Food Network Calls HGTV's 'House Hunters International' to Find the Italian Villas for 'Ciao House'

For nearly 20 years, HGTV viewers have been vicariously eyeing real estate in countries all over the globe thanks to House Hunters International. For this special collaboration, Ciao House co-host and chef Gabe Bertaccini traveled to his home country of Italy to appear on House Hunters International twice, for Ciao House Season 1 in Florence and again for Season 2 in Puglia. His task was to select the perfect Italian villas that would both house the show’s participants and also serve as camera-ready sets and backdrops for the reality cooking competition show.

Gabriele, aka Chef Gabe, is on familiar footing in Italy. He was born and raised in Tuscany and first learned his way around the kitchen at a very young age, beginning to cook in professional kitchens by the time he was 13. After working his way up, Gabe eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he caught the eye of television producers. The rest, as they say, is history, and Gabe has since competed, won, judged and hosted dozens of Food Network shows such as Beat Bobby Flay, 24 in 24 and Alex vs. America, where he went toe-to-toe against his friend, fellow Italian chef and Ciao House co-host Alex Guarnaschelli.

For Season 1 of Ciao House, Gabe meets up with Tuscan real estate agent Marta De Vito, who will be showing him several villas for him to consider. He explains that what he needs is extremely unique and personal. “I am who I am because of where I come from … so I want to make sure that I find something that represents my story, but also, of course, works for such a big production,” he explains.

With that, they set off for the Tuscan countryside, where Gabe is most interested in house hunting.

Marta takes Gabe to see several villas in the Northern region of Tuscany, called Mugello. Here, the beautiful countryside looks like a painting with rolling hills and farms filled with fresh food. “Outside the city gives us access to the most important elements of Tuscan cuisine … you have the wineries, olive oil harvest, I mean, you really have all these very prized ingredients,” he tells Marta.

After visiting two villas that are not quite right, it’s clear that Gabe has found what he’s looking for as soon as he steps into the courtyard of the 14th-century, 20-acre estate that Marta brings him to for her third, and final, property.

“It looks so regal,” he says as he slowly takes in the 25,000-square-foot estate. You can practically see his wheels turning as he envisions the space being used for the show.

When Gabe steps inside the kitchen of Castello del Monsignore, he lights up. “This fireplace is what I’m talking about,” he gushes, referring to the wood-burning "camino" or fireplace, located right inside the antique-style kitchen. He envisions the contestants on the show being able to learn how to cook traditional, open-flame Tuscan dishes in this space.

While the kitchen is deemed big enough for the 10 contestants and the camera crew, it will need a few modifications. “We need to build an island,” Gabe says, mentally nixing the dining table that stands in the center of the space.

By the time Season 1 is in production, the kitchen has been modified to bridge the best of both worlds. It has plenty of old-world charm but has been updated to include a large, working island for the contestants.

The kitchen has also received a full competition-ready makeover, complete with all the ingredients and cooking tools the 10 contestants could possibly need during production. With challenges spanning everything from making fresh pasta to mastering cooking wild boar (a local delicacy), this kitchen is ready for its close-up.

In addition to having plenty of sleeping and communal space, the villa’s ample outdoor spaces provide the perfect blank slates for the show’s cooking and judging segments, making this villa a perfect choice for the show.

For Ciao House Season 2, Gabe returns to Italy, but this time he concentrates his search along the Mediterranean Coast in the region of Puglia. Located in “the boot” of Italy, Puglia is known for its beautiful coastline, fresh seafood and coastal-inspired dishes, so Gabe asks local real estate agent Rosa Donno to help him find homes that allow for easy access to all this region has to offer. “I want the chefs to have the ability to go and pick whatever they need and then go back into the kitchen,” he tells her.

In Puglia, many of the old farmhouses, called masserias, are being bought and renovated into boutique hotels with a focus on local agriculture. “There is this movement of young chefs reclaiming the land and the farm-to-table way of life,” Gabe explains. He hopes to find a property that has been restored in a way that preserves its original charm but also offers modern luxuries, such as an on-site garden and a large, fully equipped kitchen.

Rosa shows Gabe three properties. The first one was built in the 14th century, has a beautiful garden and is near the ocean, but Gabe thinks it lacks the charm and inspiration that the contestants need to be fully immersed in the “bella vita” lifestyle.

The second home has been lovingly preserved with plenty of charm and, best of all, has been completely renovated to include a huge, modern kitchen. “Oh my God, this is beautiful,” Gabe gasps when he sees it.

The final property actually belongs to Rosa’s family, and while you cannot deny that the house oozes charm, it is just not big enough to accommodate 10 contestants plus a camera crew.

There’s a saying in real estate that “kitchens sell houses,” and it certainly applies here. Despite not having a garden on-site or being located as close to the ocean as he would prefer, Gabe can tell that the second masseria, located in the ancient town of Lecce, is the perfect choice for Ciao House. The gleaming, modern kitchen needs almost no modifying to be ready for the show, and the house also includes 10 bedrooms, plenty of space for the cast and crew to spread out.

The masseria is walled, and from the outside, Gabe admits, “There is not a lot of curb appeal, to be honest.” Once inside the walls, however, it is “the epitome of la dolce vita,” he grins happily. The interior courtyard will make for the ideal spaces for cooking challenges, judging meals and communing for the contestants.