The Tortoise and the Hare

For all of our hi-tech drone technology nowadays, I doubt we’d ever be able to make a more enjoyable travelogue of Italy as we follow the glamorous young Liz Allsop in a stylish E-type Jaguar as she crosses the country in a sort of race, but not really, with Gino Gottarelli who is at the wheel of a lorry barely capable of making a minimum speed limit never mind a maximum one. As both make their way, they encounter each other whilst the accompaniment plays us a wide variety of Italian (and other) popular and classical music. Aside from being quite a testament to the construction of the Autostrada Del Sole through some of the more hostile geography of this mountainous land, it also serves to show off just how beautiful Italy can be - both in it’s ancient towns and villages with the pink stone and slate glinting in the sun through to the jagged mountain tops and sunsets that split the forests with a perfectly photographed brilliance. There’s a little mischief, loads of product placement and I couldn’t help but wonder why they picked a British car to tour a nation of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Alfa Romeo but the pace of their respective travels works engagingly here. It’s clearly designed to showcase all things Italian from the landscape to the Gucci and the Pirelli, and if you just sit back and let it wash over you, then the least you will want is some Chianti with your Mozzarella.