Amanda & Alan's Italian Job

Amanda Holden and Alan Carr take on a project of a lifetime in the sun-kissed hills of rural Sicily. In a bid to breathe new life into forgotten towns, Italian municipalities are selling empty homes for one euro. Fulfilling a long-held ambition, Amanda purchases two dilapidated apartments in picture perfect Salemi and convinces best friend Alan to spend a summer renovating them, with the aim to create an Italian dream home. Arriving at the crumbling property for the first time, seeing the piles of rubbish and abandoned junk, it dawns on them that this is no holiday.

Amanda and Alan take on their first major renovation project, designing a traditional Sicilian walled kitchen. Kicking off the demolition in 36-degree heat proves to be a trial for Alan, and he soon realises that taking on a build in a medieval hilltop town comes with its own unique challenges. With the help of project manager Scott, Amanda barters with the locals at a nearby marble factory as she bags a bargain for their feature island, and she brushes up on her culinary skills in Marsala, learning how to cook Sicily’s signature dish

Amanda and Alan divide and conquer as they renovate the bathrooms, but it soon becomes clear they’re not on the same page with two opposing schemes. Amanda’s unconvinced about Alan’s bidet and Alan tries to veto Amanda’s disco ball installation - but with firm ideas of what they want, neither will back down on their vision. In Alan’s quest to stay true to Sicilian culture, he treats Amanda to a visit to Marsala’s salt pans for a unique spa experience which turns out to be a lot less luxurious than they are expecting. Amanda’s dreams of a roll top bath come crashing down as Alan sets her the task of recycling the apartment’s existing one. Karma kicks in as his DIY skills are pushed to the limit with a masterclass in floor tiling.

Alan takes charge designing the first bedroom, but doubt soon sets in as Amanda and Scott struggle to get on board with his artistic vision. To nail his ‘rustic chic’ look, Alan visits interior designer Marie at her 300-year-old palazzo and ropes in Amanda to help source vintage gems at Palermo’s famous flea market, but haggling in Italian isn’t their greatest strength. Celebrations are also in order as Amanda surprises Alan with a birthday boat trip along Sicily’s stunning Zingaro coast.

Amanda and Alan turn their attention outside as they aim to transform the scruffy courtyard into a Mediterranean oasis. To brush up on their botany, they visit the magnificent gardens of one of Sicily’s biggest wine producers. As a reward for helping out with the grape harvest, they are wined and dined and given a surprise serenade by owner Jose. Keen to create an authentic Sicilian design, Alan explores Sciacca’s famous ceramic scene and gets arty painting Moor heads. He also enlists the help of two acclaimed baroque-style painters to bring a touch of the island’s rich history with a surprise courtyard centrepiece. Amanda works on a much larger canvas, repairing the old courtyard walls, which turns out to be a far bigger job than they had anticipated.

Amanda aims to bring a slice of Hollywood to Sicily with a banana leaf patterned boudoir design for the master bedroom. Alan is concerned that Amanda’s camp theme is on the wrong side of tacky, so she takes him to visit one of Palermo’s most prestigious hotels, to show how exuberant décor has enticed high-profile guests including composer Richard Wagner. To bring her vision to life, Amanda ropes in her DIY-loving dad to help build a bespoke four-poster bed, while Alan learns to kick back like the Italians do, with a lesson in the art of doing nothing. There’s a last-minute panic for Amanda when she discovers Scott has never wallpapered before. Could her dreams be in tatters?

Amanda and Alan face their final challenge as they join forces to renovate the last two rooms. Their dream of creating an open-plan living and dining room is dented when they discover the main structural wall dividing the two spaces requires a much smaller arch than they anticipated. For this final space, they agree to put their design differences to one side, but a disagreement over the shape of the arch threatens to divide them. Wanting to make the rooms feel as authentic as possible, Amanda and Alan take a boat trip along the stunning Zingaro nature reserve to get inspiration from the Sicilian landscape, and they enjoy sunset on horseback in the ancient Greek city of Selinunte.

Alan and Amanda are on the home stretch as they take on the interiors for their open-plan living and dining room. Many hands make light work as they invite local friends Fabrizio, Maria Pia and Carlos over for a plastering party, but things soon get out of hand as a spillage nearly ruins their newly laid terrazzo floor. With Alan’s help, Scott designs a sleek marble dining table and gives Alan and Amanda a lesson in making bespoke wall lights out of vintage Sicilian tiles. The duo decide to divide and conquer on a shopping trip to the coastal city of Trapani: Amanda seeks modern soft furnishings for the living room, while Alan hunts for antique knick-knacks in the old town. Both come together to style the newly designed space and reveal their labour of love, aka Casa Alamanda, to their Sicilian family, throwing an emotional farewell party before they head home.