Tony Sirico and James Gandolfini during “The Sopranos” on location at Satriale’s Pork Store in New Jersey.
WireImage
David Chase, the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the hit HBO series The Sopranos, has floated the idea of developing a new project centered on Italian-Americans who relocate to Italy.
His comments about the possibility of a future Italian-American story, made to reporters during the 2026 Karlovy Film Festival in the Czech Republic, were highlighted in a recent issue of The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m interested in Italian Americans,” Chase said. “People are buying a lot of property in Italy because they sell these houses very cheap there—in these towns that are emptied out and everybody has gone to the city. I’m interested in that— Italians going back and trying to get back to the way it was, and having a rude surprise.’
The story would be about four Italian Americans returning to “the old country,” he added.
Art Imitates Life: Media Interest in Returning To Italy
Chase’s remarks referenced the trend of abandoned 1-euro homes in Italy being purchased for renovation by foreigners.
A one-euro house in the city of Gangi (Sicily), Italy.
picture alliance via Getty Images
Several factors have driven interest in relocation in Italy, including the technological ability to work from anywhere, interest in discovering and returning to one’s ancestral roots, interest in vacation homes, economic incentives, and the desire to leave contentious U.S. politics in search of the la bella vita.
A number of current shows have profiled Americans moving to Italy and restoring old homes. These include: episodes of Kathy McCabe’s long-running PBS series, Dream of Italy, and content on YouTube channels like Smart Move Italy.
Others focus on the restoration process, such as Fixer to Fabulous: Italiano on HGTV. My Big Italian Adventure, which aired on HGTV, chronicles the one-euro house Lorraine Bracco renovated in Sambuca di Sicilia. Ironically, Bracco played the role of Dr. Melfi in The Sopranos.
In one of the most humorous scenes in Season 2, episode 6, of The White Lotus, the Di Grasso family returns to Italy to reconnect with their roots. But when the men of three generations finally visit the home of relatives in their ancestral village, they get the door slammed in their face.
David Chase: A Revered Italian-American Storyteller
David Chase attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Getty Images for Vanity Fair
Having adopted an anglicized last name, many may not know David Chase was born David Henry DeCesare in Mount Vernon, New York, the only son of two second-generation Italian immigrants. He drew inspiration for The Sopranos from his own family and their life in New Jersey.
The series ran between 1997 and 2007 for six seasons and 86 episodes, culminating in a finale watched by 11 million people. The Sopranos has also had a robust second life on streaming platforms.
Should this new project move forward, it will turn Chase’s previous work on The Sopranos on its head, trading the portrayal of Italian Americans trying to find their footing in the United States for a narrative about their return to the old country.