Amanda and Alan's Italian Job

Amanda Holden and Alan Carr are packing their boiler suits once again after bagging another one-euro house – this time, in the idyllic region of northern Tuscany. Falling in love with the romance and history of an old building, Alan purchases a dilapidated 17th-century house with a medieval watchtower in the rural hamlet of Fornovolasco, and ropes in best friend Amanda to spend their summer transforming it into another Italian dream home. However, arriving at the property for the first time, they discover it’s been left empty since the previous owner passed away. Full of damp, and with rotten floors and cracked windows, it dawns on them that a massive restoration job lies ahead.

Best pals Amanda and Alan take on their first major renovation project, transforming the old dining room into a Tuscan living room. Failing to reach agreement on the colour scheme, the two venture off to try and get some inspiration from the colourful fishing village of Riomaggiore. Colour choice becomes the least of their worries though, when they discover the windows of their 17th-century home are unsalvageable and must be made from scratch. Luckily, another old feature can be saved, and with the help of Scott, the DIY duo restore the original chestnut ceiling beams, and Alan finds his stride while creating a feature-panelled wall. It’s not all hard graft though, as they venture out into the Apuan Alps and face their fears, taking flight with a 1,500 metre-long zip wire over the spectacular Lake Vagli.

Amanda and Alan turn their attention to the great outdoors as they aim to tackle the garden. The overgrown patch of land on the side of the mountain has been untouched for more than a decade, and with no idea of what plants thrive in the Tuscan terrain, the best pals seek help from gardening oracle Warrie Price, who has spent over 30 years cultivating a 15-acre oasis. Keen to inject authentic Tuscan design into their project, Alan visits the ancient town of Impruneta in search of terracotta pots, but he is soon roped in to create his own centrepiece by taskmaster sisters Costanza and Gioia. Amanda calls in her green-fingered mum Judith to help purchase plants at a local garden centre, but gets more than she bargained for when Judith takes a liking to a handsome member of staff.

Alan takes charge of tackling the first bedroom, and he doesn’t hold back with his design. Inspired by the romance and history of his favourite city Florence, he’s determined to have a mural, but Amanda fears his creative juices could turn into a flood. To nail his aesthetic, Alan travels to the outskirts of the Tuscan capital to meet Jane at her medieval home decorated in rare 14th-century frescos. She encourages him to take down his bedroom ceiling to unearth any original features. Hoping to restore the existing furniture that came with the house, Alan soon realises that it’s riddled with woodworm, so Amanda whisks him away to the Gulf of Poets to reinspire him.

Amanda and Alan divide and conquer as they renovate the bathrooms. Amanda has big plans for converting one of the medieval tower rooms into a double height sumptuous en-suite complete with a Botticelli mural, roll-top bath and a gold resin floor, while Alan has the challenging task of transforming the small portaloo-sized bathroom into a minimalist wet room. Things don’t get off to the best of starts for Alan as he dismantles the old toilet, and Amanda’s dreams come crashing down as she discovers the ceiling she hoped to take down holds the tower together. To lift her spirits, Alan whisks Amanda away to the picturesque medieval town of San Gimignano, and the best friends get to grips with haggling at the oldest antiques market in Italy.

Amanda meets her match as she aims to turn the dark second bedroom into a country chic boudoir, inspired by the Tuscan sunrise. To help bring her vision to life, local friends Luca and Alessandro invite Amanda and Alan to visit their recently renovated 19th-century farmhouse, which motivates Amanda to brighten up the bedroom by borrowing light from the hallway. Keen to create a piece de resistance, Amanda ropes in Scott to build a bespoke headboard and takes her first steps into the world of upholstery, while Alan secretly signs up to a painting masterclass with local artist Tony to surprise Amanda with a showpiece of his own.

The DIY duo face their biggest renovation challenge yet, as Alan aims to transform the medieval tower room into a movie theatre inspired by Cinema Paradiso, while Amanda tries to turn the damp-ridden cellar carved out of the mountain’s rockface into a wine grotto. Hitting a brick wall with their ideas, Alan takes Amanda to the Guicciardini Strozzi Casona winery to meet descendants of Mona Lisa, princesses Irina and Natalia, for a tour of their ancient cellars and a tasting of their world-famous wines. Alan gets to work creating a bespoke seating area and ropes in Scott to give the entrance hall a much-needed makeover. Determined to make the most of her space, Amanda builds a path to access the cellar, but faces a hurdle when she discovers the rocky floor acts as a drain for water overflowing from the mountain. Local friend Warrie Price shakes off her renovation blues with some much-needed retail therapy in the medieval town of Pietrasanta.

Alan and Amanda are on the home stretch as they join forces to renovate the kitchen. Hoping to create the heart of their Italian home, the best friends aim to build an authentic rustic Tuscan design and set out repurposing the old chestnut beds from Amanda’s bedroom to form the kitchen units. Alan brushes up on his culinary skills, learning how to cook the classic Italian dish ravioli with local friend Luca, and Amanda brings a touch of colour to the kitchen, covering the fireplace in handmade tiles. Keen to source local Carrara marble for their worktops, the duo visit an active quarry in the Apuan Alps but face a treacherous journey to get there. For one last Tuscan treat, new friend Warrie invites Amanda and Alan for an afternoon of truffle hunting before they bid an emotional farewell with a party for the friends they’ve made over the summer.