“I hid,” he says, “for a long time.” Loosely, in his left hand, inches from his mouth, he holds a difficult-to-define snack—bruschetta, or something else overwhelmingly Italian that ends in a vowel. The “-stops” of “hidden” leaves a little bit of the filling off. He doesn’t see it happening and continues: “It wasn’t easy.” Then he bites the snack in half with his front teeth. The microphone picks up a loud cracking sound from Marco Borsato’s lips.
There follows half a minute in which Borsato talks with his mouth full about the pleasure that motorcycling has brought him in difficult times. Sometimes he pauses to continue chewing crunchily or to quickly swallow something. One crumb sticks stubbornly to his moist lower lip. It’s difficult, almost impossible, to concentrate on that motorcycle story. Your attention involuntarily turns to the eating sounds, the grinding of his jaws. To the empty pan on the table in front of him, next to an enormous ham. And to that crumb. Especially that crumb.
Infamous apps
Borsato has the program for his return to the media Sergio in Italy in which chef Sergio Herman goes on a culinary journey through Italy with various famous guests. The singer also came along five years ago. “Afterwards a very turbulent period followed for him,” Herman says in a voice-over at the beginning of this new episode.
For example, reference is made quite consistently to the period in which a lawsuit against Borsato was pending for alleged indecent assault with a minor: a turbulent period (for him), a difficult period (for him). But above all, it is a closed period, that seems to be the message. After Borsato’s acquittal, Herman took him to Florence, “the symbol of the Renaissance,” for his rebirth. The result was already shown on Belgian television and will be broadcast here on SBS6 on Saturday evening.
Angela de Jong in particular continued to delicately point out the messages that Borsato sent to an underage girl
Last week, Dutch talk shows were buzzing with renewed Borsato discourse. Wash Sergio in Italy the most logical choice for this comeback? It was obvious that chef Sergio Herman would enjoy bruschetta with Marco Borsato and not question him critically.
But was the latter necessary at all, Albert Verlinde wondered at the desk last Wednesday RTL Tonight. “In recent days, when the press went crazy – ‘coward’, I even heard it said about Borsato – I thought to myself: but what do you want to ask him? He has not been convicted, he has been acquitted.” In programs like Show news that opinion was widely shared. Borsato had been acquitted and the claim that he had been “destroyed” was therefore unjustified. Time to embrace him again.
But the fact that the court considers a charge insufficiently proven does not mean that the accused could not have done anything wrong. Angela de Jong in particular stayed with me Pauw & De Wit delicately pointing to the messages that Borsato sent to an underage girl, about self-gratification, about her beautiful buttocks. Guests next to Verlinde at the table also remembered those infamous apps. “There are things that may not result in a legal penalty, but are still indecent,” said royalty journalist Josine Droogendijk. She could no longer listen to Borsato hits without thinking about those apps. “That’s fine,” said Verlinde, “that’s up to you. But that actually means that you say: if someone is suspected, he has also been convicted.”
That wasn’t what she had said, but there was no time to dwell on it. Verlinde now had to talk about the next topic: the condition of Borsato’s vocal cords.
Least tasty shot
At least they are still doing well enough to chat with friend Sergio, it turns out Sergio in Italy. There really isn’t much more interesting to say about the episode than that. Herman calls Borsato “sweetheart” and wants to know about three times what that difficult period was like for him. Very difficult, Borsato says. Herman never asks questions, even when Borsato says things that you can easily ask a follow-up question. Think of sentences like: “I’m back, because I finally feel my beautiful self again.” Or: “In the pinball machine of life I have hit the edges.” Or: “I just feel like I’ve reached the edge of the stamp.” You can then ask: what do you mean? But Herman doesn’t do it. He feeds his guest another slice of ham and says: “I have thought about you so often.”
Every time you think the least tasty shot is behind you, Herman and Borsato find another tub of ice cream somewhere
The purpose of the pair’s journey is not to gain new insights, but to make perfect gelato. This is nice for the two men but very bad news for the misophonic fellow man. At least one of the gentlemen has a full mouth for a significant portion of the episode (and it doesn’t stop them from continuing to talk). Every time you think the least tasty shot is behind you, Herman and Borsato find another tub of ice cream or a new ingredient somewhere and a tongue appears on screen again. “You can almost taste the fat on your lips,” says Herman after a large sip of whole milk. That probably tastes better than it looks. Or sounds.
For Borsato’s own zest for life, this program may have been a wise choice to make his comeback, but it has not remedied the dirty associations with his name. So the following viewing advice applies on Saturday evening: does visible food residue on the fleshy lips of middle-aged men make you warm? Then it is Sergio in Italy: Marco 2026 an absolute must see. In all other cases: just skip this one.
