Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Two Scoops of Italy’ on the Hallmark Channel, About An American Girl, An Italian Guy, And The Gelato That Brings Them Together

Two Scoops of Italy is part of the Hallmark Channel’s “Passport to Love” movie series of romances shot on location in Europe. This installment is about an American chef seeking professional inspiration in Italy, but she ends up falling for a local gelato-maker while she’s there. The film features beautiful scenery, delicious-looking food, and a winning cast which make it a worthwhile watch this weekend.

TWO SCOOPS OF ITALY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Chef Danielle Turner (Hunter King, sister of Joey King, in case you think she looks vaguely familiar)) meticulously plates a series of fancy dishes that would make the Top Chef judges swoon. She’s in her test kitchen trying to create a new menu for her restaurant’s investor, Owen (Davy Eduard King), to approve.

The Gist: Danielle’s restaurant has been closed while she re-tools the menu which hasn’t bee very exciting lately. Her investor, Owen, is supportive but she relies on his cash to keep the place open, and he’ thinks she needs some time to find a spark of ingenuity for he’s not impressed with her menu, so she heads to the small town of Ostia Antica in Italy to find culinary inspiration.

Giancarlo (Michele Rosiello) works in his family’s successful café and gelato shop in Ostia Antica, but he’s tired of the routine; he’s brimming with ideas for new and innovative gelato flavors but his father isn’t a fan of change. When Danielle comes into the café asking for directions, she tries his gelato and offers some constructive criticism that Giancarlo doesn’t appreciate, making a shaky first impression. Of course these two are going to run into one another constantly from then on, and each time, but in this film, they warm to each other sooner rather than later.

Soon enough, they’re popping around the Italian countryside on Giancarlo’s Vespa going on food adventures; he wants Danielle’s help to develop new gelato flavors his father will approve of, she wants to eat all the things and be inspired, it’s a win win. After lots of trial and error (and having a blast while sourcing ingredients and tasting their experimental flavors), they land on a hazelnut gelato flavor that even the town’s pickiest critic, a nine-year-old named Nico, loves, and it becomes a hit.

While that’s great news for Giancarlo, Danielle is struggling to figure out a new menu and direction for her restaurant. Owen calls her while she’s in Italy and tells her he needs to make a decision on whether to make another investment in her in the next two days, and Danielle panics. (This is the film’s big dramatic turn – usually these films feature some kind of temporary lovers’ rift, but here, it’s a “man vs. self” struggle.) After a few deep breaths, she finds inspiration in a book that her Italian host Elida (Sara Mondello) suggested to her, a romance about a woman who finds love and inspiration in the very town she’s staying in, Ostia Antica.

With her cooking mojo back, Danielle not only impresses Owen, but she returns to California with a new direction for her restaurant, and a new life-slash-business partner, Giancarlo.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? This is the latest film in Hallmark’s Passport to Love series of films that have come out this month, and it’s sticking close to the same formula as all the others, which include A Greek Recipe for Romance and Savoring Paris: An American woman seeks inspiration/needs to get out of a career rut by visiting a foreign country, which results in an unexpected romance along the way.

Our Take: You can always tell when a Hallmark film is going to be above-average by the details. The less successful films are the ones with broader performances that seem like someone typed a prompt into ChatGPT. Fortunately, the worst part about Two Scoops of Italy is its title. The movie itself has two compelling leads that both feel like they were thoughtfully written (the detail that Danielle is from Hingham, MA seems so specific: who in the cast or crew is from the South Shore? Show yourselves!) and though the romance feels like a wanderlust-y fantasy, it’s also still believable. Also, ice cream-based romance is my favorite kind of romance.

The supporting cast also play a vital role in creating a charming, lived-in community for our lovers to inhabit. Danielle’s attempt at matchmaking her driver, Bruno, and her housemate, Elida, is a cute subplot, and there’s never too much tension, even between Giancarlo and his father Aldo, who is meant to come off as a little grumpy and set in his ways, but is also an obvious softie at heart. That contrived fight that usually affects our Hallmark couples about 3/4th of the way through most of these movies, the one that lasts exactly three minutes and is immediately resolved, is thankfully absent, and instead, our two leads just bring out the best in each other, resulting in a romance fantasy I think we’d all probably enjoy if we had the chance.

Parting Shot: Standing in the kitchen of her Santa Monica restaurant, Danielle and Giancarlo dig into a tray of freshly-made gelato. They clink spoons, take a bite, and kiss.

Sex and Skin: There is never any sex or skin in Hallmark movies, but I admit feelings of lust and impurity while watching gelato ooze out of a soft serve machine.

Performance Worth Watching: The film has several notably charming supporting characters, but especially Lorenzo Padalino, who plays a local Italian boy named Nico with a discerning palate. He tastes all of Giancarlo’s gelato creations and is ruthless in his honesty.

Memorable Dialogue: After telling Giancarlo that she figured out what her restaurant had been missing, she adds, “Now I know what’s missing from me – you.”

Our Call: STREAM IT! The romance of Two Scoops of Italy is rounded out with a warm and well-developed supporting cast, tons of delicious-looking food, and a plot that stays grounded without being too contrived or corny.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.