‘Hotel Portofino’ Sneak Peek: Is Bella Finding New Love With Marco? (VIDEO)
It looks like Bella (Natascha McElhone) doesn’t just have the right person as the architect for the hotel’s spa but also for herself in Season 2 of the 1920s drama. TV Insider has an exclusive sneak peek of the October 22 episode of Hotel Portofino, and Bella and Marco (Giorgio Marchesi) definitely share a moment.
Bella joins Marco as he’s working, and he asks if she’s made a decision about the building work. Not yet, so he’ll “carry on until you tell me otherwise.” He then comments on the “new arrival at the hotel”… her husband, Cecil (Mark Umbers), who had been in London. They’d been apart for nine months, which seems long to Marco, though he does say, “It’s none of my business.” Still, he can’t help but remark that she’s barely spoken of him.
“Just as you’ve barely spoken of your wife,” she points out. Marco’s wife has been dead for 11 years, he says, so “it is all so long ago.” That doesn’t mean Bella isn’t interested in hearing about her — and why he never remarried. Watch the full clip above for his answer, the two sharing a moment, and more.
What happened with Cecil in Season 1 has “forced [Bella] to confront a lot of things that have been bubbling below the surface and this is sort of the breakdown of their marital relationship, though it’s not easy for [her],” creator Matt Baker told TV Guide Magazine. “We’re introducing this season, the possibility of life and relationships for Bella after Cecil.”
Hotel Portofino is set in a breathtakingly beautiful Italian seaside. Season 2 picks up in the summer of 1927 as Bella continues to devote all her energy to making the hotel a success. In this next episode, as Cecil tries to buy his way back into Bella’s affections, Lucian (Oliver Dench) and Constance (Louisa Binder) acknowledge their mutual attraction. Plus, Nish (Assad Zaman) overcomes his qualms to help Gianluca (Rocco Fasano) strike a blow against Mussolini’s Fascists with disastrous results.
Hotel Portofino, Sundays, 8/7c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org)
