What is Hotel Portofino about?
Hotel Portofino takes place in the mid-1920s and follows the Ainsworth family after they relocate from England to the Italian coastal city of Portofino to open an upscale hotel. This period drama takes place after World War I when the world is in a global post-war upheaval. The charming Italian seaside town with its warm climate and enchanting culture and townspeople provides the perfect respite for the elite British traveler.
Fun fact: Almost all of the wardrobe in Hotel Portofino is authentic period garb, down to the shoes and jewelry. In some cases, they had to find extras that would fit the costumes instead of fitting the costumes to the actor!
When does Hotel Portofino Season 2 premiere?
Hotel Portofino Season 2 premieres Sunday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS with episodes dropping weekly on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
Where did the first season of Hotel Portofino leave off?
*Spoiler warning* If you haven't watched Season 1, stop reading and head to the PBS app to catch up. By the Season 1 finale of Hotel Portofino, Lucian (Oliver Dench) had proposed to Rose (Claude Scott-Mitchell), Constance's (Louisa Binder) secret was exposed and Bella (Natascha McElhone) had refused to accept Cecil's (Mark Umbers) gesture of supposed goodwill.
What will happen in Season 2 of Hotel Portofino?
Created and written by Matt Baker and directed by Adam Wimpenny, Season 2 of Hotel Portofino begins in the summer of 1927. Bella is still devoting her energy to Hotel Portofino, which has overcome teething troubles and is starting to flourish. Aside from her hotel duties, Bella is concerned for her children—Lucian, whose marriage to Rose might be facing trouble, and Alice (Olivia Morris), who needs a break from her responsibilities at the hotel. Bella’s husband, Cecil, has not been seen since returning to England at the end of the previous summer. With Cecil’s unannounced return to Portofino, the messy private lives of her children and a visit from a travel guide that could make or break the hotel’s future, Bella does her utmost to keep all the plates spinning.
Meet the Hotel Portofino cast
Natascha McElhone (Bella Ainsworth)
Bella Ainsworth is co-owner of Hotel Portofino with her husband, Cecil, and the spirit behind the family’s Italian adventure. Bella has persuaded her father to lend Cecil and her the money to buy and renovate the hotel, believing the fresh start it represents will help her family recover from the traumas of WWI and give her a chance to save her marriage. She is determined to succeed and subsequently finds liberation for herself and others in the novelty of Italy’s climate, cuisine and culture.
McElhone is probably best recognized for her roles on The Truman Show, Californicationand Designated Survivor. She currently stars as Dr. Halsey in HALO, the television series based on the popular video game, on Paramount+.
Fun fact: McElhone was a judge in 2021 for The Booker Prize and had to read literally hundreds of books in span of months for consideration of the top spot for the prize!
Mark Umbers (Cecil Ainsworth)
Cecil Ainsworth, co-owner of Hotel Portofino and Bella's husband, has been excused from active duty in WWI (though he fought in the Boer War) and has gradually lost patience and sympathy with the scars the conflict has left on his children. As the youngest son of an upper-class family, Cecil’s overriding concern is money, and he is constantly initiating ill-advised schemes to fund his dilettante lifestyle.
Umbers previously appeared on shows such as Mistresses, Collateral and Home Fires.
Anna Chancellor (Lady Latchmere)
Lady Latchmere is a high-handed, hard-to-please British dowager with an Edwardian outlook and attitude, summering in Italy for her health. Her niece and companion, Melissa de Vere (Imogen King), comes from an impoverished branch of the family and, as a result, is constantly at her beck and call.
Chancellor is best known as "Duckface" from Four Weddings and a Funeral. She starred as one of the leads in FX's Trust. She has been nominated for BAFTA and Golden Globesawards.
Related: Relax on the Italian Seaside in PBS' Latest Period Drama, Hotel PortofinoSeason 1!
Assad Zaman (Anish ‘Nish’ Sengupta)
Anish Sengupta is a close friend of Lucian’s who played a critical role in his recovery after the war. He takes a break from his medical studies and opens himself to all the experiences that Italy has to offer while deciding whether he wants to be a doctor or live a less conventional life.
Claude Scott-Mitchell (Rose Drummond-Ward)
Rose Drummond-Ward is a beautiful young socialite struggling to find her path and forge a distinct personality in the shadow of her overbearing mother.
Pictured (L to R): Louisa Binder, Oliver Dench
Oliver Dench (Lucian Ainsworth)
Lucian Ainsworth, Bella and Cecil’s son, enlisted at 18 in the last months of the war but was immediately injured and removed from the front line. Physically and mentally scarred by his experiences, Lucian is slowly recovering under the benign influence of Italy. A talented artist, last season saw Lucian organizing painting lessons and artistic excursions for the guests. Though he would have loved to stay in Italy, pressure from his father forced Lucian to get engaged to someone he doesn't love and return to England to take up a proper career. This season, Lucian finds his way back to Italy and to the woman who truly holds his heart.
Fun fact: If you're wondering if he's related to another actor named Dench, then wonder no more! Dame Judi Dench is his great-aunt!
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Olivia Morris (Alice Mays-Smith)
Alice Mays-Smith is Bella and Cecil’s daughter and the widowed mother of a 6-year-old girl, Lottie, whose father was killed during the war. Alice knows her chances of marrying again are slim, given the lack of available men of the right age and standing. She is unable to live independently on the small income her husband has left her. Religious and class-conscious, she is frustrated with her lot and ambiguous about Italy but is gradually seduced by the charms of Italian culture. Count Albani (Daniele Pecci) admires her and would love to court her but Alice isn't having it.
Louisa Binder (Constance March)
Constance March is a young woman from a humble background who arrives to take up a role as Lottie’s nanny and general help around the hotel. She is determined to liberate herself from her unpromising beginnings through an open mind and relentless self-improvement, escaping personal misfortune and seeking adventure and a fresh start in Italy.
Fun fact: This is Binder's first regular series role.
Lily Frazer (Claudine Pascal)
Claudine Pascal is Jack’s lover who epitomizes modern womanhood and is liberated by the social changes the war has unleashed and thus takes charge of her destiny.
Fun fact: Frazer is actually British.
Giorgio Marchesi (Marco)
Marchesi joins the cast in Season 2 as Marco, an architect and builder who is helping Bella with renovations at the hotel.
While Marchesi might not be a household name here in the U.S., he certainly is in his native Italy. While most of his credits are for Italian-language television shows and films, he has appeared in English-language projects including Medici, The Borgias and Mission Impossible III.
Daniele Pecci (Count Carlo Albani)
Count Carlo Albani is an Oxford-educated, aristocratic Italian widower who loves all things English. He is courtly, old-fashioned and willing to go to extraordinary lengths if called upon for help.
Pictured (L to R): Mark Umbers, Pasquale Esposito