The Trip

- Season 2

(2014)

Rob and Steve are asked by a Sunday newspaper to do six more restaurant reviews, this time in Italy. They start at the Trattoria Della Porta in Piedmont, where Steve is impressed by Rob's - limited - Italian and Rob is amazed that Steve has eschewed alcohol and, despite vows to the contrary, they end up doing impressions. After being photographed at Byron's house in Genovese and discussing Canadian songstresses they arrive at Il Cenobio Dei Dogo at Camogli where, surrounded by attractive youngsters, they suddenly feel old.

After depressing calls from home Rob and Steve get a ride on a magnificent yacht, where Rob charms attractive crew member Lucy with his impressions. More impressions inevitably follow as Rob and Steve have lunch at a beach café at San Fruttuoso before having their photos taken at Percy Shelley's house. This leads to a discussion on how the pair will be remembered in two hundred years time after which Steve reads poetry in bed whilst Rob chats to Lucy on the beach.

Rob wakes up in bed with Lucy and feels rather guilty though he keeps it from Steve. They move on to the seaside resort of Viareggio, where Shelley's body was washed ashore and which reminds Rob of Rhyl before visiting Byron's house only to find that they are at the wrong address. Over lunch at Mazzolla they discuss men with much younger girlfriends such as Byron, Shelley - and Steve himself. Finally they arrive at La Suvera hotel where Rob gets a call from his agent, offering him an audition for a role in an American television series.

Steve is jealous when Rob tells him of the possibility of his acting role in America but films a demo of him going through his lines with the receptionist. They then press on to Rome to meet Steve's assistant Emma and photographer Yolanda. They do the tourist sites including the house shared by Keats and Shelley before lunching at the Ristorante Oliver Glowig where they entertain the women with their impressions. Afterwards Rob goes to his room where he gets a call from Lucy, who is keen to see him again.

The duo tour the ruins of Pompeii, passing their own caustic comments before lunching at the Relais Blu, overlooking the island of Capri, where Steve reminds Rob that he has also been in a Hollywood film. At the Villa Cimbrone Rob gets a call from his agent to tell him that he has successfully got the American role. He rings his wife to pass on the news but she claims that she is too busy and urges him to ring back later. Steve, meanwhile, talks to his son Joe, who wants to come and join him in Italy.

The imminent arrival of Joe means the trip to Sicily is off but, having met Emma and Joe in a cemetery full of skulls, Rob and Steve take the ferry to Capri, where they dine at Il Riccio hotel. Here Joe announces that Steve is not a cynic and that he cried at the finale of the film 'Mamma Mia', which leads to impressions of Pierce Brosnan and other James Bond actors before Rob tells everybody that he has got the part in the Michael Mann film. After the meal Steve and Joe go for a swim and Steve tells his son he is buying a house round the corner from him and he can ...