As one of Australia’s most recognisable actors, Gyton Grantley is very familiar with working on chaotically busy sets. But the Underbelly star believes his work is a walk in the park compared to travelling overseas with his brood!
“Travelling with three kids under seven is exactly what you think it would be like… lunacy!” he laughs when Woman’s Day calls to hear all about his 18-month-long family adventure through Sardinia, Italy.
After going through 262 days of lockdown in Melbourne during the Covid pandemic, Gyton, 46, his wife Alex Ortuso, 41, and their three children Rocco, 10, Sohi, seven, and five-year-old Olive traded the city’s famously cold and damp winters to live la dolce vita in Cagliari.
“Coming out of Covid, like most Melburnians, we wanted to get the hell out of there,” Gyton explains. “Our destination wasn’t decided, but Alex is an Italian citizen and the kids have their passports so it made sense to head to Sardinia.”
LIFE AS AN EXPAT FAMILY
As soon as the “Grantusos” – the family’s combined last name moniker – touched down in Sardinia in mid-2023, the House Husbands actor admits it felt like a whole new life, and a much warmer one.
“The day we landed there was a heatwave throughout Europe, and it was about 47 degrees, and it’s a very different kind of heat compared to Australia,” says Gyton. “That was a real smack in the face to begin our trip.”
But once they settled into their house in Pirri, which lies in Cagliari’s outer suburbs, Gyton, Alex and the kids began to settle into a new routine of trips to the beach, enjoying a cheeky Aperol spritz with a plate of cheese and salumi at sunset, while slowly learning to speak and understand Italian.
When it came time for the kids to start school, Gyton and Alex enrolled them in an international school where all their classes were in English, which in turn opened them up to a circle of other expats who soon all turned into great friends.
“The beauty of the school is that it wasn’t just Italians we became friends with, we made buddies from Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, America and all parts of Britain,” he explains, adding that some are even planning to fly out to visit them in Melbourne shortly.
“We formed all these friendships and had barbecues with people from all over the world.”
TASTING SARDINIA
As a self-confessed foodie, Gyton shares that he was excited to taste every flavour Sardinia had to offer – but what he didn’t realise is that he’d find one of his favourite meals within minutes of arriving on the island.
“When we arrived, we had a few hours to kill while we waited for our ride,” he says. “So we ordered a pizza from the airport cafe and, I kid you not, it was one of the best slices I’d ever had. That’s when I got excited about what meals were to come.”
One of his favourite experiences from the trip was foraging for wild asparagus with his friend Maurizio.
“That afternoon we went back to his house and he made me one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten – a prawn bisque with asparagus and [the pasta] strozzapreti”.
Since returning home in 2024, Gyton has turned his travel tales into a book, Il Dolce Fiasco. But would he do another trip like this one with his kids? Absolutely!
“I’m quite fascinated by Southeast Asia, but Alex and the kids have their Italian passports so we can live anywhere in Europe. So maybe Spain or Portugal next!” he says.
Il Dolce Fiasco by Gyton Grantley: Out now, Allen & Unwin, $34.99
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