and it is difficult, I suppose, you know, on a personal level.

The older you get, the harder it is to find somebody.

-Is that your wine, Chef?

-Yes.

Call me Keith Floyd.

I think I'm ready for that.

Here's to our first night,

our first meal and hopefully the start of something that is

going to be the most amazing adventure we've ever been on

in our lives.

-I'll drink to that.

-Cheers, cheers.

-Chin-chin.

I really want to learn about making wine.

It's one of the greatest wine-producing countries

in the world, why would you not want to learn from these guys?

You know, for me, because I've done...

I've studied wine and I'm really passionate about it,

while I'm here, I'd like to embrace that, if that's OK with everyone.

I'm just really passionate about food.

And my career has always been in IT.

It's given me great financial return,

but it doesn't give me anything stimulating.

I'm here to learn about farming.

I want to get food from the field to the fork.

And that's what I'm here for.

-Didn't see you in the kitchen earlier, love.

-Ooh!

There wasn't a lot of space.

There's loads of space in that kitchen.

What I hope we'll do, Gill, while we are here,

is support one another rather than attack one another.

I'm only joking.

I just thought I'd get that in there.

-Brilliant. Do you want to go next, Gill?

-No.

I'm all good. I'm all good.

Well, what do you want to do?

-What were you hoping to do while you are here?

-Just...

I just want a different life, one that I didn't have before.

Hm. What does that look like?

I don't know, I haven't seen it yet,

but, yeah, I'm really happy to learn.

As dawn breaks,

the group begin their second day on the farm together.

Eggs on toast.

Yeah, works for me.

-How's it going?

-All right, buddy.

They have a busy week ahead,

getting to grips with learning to run the estate.

But first, they need Maurizio, the owner of the farm,

to show them around.

HE SPEAKS ITALIAN

He's brought his friend Christine to help translate.

I think we can go down here. Yeah, this looks good.

The beginning of autumn is a time when Tuscan farmers

have to work the hardest to make the most money.

Throughout this time,

the group will be totally responsible for running the farm.

It's a unique opportunity to see if the dream of a new life,

living off the land, lives up to reality.

The olive trees that you see here, in this field,

that's what you'll be picking.

What type of health and safety equipment is required

and what type of training is required

to pluck the olives from the trees?

LAUGHTER

It's very nice pick olives.

It's really very nice, because this is a tree that is so old.

When you pick it, they have a lot to tell us.

But it is a very important part of the income to the farms, yeah.

Oh, look here. Bella.

The vineyard, Maurizio's pride and joy, covers 5-and-a-half hectares

and thrives on the fertile soil of these ancient volcanic slopes.

It's an electric fence.

It's here because of the wild boars,

because if not, they would jump in and eat the grapes.

Tempted by the scent of ripe grapes,

wild boar can devour the vines, causing devastating damage.

In Italian, cinghiale means wild boar.

And it's delicious.

Checking and maintaining the fence will be crucial.

It's a 2km to walk around, every day,

to control if the fence is OK.

-It's not broken and, yeah.

-So when do you want to us to start the walk?

-Tomorrow.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-Si.

-This is a wild boars.

-This is new.

They are fresh.

She's got piglets.

-Yeah, the small ones.

-So that's when she's dangerous?

-Yes.

-You'll be fine, you've got this.

-I've been to the Forest of Dean.

-And you want us to pick all these?

-Of course, Maurizio.

THEY SPEAK ITALIAN

Si, yes, of course.

How long does it take to harvest the entire crop?

What?!

Yeah, yeah. If you really pick from morning to evening, yeah.

..and my life.

So it's a pretty big responsibility for us to do this, and get it right.

-Yes.

-A whole year's work, yeah.

-Yeah, I know.

-Yeah.

-Let's crack on, then.

-Andiamo?

-Si.

I still find it very unbelievable

that he expects us to actually pick all those grapes.

And I can't believe, in a way, how hilly it is.

The sheer scale of this has blown me away.

We're just not used to that sort of intensive labour.

Inspired by the possibilities the farm offers them,

the group are eager to decide who is in charge of what,

starting with the crucial job

of keeping the wild boar out of the vineyard.

-And you're OK with walking the line?

-Yeah, I'll walk the line.

I need one other person, just for health and safety,

because there are boar with piglets out there, one person on his own,

in case anything does happen, it needs two people.

In case you get eaten?

Just saying...

All right. OK. I'm a wimp, but I'll do it.

With the role of checking the perimeter fence filled by Andy,

talk turns to who should manage the impending grape harvest.

The number one priority, the biggest income for this farm is the vine.

-This is your domain.

-Yeah.

I, for one, am more than happy to go along with whatever you're saying

-because it's something you know.

-I agree.

-100%.

-I don't mind doing that at all.

It might piss us off a bit, really, that you're telling us what

to do, but out of all the novices,

you're the one who knows the most.

Harvest manager.

I think kind of the position I was given was a bit of

a get-out-of-jail-free card for a lot of people.

They were like, "He knows about wine, give it to him."

And if you think about it, right, they're like,

"Oh, you know about this stuff," I'm like, "Hang on a second,

"I worked in a wine shop."

-Do you want a badge?

-I think he does.

'I've managed projects.'

I've managed people. I'm passionate about wine.

So it kind of does make sense, but it was a bit of a...

"Give it to him!"

-Good morning.

-Morning.

As the sun rises over the Amiata valley,

Andy starts on the first of his daily battles to stop

the wild boar destroying the ripening grapes.

You can see the tunnel through the woods, that's the pathway,

that's the track of where the boars come in.

And they'd obviously come up last night and pushed this up

against...pushed this up against the fence, which insulates it,

which allows them to get through and into the vine.

It's good exercise.

I want to get fitter cos, in my previous life,

I was sat in front of a computer.

What is better than having to do a 3km walk every morning?

In the last few years, it was getting less and less,

my physical activity, and that's what led to my heart attack

about 18 weeks ago, so this is, I think,

the best remedy, to be honest.

I'm a retired detective,

served with the Metropolitan Police

and Hertfordshire Constabulary for 31 years.

I ended up being a Specialist Firearms Officer

on Scotland Yard's Anti-Human Trafficking Unit.

Stun grenades, distraction devices,

rescuing hostages, basically saving people's lives.

I guess I'm possibly an adrenaline junkie.

And adrenaline is not good for the heart.

The heart attack was the wake-up call that I needed

to start cleansing myself of all those horrors I've seen.

Being here now is the best thing for me at this time.

It's a challenge,

but I just need to be a little less action man and a bit more gardener.

And I'm loving it.

This is...heaven! To me.

The rest of the group prepare for their third day

on the farm together.

They are eager to start bringing their plans to life.

I've just come to check out the vegetables.

'Living off the land

'has been my dream for so long'

that I want to see if it really is

what I want.

And Karen and Gavin want to provide fresh eggs to B&B guests

that come to stay.

All right, so what we need to get over is we want chickens that

are going to lay eggs immediately, so how do we break that down?

OK. Gosh. This is like a real chicken farm.

-Right, do you remember the phrase?

-Oh, God.

That's 20 chickens.

I've just translated something by mistake.

I've got something about donkeys here now.

Oh, OK, right.

Easy. Let's go and find someone who can do it.

-Buongiorno.

-Buongiorno.

-Buongiorno.

-HE SPEAKS ITALIAN

-Do you understand English?

-A little.

-We'll work together.

-Venti pollo.

-Ah, una ventina di polli.

THEY SPEAK ITALIAN

Possible?

Possible, it's possible.

-C'est possible, venti?

-Yeah.

-Ah!

-Oh, yes!

The farmer invites them to hand pick their chickens...

That one just winked at me, so we're going to get that one.

..with varying degrees of success.

-Ah! This is the professional.

-OK.

Perfetto.

-Una.

-Lovely.

That's nice. OK.

-Due.

-Due.

They pay 200 euros for their 20 chickens...

-Grazie mille.

-Thank you.

OK, we're finished. Full 20.

..and head back to the farm.

-Bye-bye.

-Come on, let's take our family home.

-I haven't smelled this bad in years.

-Oh, my God.

OK.

God. Oh, we've even brought flies with us.

The flies from the chickens.

Hey, kids, we're home.

-So, did you get 20? 20 little beasts?

-Yeah, 20.

Any particular breed, any...?

They're black.

Hello, baby girl.

Come on, ladies.

All you single ladies!

They are delighted to have breathed new life into the farm.

-20 chickens. Two each.

-Cute, aren't they?

-Well done.

But it appears there is a slight problem.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

11, 12...

-15, 18. There are 18.

-There are 18.

-There are 18.

-We still have lost two.

-We are missing two!

-You've picked the two...?

-20.

We paid for 20 chickens, but when we got back, there were 16.

So we counted them again and there was 15.

We counted them again, a third time, and then there was 17.

And then somebody else counted them and, apparently, there were 18.

So we're hoping, if we leave them overnight, in the morning,

there will be 20. But right now, there's 18.

18 chickens are just the beginning.

The group have far more ambitious ideas

for their new life on the farm.

Keen to provide home-cooked food to their B&B guests,

Tracy and Chi clean the portico,

the perfect space for alfresco dining.

If we're going to try and be different,

-we've got to bring something different to the table.

-Yeah.

It's already linked up to be able to have music and things,

so if we have some African music or something?

It's kind of like African Tuscan, you know what I mean?

It's sort of like, you know, got a bit of Africa,

got a bit of Italy.

It might be a bit strange and out there,

but someone's got to start somewhere.

I'll be in the bar.

Like La Banditaccia, many farms in the region have agriturismo status.

They offer accommodation and home-cooked food

to paying customers.

With their first set of B&B guests booked to stay next week,

Tracy, Chi and Gavin are visiting the nearest hotel for inspiration.

Wow.

Castel Porrona was built in the 12th century...

That's pretty special, isn't it?

..and originally belonged to Sienese nobility.

'The time is right for me to do something for myself.

'I would be disappointed if the only thing I'd ever been was a mum.

'I want to get the bed-and-breakfast up and running.'

My only regret would be that I didn't try.

I want to know, this is where I start, but in ten years' time,

this is where I'm going to be at.

I have a feeling it might be more than ten years.

-Might be more than ten years.

-You never know.

All right, so we go this way.

General manager Signor Mazzoni...

..shows them a deluxe double room.

400? It's a lot, isn't it?

-You think it's a lot?

-Yeah.

We're not trying to compete in any way with even the cheapest room

in this hotel. We are a million miles away from that.

Would we do sort of a British room or

a Chinese room or an African room,

-or would we keep it all Tuscan Italian?

-Italian.

-I would suggest you, this way.

-Keep it Tuscan Italian?

-Tuscan Italian.

-Tuscan, but different style of Tuscan.

-The old with the new.

Different style of bed, different size of bed - twin bed, double bed.

-That makes sense.

-Oh, it's lovely.

You've done such a great job. I love it.

-MAZZONI:

-Grazie.

Next, they head to the hotel's kitchen to find out what

home-cooked fare they offer.

-Oh, this is beautiful.

-Wow. Whoa, I love it.

-Just like ours.

-Look.

It is something very simple.

The hotel uses only the finest locally sourced ingredients

to create dishes that have been perfected by generations of Tuscans.

Nobody is Italian amongst us.

Would we need to have an Italian chef?

-Just check the experience of the person.

-Right.

He has to know how to cook Tuscany food. That's it.

We will not have the budget to have a chef.

-No, we can learn how to do it.

-I also don't think that would work.

You can't expect to provide a Tuscan experience

with an English housewife having a few cooking lessons.

Despite their concerns about a chef for their own restaurant,

Castel Porrona has certainly made an impression on Tracy.

-Thank you so much.

-Grazie.

-And if you can do...

No, I'm sorry, but here we do differently.

-Oh! I love this.

-I'm so sorry, but we do better.

Just with the ladies.

I'm sorry.

-It's OK.

-See you soon. Bye-bye.

Oh, that man is bloody lovely.

So kind.

'I mean, this feels to me like what I expected Tuscany to be like,

'and I somehow want to be able to take that'

and infuse it into our B&B project.

This undiscovered pocket of Tuscany is situated in the province

of Grosseto, 50 miles from the ancient city of Siena.

It is dominated by Monte Amiata, an extinct volcano

whose fertile lands have been cultivated for centuries.

It is in the foothills of this majestic mountain that the

group are hoping to create their own rural idyll

by living and working on a typical Tuscan farm.

-SOBS:

-I just want to go home. I do, I just...

I don't know if I can do this any more.

But Gill is missing the life she left behind in the UK.

Are you all right? What's the matter?

I don't know, I just had a bit of a meltdown.

Why, what's up?

Oh, I don't know, just I really thought I could handle it,

but I don't know if I can.

-Yes, you can.

-God.

I honestly thought I was stronger than this.

-I thought this was the answer for me, but it's not.

-Mm-hm.

-I'm actually homesick. I miss everyone.

-Mm-hm.

-I really do. I really want to go home, to be honest.

-No. No.

Cos if you go home, what will happen when you get home?

-I'll have failed.

-Mm-hm.

-And how will that make you feel?

-Like crap.

-Exactly.

We are ten strangers, everybody was going to come here

with their own baggage

and people are dealing with things in different ways.

-Are you all right?

-Mm-hm.

In an attempt to revive Gill's spirits, Karen and Lesley

take her to the historic city of Siena,

45 miles north of La Banditaccia.

-When you look up, there are little balconies and things.

-I know.

-It's so pretty.

-It is really pretty.

And the bell towers.

-Hey, down here.

-Oh, my God.

-Oh, my God.

-Shall we go down? Yeah, let's go down.

Let's go see.

Mind your step.

They head for the cathedral,

a masterpiece in Romanesque Gothic architecture,

which lies in the Piazza del Duomo.

I am surprised that I am a bit more homesick than I thought.

I think someone said to me, "Are you going to miss anything?"

I was like, "No, no."

When I got to the airport, I looked out the window and I thought,

-"Oh, my God."

-"What have I done?"

"What have I done?" I know.

It's when the reality kicks in,

and the fact is you are away from home and you miss your family.

It is a bit overwhelming sometimes.

Yeah, this time...

..this time last year, Graham and I were going, weren't we? So...

My partner, Graham, died of cancer

in March of this year,

and that really did hit me.

We went down the chemotherapy route

and by January we knew it wasn't going to work.

So...

It's almost like you can prepare for it, but you can't.

You know it's going to happen, but you can't prepare for that.

Graham and I had made plans to move abroad.

We just thought we'd spend the rest of our lives together.

Graham would often say, "Will you still go?"

And I said, "I don't know if I can without you."

Everything that we'd dreamed about,

everything that we thought about is just gone. Poof!

So, coming to Italy feels like starting a new life,

which is absolutely what I need.

There's got to be something more.

There is something more.

It's been four days since the group moved in together.

I didn't think how difficult it would be to end up with people

that I don't know. Trying to muck in and get along with them all,

I think that's the bit that's actually been

the most daunting of the whole process.

Learning to live with each other

has presented some unexpected challenges.

Unfortunately, my room is right below the kitchen.

And I understand that people want to stay up sometimes

and chat and drink,

but seriously, the noise is incredible.

The way the floor is set-up, it's about that thick.

Please, please find somewhere else to congregate

if you are staying up late.

I understand that, but where are the other places?

I think we might need to decide what that is.

-I don't care where they are, frankly.

-But...

Just make sure it's somewhere else!

No, Gavin, that's true, but the first two nights we were here,

you all kept me up.

We are sharing. Right? Please, keep the noise down. That's all. OK?

If you want to stay up late, it's cool, but find somewhere outside.

Anywhere. But don't be disrespectful to other people.

Yeah, but...

Before we descend into getting upset with one another, you know,

-we are all respecting one another reasonably well.

-Yeah.

I agree with that, and I think that's my point,

is that sort of the thing of just throwing out

"Just try and be respectful,"

already to me indicates that people

are intentionally trying to be disrespectful,

and the truth of the matter is the whole house echoes.

Gavin's comment and the issue with Chi is symptomatic of

ten people who are strong-minded sharing a house.

Sometimes there are going to be frustrations, you know.

Our ability as a group to work together with those frustrations

is going to be the making or the undoing of us.

Let's just let it go.

Because, actually, it could then develop into some massive row,

and that clearly...

The group don't just have to learn to live with each other,

they also need to learn how to integrate with the locals.

-Sei, sei, sei.

-Ten. Ten.

-Sei, sei, sei.

-Oh, OK, six.

'People are actually very welcoming,

'and they will try and chat to you,'

but that's one issue I feel

really bad about cos I need to do something about my Italian.

Bene? Bene? Good price?

Bene? Quanto costa?

So some of the group have invited a neighbouring olive farmer

to help them learn Italian.

-Bene, e te?

-Oh.

-Tutto bene, yes.

Moving from France 15 years ago,

Romain followed his own dreams of a new life in Tuscany.

I had a job in Paris before, like a boring corporate job.

It was OK, it was well-paid,

but it was not really fulfilling.

For me, it was very important to find what is the meaning of life

and to go in this direction.

I personally chose to stay here because of the simplicity

of the life.

Yeah, I was thinking, we should start maybe today

with all the sentences you need to know

for, like, meeting people.

So you have the universal, fabulous "ciao".

ALL: Ciao.

-This is really good.

-We know that.

-We know that.

-That's the only one we know.

-It works night and day.

'Learning Italian was the first thing for me to do.'

You can't do anything otherwise.

You can't buy anything,

you can't enjoy a dinner at the bar,

all the conversations.

So, a major thing,

learning the language.

-Aio? Eo?

-Io.

Pronounce all the letters. Lavorare.

That's its sounds.

-Del Nigeria.

-Del Nigeria.

Grazie.

Wow.

A clap for Chi.

She did well. She did well. She's easy.

Che cosa stai facendo qua?

Che cosa stai facendo qua?

"Che cosa" - what...thing? "Che cosa" - what thing?

Che cosa...

"Stai facendo" - are you doing?

OK. Che cosa stay...

-Stai.

-Stai.

You pronounce all the letters.

Che cosa stai facendo?

Stai facendo qua.

-Qua. Qua.

-Qua.

Grazie.

SHE MUTTERS

Prego. Prego.

Prego.

Oh, you're welcome. Yeah. Prego.

Prego.

HE SPEAKS ITALIAN

By ear, the Italian accent is not that alien to me.

I recognise particular sounds

from Nigerian languages,

especially the Igbo language,

which my father's family speak.

Yeah.

Whilst Chi ponders the similarities

between Igbo and Italian,

Gavin awaits an important arrival.

I'm just trying to get hold of my friend John.

He's driving my car down with my dog.

So, he's due to arrive

at about seven o'clock.

I'm just trying to get hold of him, make sure he's on...

'I got Ted about four years ago.

'We've been best friends ever since.'

He's a companion, he just makes me smile.

The story behind why I got Ted was...

I'll be honest with you, I was a little bit lonely, I think.

It's the thing of having some...

body to come home to.

I had Ted through my mum's illness

and with her passing, and...

to be honest, it might sound a bit weak, I don't know,

I don't really care,

but he made it a lot easier for me to get through it.

-How we doing?

-Yeah, tickety-boo, how are you?

He knows immediately if I'm in a bad mood or I'm upset about something.

He's straight up there beside me,

head on the lap and, you know, that kind of interaction.

You can't put a price on that.

-INTERVIEWER:

-How much did it cost you to bring Ted down?

1,500 plus.

Gavin's friend is driving Ted to Italy,

which means Gavin will also be reunited

with the second love of his life...

My car.

It's what they call a midlife crisis -

which, currently, I am on my...

..sixth midlife crisis.

I think they're great.

I think you should start having them when you're younger, to be honest.

It gives you a good excuse to do some really crazy stuff.

DOG BARKS

Oh! Here's my little fella!

Did you miss me?

Did you miss me? Aww!

Where's them kisses? Have you missed me?

TED PANTS

Oh, great he's weeing on me. Wonderful.

I guess that's a yes then.

Very manly-looking dog you've got there, boy.

I am confident in my masculinity.

-I don't need a big dog, do you know what I mean?

-OK.

However, not everyone is quite so excited that Ted has moved in.

Ted, the super dog.

A couple of things on Ted -

great dog...

Clearly a very successful dog,

drives a nice car, nice lad...

After he arrived, he was a little bit overexcited

and pissed all over the room I was in.

I don't know, call me sensitive, OCD maybe,

but dog piss just isn't my thing.

Morning, handsome.

It's Saturday,

and Rob is waiting for crucial news.

I feel a bit stressed out today,

cos I just want everyone to get on board with this

and it's a bit like, "It's all right, Rob's dealing with it."

An expert from a local winery

is coming to check the grapes

to reveal if they are ripe for picking,

and harvest manager Rob is keen to be as prepared as possible.

Worst-case scenario is we get told today

that we've got to start on Monday.

It's just the organisation

of doing that on my tod.

But, hey, that's the role I took on and I'll get it done.

I've always been passionate about wine.

I find it fascinating,

so I quit my corporate job and I went to work in a wine shop.

All my friends say to me they've never seen me so happy

as when I was earning minimum wage and working in a wine shop.

-Hi, good morning.

-Good morning.

Buongiorno. I'm Dr Seitini,

nice to meet you.

Rob isn't the only one anxious

to know when to start picking.

With vines ripening across the valley,

Dr Seitini is in great demand.

OK, so, let's go and check it.

There are several steps to pinpointing the perfect moment

when the grapes should be harvested.

This is a perfect grape of Sangiovese. Very nice.

Open the berry...

and you have to see how...

the seeds can be separated from the pulp.

If you can easily separate it, we are ripened,

we are perfectly matured.

-In this case, as you can see, it's not perfect.

-Yeah.

Next thing, the skins - that's the most important part of the process.

You must see if it gives colour...

-You mean, the colour goes to the fingers?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Right.

-It doesn't give colour yet, you see?

-Let's go on and let's...

-Come on, pal.

..and you can tell me what you feel while we walk.

Unbeknownst to the group,

not all the grapes are Sangiovese.

So, this is another variety and this is Merlot.

There are also 20 rows of Merlot

which Dr Seitini thinks might be ripening at a faster rate.

Try the berries.

Finally.

The berries are good.

More colour, almost ripened,

but we have a problem.

We have a problem.

The wild boar are eating a lot.

Yes.

So, I suggest you to make a sample right now

and we have to make an analysis

in order to understand

if we can harvest as soon as possible.

To save as many grapes...?

To save as many grapes. Yeah.

It's not great.

If we analyse these grapes

and they say, "Go, we've got to do it right away,"

we just have to do the best we can

and pick as many grapes as possible.

Predicting when is the best time to harvest grapes

is not an exact science.

But science certainly plays a part.

By extracting the juice from the grapes,

Dr Seitini can measure the acidity

and sugar levels which indicate

the strength of alcohol.

OK. We have a high alcohol content.

I suggest you to harvest.

-Go for it straightaway?

-Yeah, as soon as possible.

Prepare everything tomorrow

and then to harvest the day after.

-Grazie.

-Thank you. It was a pleasure.

-Thank you very much for your time today.

-Grazie.

-Bye-bye.

-Ciao.

-Ciao.

If you harvest for the first time, it's not easy.

It will be harder than they realise today for sure

because, when you harvest,

there is always something that happens.

Every vintage, every harvesting time has a surprise.

Despite the fact that it's only the Merlot grapes

that are ready to harvest,

Rob still has some concerns.

I'm not worried about getting the harvest in.

I'm worried about nine other people

pulling their weight and making it happen.

So, tomorrow morning, we're going to clean all the crates,

and Monday morning, we start picking.

Ahh!

That's what worries me,

making sure they all, like, put as much into it as I will.

The grape harvest isn't the only venture

about to start at La Banditaccia.

The reason I was really interested in coming here

was because I thought I would like to run a B&B

with a small, little...

Not necessarily a restaurant

but just somewhere where you can offer dinner to your B&B guests.

So, I just wanted to see how that could work.

Yeah, it's not going to take much, is it?

The group's first B&B guests

are booked to stay at the farm in four days' time.

With limited space in the main house,

they've decided to use the annexe

for their guests' accommodation.

It's looking good already, isn't it, eh? Cheers.

-You're going to walk in to the ladder...

-Yup.

-When you get to the ladder, stop.

-Stop.

By that time hopefully, I'll be level with the door.

-Yup.

-OK?

-Insects.

-Insects.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then I will lift the door up...

-OK.

-..you come towards me,

so the door is now horizontal,

and then lower it slowly.

THEY LAUGH

Oops, something's falling. My glasses, OK.

Yeah, no, I'm good.

OK.

-Oh!

-Hold it.

Hold up, I'm holding.

-Yeah.

-Ready?

-Yup!

-Ha!

There we go. Simple when you know how.

Oh, fantastic. Oh!

Oh!

Does it feel worse or better than it was before?

It feels worse, actually.

The early Merlot harvest

and the imminent arrival of the B&B guests

have added extra pressure to the group.

Over dinner that evening,

they discuss which venture should take priority.

We're talking about the annexe at the moment,

whether we can put the guests in the room or not,

and it's not going to be finished.

Oh, gosh, why are you being so negative?

We're the ones that did the work.

Once it's finished, it will be beautiful, but at this moment,

I think we're going to put far too much pressure on ourselves.

We have the harvest on Monday...

We've got people coming to stay here on Wednesday

and the girls are painting the annexe.

They've been painting it all day,

we've got to do the harvest tomorrow morning,

or start it tomorrow morning. Then we're going out tomorrow afternoon.

Then Monday, we're harvesting.

Monday afternoon, they'll have to finish.

These guests are checking in on Wednesday...

and it's all that kind of stuff, you're just like, "Oh, man."

We have to go up to the vineyard tomorrow morning.

We've got X amount of boxes

that need washing before we put the grapes in.

Why didn't you then drop everything today and come and help us, then?

Rather than do sweet FA,

we could have all gone in and done it...

We haven't been doing sweet FA, love, I was up in the fields.

-I've been up since five o'clock, what time did you get up?

-Seven.

Right, let's get realistic.

Come on, that's ridiculous. Sorry.

'The harvest is such a huge responsibility

'and we don't want to mess it up,'

but I think the problem is that everybody, in some way,

is self-centred.

She actually said, "What have you been doing all day?"

And it's a very hurtful thing.

You know, I was up at five o'clock this morning. I haven't stopped.

I'm back at her,

which I don't feel good about it.

I can be a bit short-tempered, I know I can.

You know, I can be a bit grumpy.

I know that.

But it doesn't make you feel good when you bite.

ROOSTER CROWS

It's the day before the Merlot harvest...

I'll just grab some boxes. Give me two seconds.

..so Rob, Gavin and Andy

prepare the crates they need to collect the grapes.

Even this is making me emotional.

HE LAUGHS AND SNIFFLES

Oh!

There's things you take for granted, like Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Mother's, Father's Day.

It affects me if I'm walking down the street

and I see somebody with their parents.

It's like, "They've got the parents and I haven't," you know?

-Yeah, yeah.

-I know, it's weird.

It'll be last January my mum passed

and I'll be driving down the road and, all of a sudden,

it just hits you with the a hammer that, yeah, she's not here any more.

-Yeah.

-Ahh! And you start thinking about,

"Oh, what was the last thing I said to them?

"Was I mean? Was I rude?"

Mate, especially with my dad,

cos my dad was just... like that and he was gone.

With Mum I said to my sister, like,

"Just sit with Mum and ask her loads of questions.

She was like, "What kind of questions?"

I was like, "Ask her favourite colour, her favourite flower."

We've got it all written down. We always wear red on her birthday.

It was her favourite colour, so we always wear red.

HE SNIFFS

I'd say losing Mum was pretty life-changing.

I was 30 years old.

I still, to this day, say it's the worst year of my life.

We watched her die,

as horrific as that sounds.

It's pretty hard to deal with.

It's affected me massively and it is...

Part of the decision to leave the UK is that.

It just shows you how brief life is

and how important it is to kind of make the most of it.

-Cos you always think you've got more time.

-Yeah.

And you haven't.

Summer in Tuscany is a time when communities come together

to host festivals that celebrate the fruits of the land.

It's so nice, isn't it?

-Gorgeous.

-You could have it with a glass of wine.

-I know.

La Sagra della Bruschetta, in the village of Montegiovi,

is the group's first opportunity

to mix with the locals and meet their fellow farmers.

SHE SPEAKS ITALIAN

Welcome to Montegiovi. Nice to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Buonasera.

You see, there is a problem.

The small mosquito that attack

the olives and put some eggs in the olives.

The risk is that,

if these eggs are growing,

-the olives will be completely...

-Destroyed.

..corrupted and destroyed, very fast.

So you should harvest early?

Yeah.

It's kind of freaked us out a little bit, we went into panic mode,

because he said he's already harvested his olives.

So, we're panicking about the grapes and he's like,

"You have to do your olives as well,"

and we're going, "Oh, God!"

-Come on then, girlies.

-All right.

Will you look after my bag? Grazie.

Whilst Rob worries about the olive harvest,

the women get stuck into a traditional tug-of-war.

-You have to pull it...

-From there.

-..from over there.

-OK.

-Uno, due...

-HE WHISTLES

CHEERING

-Oh, my heart.

-We done well.

I don't know if I can speak.

I haven't done tug-of-war since I was at school. It's just so funny.

-Still up?

-Yeah, yeah.

It's the morning of the grape harvest.

Of the 13 acres,

just 20 rows of grapes are Merlot,

which provides the group with the chance

to test their harvesting abilities

before the main event.

I'm kind of hoping we can all kind of work together

and we can all move in the same direction.

It's trying to make sure that

no-one feels ostracised and everyone can work together.

It's only nine o'clock in the morning and you're sweating already.

'We all have the same final goal, right?'

We're all here to start over,

to start fresh and do something for ourselves.

As long as we work towards that, you know,

there's nothing to stop us kind of getting there, really.

We work together,

we all aim for that final goal. It's...

It should be easy.

Anything you can get your hands on,

get your hands on it, cut it.

Don't put any crap in, though.

Can you show us what "crap" is, please, that we don't take?

You don't want to be picking that.

The majority are dried, so just bin it.

Whereas, if it's the other way around,

if the majority are OK and you have a couple of dried ones,

cut it, pick the dry ones off and then put them in your basket. Yeah?

OK.

There's not a lot.

Looking at these grapes, like, there's nothing to pick.

The boar have eaten most of it.

It won't take long.

As harvest manager,

Rob has devised a system

for the group to work in pairs.

Jill and Karen, if you take this row.

-So, you go up that side...

-And down?

-..and down this side.

-OK.

I reckon it'll become a bit of a competition as well.

They'll be like, "I picked more grapes than you." It's great.

You love that. You love that little bit of motivation within a team.

You stay there.

Well away from the tractor.

It's a bit like the National

and all the horses are all jittering,

and then the gates go and they're off.

You be a good boy.

Two, three. So, you want one in the middle, yeah.

That's it.

It's really nice, actually.

Good to be picking some grapes,

dealing with the harvest.

I think it's... Yeah, working nicely.

It's a bit hunt the bunch.

It's really hard, this,

because they're all a bit knackered, aren't they?

Oh, God.

I know. These naughty pigs, they've done a good job right here,

-haven't they?

-Yeah.

-Actually, have we done this one already?

-No.

We can't have done.

I mean, look at that pathetic little thing. Whoops.

People don't listen, do they?

I said this morning, "Don't cut the other side of the vine."

What's Chi doing? Cutting the other side as Tracy.

Chi! Chi!

Can you work with Tracy on going down that side,

like we discussed originally, please?

It's a bit of a breakdown in communication, that's all.

Can I not come up the other side?

No, no, no, that's been done.

-No, it hasn't.

-Robert's gone down that side.

He hasn't. There's loads of grapes. I've just been looking.

I was going to pick them all.

So, what are you...?

Robert has not passed me.

Can I flip to the other side with and come up?

-Flip to the other side. So, you boys...

-Come back up that one?

Come back up that one, yeah.

But what happens, Rob,

when they've done that and come up there, where do they go then?

We go over to that one.

They use their common sense and look down and see

-where people are working.

-We've done that as well, but somehow...

You common sense isn't working!

It's just really, really hard work.

-OK?

-OK.

There's certain kinds of people who,

"I'll sit down on a crate, someone might bring me some Pimm's!"

That's frustrating.

After three hours of picking,

Rob calls the group together for a break.

How did everybody find that?

Really hard.

Mixed. Very mixed.

Some of the grapes were easy because,

if they're in a bunch, you can just snip them, put them in the thing.

Some of them were in such a mess...

We're past halfway,

so if anybody wants to skedaddle, they can.

If you've got other jobs you want to go and do.

There's only about five rows left.

Whilst the rest of the group head back to the farm...

Rob and Altaf load the crates.

It's almost like we've missed that entire row.

How poorly these have been picked is a joke.

The issue is that there are still grapes on the vines

that are good grapes, that could be harvested.

In an attempt to bolster their meagre pickings,

they harvest all the vines again.

It's just disheartening because we're all here

working towards a common goal,

we know this is the biggest part of this farm,

is the vineyard.

Look at that, that took us four hours,

and we've got that to do.

It's going to take us four weeks.

We've got to congratulate ourselves, we've done the harvest,

albeit it causes a bit of frustration

when you think you're finished and you've been told,

"No, you've got to go back and do the whole lot,"

-and we've spent another three or four hours doing it again.

-Yeah.

It's a learning thing and we've learned from it,

-so we just move on.

-Move forward. That's it. Done. Good.

The hardest part has been people,

because there's such a...

And we do bat this phrase around,

but it is a bit of a motley crew.

It's like The Raggy Dolls -

hey, everyone's a broken toy.

We all are.

My biggest achievement this week...

Can I think about it? I can't even think.

You did say something.

I was going to say not punching somebody in the teeth,

but I better not say that.

I knew it wasn't going to be easy...

but I didn't think it would be this hard.

The dream is living up to reality.

I'm really enjoying this adventure.

I'm loving every minute of it.

Best time of my life.

I don't want it to stop.

I can't believe this is happening.

The imminent arrival of the first B&B guests

creates panic at La Banditaccia.

Shit the bed. The guests are here

and we've got stuff scattered all over the table.

And it's a race against time

to bring in the farm's largest crop.

Can you just work your way along to the very end and then head that way?

If the storm hits and we haven't finished the harvest,

the wine's knackered.