What did you say that finally convinced John to also want to purchase what is now your Italian dream home?
I simply informed him that was the place I was going to buy. He was disappointed, to say the least. He said there was plenty of properties along the road that said "in vendita," which means "for sale," that already had toilets and electricity, but this was the place I wanted. He loves it now. He has a place for his piano. It's becoming his life's dream, too, but this was my life's dream since I was a little girl, and this is the substance of my life's work.
Renovating a home can be stressful. What was the most challenging part of shooting "Rachael Ray's Italian Dream Home"?
A home, large or small, whether it's an apartment or a big property, is stressful. You don't know if you can really afford it. You don't know if you deserve it. You don't know if you can handle the burden of it, and there is always burden. There is never a moment that doesn't have burden attached to it, whether you're constructing it or reconstructing it or it sinks, or it burns. I've lived through all of it. There is no moment of being attached to anything in life that isn't emotional, but isn't that the point of life?
If something's truly going to make you happy, shouldn't you at least know that you tried to achieve it? Everyone fails. Some of us succeed and some of us don't, but the point is the journey and that we tried our best to get there.
Was there a challenging part of shooting the show?
The fact I'm being shot. I'm a very private person, or I used to be a few years ago before the pandemic, before the project in Italy. I was a very private person. I'm very open when I'm at work. I love sharing with people, because I want them to feel like we're really connecting, but when I go home, I'm actually usually quiet.
When you're in the middle of construction or building or rebuilding your life, it's very stressful. There are very bad moments and a lot of great moments, but you're showing the public your world.
