If you read one of our recent blogs you know that we filmed an episode of House Hunters International! Have you seen it yet? If not, consider this your spoiler warning—stop here and watch before continuing! Before agreeing to do the show, I read more blogs than I care to admit about other people’s experiences filming the show, so naturally, I feel fully prepared to overanalyze our experience in unnecessary detail for anyone curious...
Tuscan Dreams & TV Screens
We live in Northern Virginia, but get to Lucca as much as we can, with our long-term plan to eventually retire in Lucca, at least part-time. In the meantime, coordinating filming dates to coincide with our time in Lucca was a bit tricky. After much anticipation, in April 2024, we finally filmed our House Hunters International episode! Here's a peek behind the scenes of our experience...
Lights, Camera, Action
First and foremost, the crew made our experience especially enjoyable and worthwhile. The four day shoot was somewhat exhausting, but they were always encouraging, upbeat and energized which helped tremendously. Filming House Hunters International was completely out of our comfort zone and the crew managed to make it so much fun.
The crew consisted of: Joe (Director from the UK), Adam (Director of Photography from the UK), Sarah (Fixer from Italy), Gaspare (Sound Engineer from Italy), and Ilaria (Driver from Italy). Most had worked together on prior projects and you could tell they not only gelled as a team but were actually friends...or really good at faking it! We were so out of our element, but the expert crew put us at ease and kept us well-fed and caffeinated throughout the shoot, which was much appreciated. Friendly, professional, and fascinating, our crew had tons of travel experience and shared stories about the amazing places they’ve been to on the job and some of the quirky people they met along the way.
Glam Team MIA
There is no makeup, hair or wardrobe for the show. The makeup part was especially concerning, since I lack those skills, and I had been struggling with a severe face rash on and off for 6 months leading up to filming! I continued to battle the rash until we departed for Italy, but miraculously, it vanished within a couple of days of our arrival (probably not a coincidence...more on that here). Phew, just in time for filming and yet another argument for living in Italy!
Fashion Frenzy: Navigating Wardrobe and Weather Woes in Lucca
Joycelyn, the Producer, provided us with a detailed schedule for shooting, along with pretty clear guidelines for how we should dress. We needed four outfits each, preferably bright jewel tones and avoiding small prints. Before the filming, we watched some episodes to see how people were dressed and Dario noticed that most didn’t adhere to the guidelines.
We were asked to bring all four of our outfits on the first day of shooting. Whatever you wear for the first house tour is what you need to wear for the subsequent tours that are filmed over the course of the four days. Joe liked my orange dress most because he said it would “pop” on-screen, so suggested that I wear that for the house tour pieces, which made up the bulk of the filming. Later (too late), I learned that dresses might not be the ideal choice because the sound technician needs to get quite personal to attach the mic. Of course, the crew were consummate professionals, handling everything with great care and respect.
Dario chose a blue sweater for filming, and at the Director's suggestion, added a scarf for extra flair. At first, it seemed like the perfect outfit—temperatures hovered in the low 50s, and while I was freezing, Dario was perfectly comfortable. But as the days went on and the temperature climbed toward 80 degrees on the final day, the scarf became a sweaty regret. To make matters worse, he hadn’t shaved on the first day of filming, locking him into maintaining a 5 o’clock shadow for continuity throughout the shoot. Meanwhile, the locals, true to their seasonal style rather than the actual weather, stayed bundled up in puffer jackets and scarves, ready for the Arctic Tundra—even as we were all breaking a sweat. I suspect the scarf will become a running joke with our friends back in Virginia for a while to come.
All of the scenes are filmed out of order, so you must trust the process and keep the faith that the story will all come together to make sense. Joycelyn's spreadsheet kept us on task and included every little detail, including: our call times, wardrobe changes, weather forecast, lunch breaks, sunrise/sunset, etc.
Lights, Camera, Jitters
On day one, we nervously headed to the hills of Cappanori to Villa Elizabeth to meet with our on-screen realtor, Benedetta, a young and glamorous realtor with one of the major agencies in the center of town. Benedetta’s Mom had actually shown us a home that we seriously considered when we were first looking.
Some elements of the show were fictionalized—Benedetta wasn’t actually the realtor who sold us our home. She spoke English, whereas our real realtor, Luca, was still learning, so Benedetta got the role. While we understood the decision, we felt bad that our amazing realtor couldn’t participate, especially since he had been such a tremendous help throughout the purchasing process and beyond.
On the first day, we filmed our meeting with the realtor, one-on-one interviews as well as some "B roll" of us walking around the Lucca countryside. As filming progressed, we became more relaxed, so those initial scenes are the most awkward to watch.
We're Not Actors, But We Played Them on TV
The crew immediately helped us feel more comfortable. Joe would prompt us with questions just to the side of the camera. We were to look at him when we answered and his expressions as we responded helped put us at ease - nodding, smiling, encouraging. While the show isn’t scripted, we had given the Producer answers to tons of questions. Joe had done his homework and was very skilled (and, sometimes a little cheeky) at prompting us for the interview portions. “So, Ashley, starting this next chapter in Italy as empty nesters, how do you feel about picking an apartment that has lots of extra space for your grown boys to move back in with you?” Or, “Dario, who is more stubborn in this process, you or Ashley?"
Our oldest son, Jackson, was visiting from the Netherlands and participated briefly in the filming on his last day in Lucca. The Director, committed to sharing every member of our close-knit family, wanted to ensure our two other sons, Max and Wesley, were represented as well. Later in the week, we headed to a park to film a video call with them while they were away at college in Virginia. While I appreciated the effort to include everyone, our boys weren’t exactly on board with the idea, so the footage probably captured the reality of conversations with sons. In the end, those scenes didn’t make the final cut, and I suspect Max and Wesley are relieved—they can rest easy knowing their video call debut remains safely on the cutting room floor!
House Tours and Boars
Homes we had seen during our actual search nearly two years prior were obviously no longer on the market, so the realtor selected the two other properties for the show. We did not have a chance to tour the properties before filming started, nor did the crew, which allowed for some genuine reactions on-camera.
The first home we toured was fully furnished and lived in, and we were prompted to comment on some of their decor decisions—including a boar's head hung above the toilet, which felt odd, to say the least. That particular scene didn’t make the final cut either, and honestly, it’s probably for the best. Hopefully, the owners of the home won’t take issue with our commentary, especially since this is a small town, and it’s quite possible we’ll cross paths at some point!
The second home, a recently renovated property, was one we might have considered seriously if it had been on the market at the time, though it was ultimately more than we wanted to spend.
As for our own place, it obviously ticked all of our boxes. While it has fewer or smaller bedrooms than the others we viewed, our home is actually quite spacious. Plus, it has the added bonus of a private entrance, which didn’t get mentioned but is one of the features we love most. Interestingly, the Director suggested we highlight a few potential negatives—like a noisy street or the fact that it gets dark before opening the shutters—just to keep things balanced, but in reality, neither of those things are true. It's a quiet and well-lit space, and any small quirks are more than made up for by its overall charm and comfort.
Mic Drop Moments
Between setting up lighting for each space and positioning the camera, there's a lot of hurry up and wait in the filming process. And, since they only use one camera, they shoot the same scenes three times from different angles and you've got to try and say the same thing three times. Since there's no script, this was a challenge!
In one scene, we did some filming of walking around town in Lucca on a beautiful early spring afternoon. The town was absolutely buzzing. Silence is king when you’re a sound guy so Gaspare had a tough job! Filming in bustling Lucca was a challenge between the church bells ringing, scooters and Ape vans whizzing by, barking dogs and people stopping in the street to watch and stare. Joe, the Director, explained that if you can see the sounds within the frame, it’s ok. But, in the case of a group of eight chatty Italians just off to the side or the crashing sounds of glass on trash day, not ok. So much “ACTION” then “CUT” and then wash, rinse, repeat. Add to the chaos, that Dustin Hoffman and Helen Hunt were in town filming Peter Greenaway's movie, Lucca Mortis/Tower Stories. In fact, we filmed in several of the very same spots you may see when the movie comes out next year!
As the days of filming progressed, and we became more comfortable, it was easier to forget that you were wearing a mic. The Director and Audio wear headphones throughout the shoot and hear everything, including playfully inappropriate banter between a couple (Doh. That got some laughs from the crew and total embarrassment for me!).
Every day of shooting we enjoyed lunch with the crew which was an opportunity to get to know them a little better—this time, intentionally. A highlight during these lunches was hearing about other shoots they had worked on and some of their funny stories. Boy, did they have some stories!
Bending Some Truths and Other TV Magic
Not to burst your bubble, but every episode of House Hunters International showcases a reenactment of the purchase process. Although the participants have already chosen and bought their property before filming, these reenactments serve to sustain the storyline's continuity and captivate viewers throughout the show. Given the lengthy duration of our international purchase, filming a show with that timeline would have been completely impractical.
Sending a camera and sound crew out twice would be too expensive, so they filmed all the "after" shots at the house we chose first. In order to reenact the initial tour, it requires that furniture and decor is moved out before filming. We had to wake up early on the third day of filming for the movers who were coming to temporarily pack up some of our belongings. Everything came off the walls and furniture was packed into a moving van for a few hours.
The movers weren't comfortable handling some of our larger antiques, so the storyline was shifted a bit to us touring a partially-furnished home. When we bought our apartment, it was entirely empty and we worked hard to fill it with personal touches and Tuscan antiques (more on that, here). So, no credit for all of the love and care we painstakingly put into finding the perfect pieces for each room! When touring our home for the show, we commented on how we loved the furniture and it was something we would have picked out ourselves, wink wink. Of course, now when we watch other episodes of the show, we look for Easter eggs and clues as to which home they're already living in.
A few hours later, the movers put everything back into place and we headed on to the next location, The Verde Mura garden show on the wall. The spring garden show was the perfect backdrop for filming with all of the brightly-colored flowers.
We ended the day filming a scene of us bike riding on the wall. The Director of Photography, Adam, fixed GoPro cameras on our bikes and the crew rode alongside in a rickshaw (surrey if you've been to the Jersey shore).
Don't Say the B Word
For ages, House Hunters International has left viewers scratching their heads by featuring couples with seemingly average jobs hunting for homes that cost a fortune. Cue the flood of funny videos and memes poking fun at the whiny and unrealistic house hunters from the show. And get this—we were explicitly told not to mention the "B" word...budget. In reality, we bought at the top of our budget (oops, price point), but on the show, we bought at the bottom.
It seems our primary source of conflict was, unsurprisingly, cost—or at least that’s how it was portrayed. While I wouldn’t call myself a Frugal Fanny in real life, the show certainly played up that narrative! HHI is known for “stirring the pot” and creating a little drama, so we split up our preferences and highlighted those. I focused on cost and wanting an en suite bathroom, while Dario emphasized his desire for natural light and an outdoor space. Open floor plans are hard to come by in old homes, so we added that into the mix as a little extra “conflict” for the camera. These preferences were genuine, but we were directed to emphasize them to give the show something to work with.
The show portrayed me as a stay-at-home mom—something I’m truly proud of—but just one part of my story. What they didn’t include was my work founding and running a breast cancer nonprofit, a cause that has been a huge passion of mine. It was a bit disappointing that this wasn’t featured, but I understand that not every chapter of our lives gets shared.
Storybook Ending?
We watched the show for the first time along with everyone else—no sneak peek for us! The crew filmed a few different storylines, including one where we rent out our home in Virginia and move to Lucca full-time (hopefully someday!), another where a post-COVID return to the office forces us to rent our Lucca property and move back to Virginia full-time, and a third where we move to Lucca full-time to work remotely. We didn’t know which ending they would go with, and apparently, we’re living in Lucca full-time now! That’s not quite the reality just yet. We live in Northern Virginia and strive to maximize our time in Lucca, with the ultimate goal of retiring there. In the meantime, we rent out our home to vacationers when we can’t be there.
That's a Wrap!
It was four days of shooting, which turned into a 22-minute episode plus commercials. When the whirlwind shoot was finished and we reflected back on filming, we had no recollection of what we actually said. Did we effectively convey our connection and love for Italy, its people, culture, and pace of life? Did we say enough about each of our boys, or will one feel slighted if their bit ends up on the editing floor? Were we able to truly express what we wanted to share? And of course, we also wondered, if any of our many flubs would make it into the final show. Dario and I hadn’t done any preparations aside from hoping that he would be cast as the “difficult one” (it seems there’s always one). Before agreeing to do the show, I did a deep dive online, and people can be so brutal—I didn’t think I could take the heat.
Ultimately, while a lot ended up on the editing floor, we’re overall pleased with how it turned out. It captured our story, quirks and all, and gave us a chance to share our love for Lucca and our family’s unique journey. One of Dario’s catchphrases—“Bingo”—even made it to the final cut, a little nod and wink to our friends, just as promised.
The sheer amount of effort invested in producing these shows is truly staggering. At the end of each day, we were beyond grateful to return to our home, flopping onto our bed after an exhaustive day of shooting. Meanwhile, our crew left immediately to shoot another episode in the Northern Italy town, Pordenone. No rest for the weary!
Being a part of this show was a true honor, collaborating with an amazing production team, and highlighting some of our favorite things about Lucca. While completely outside of my comfort zone, filming an episode of House Hunters International offered us a refreshing change of pace and an exciting new adventure. It was a unique experience and provided a fun way to document this thrilling chapter in our lives, creating lasting memories of this special time.
To catch our episode , check the schedule on HGTV. For our friends and family in Italy, I hear it may be dubbed in Italian, but I’m not sure when or where it will actually air. I can’t wait to see my fluent Italian in the dubbed version! We'll also be sharing more behind the scenes photos and videos on Instagram and Facebook.
PS - If you're considering an international purchase and you've ever thought about applying for the show, don't hesitate!
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