Five friends sitting around a table. It is almost dinner time. Half-full and half-empty glasses are nearby on table. An ashtray sits on the table, witnessing their conversations. They have a lot to say, they are from Tuscany, they are funny. «Why don’t we create a podcast?»
That’s how Teccheppigli was born, a podcast by Davide Damiani e Federico Pecchia. Two Tuscany-born friends relocated to Milan to work as radio speakers on RTL 102.5, lending their faces and voices to this project. They are not alone, as co-authors Andrea Lavagnini and Giacomo Poli help to develop the script, and Nubifilm Studio independent collective oversees the video and audio production.
Imagine being at the bar, closing time, when blinds are half-shut, but you can still chat a little bit more with your friends in front of a beer, or a glass of wine. That is the atmosphere of the podcast. The title of the project itself is quite obvious: what is the question that is always asked in front of the bar, if not «teccheppigli? » (Tuscan for «what are you drinking?»).
Every week, Damiani and Pecchia welcome a special guest from the Italian showbiz (at least sometimes) in the cozy location of Ostello Bello, in Milan. «Our guest must be interesting. That is the only prerequisite. Pecchia says, «but most of all, they must not be a touchy person, because Damiani and I like to joke a lot». (Please read the quotes with a strong Tuscan accent, ndr).
The guests talk about their career and answer some -often snarky- questions asked by the hosts, then they get involved in games and sketches specifically tailored to them. «They have the ability to really establish an empathic connection with the guest», says Andrea Longhin from Nubifilm, «anything that comes to their minds, it’s first time right».
«We liked the idea of having a space where we could freely express ourselves and our concept of entertainment». Pecchia goes on, «radio, compared to podcast, has more restrictions in terms of time and contents. Moreover, music is the main character on the radio. Here on Teccheppigli we chat, we laugh, we play games, and we drink». And occasionally, they sing. The small wooden stage in Ostello Bello provides them with the perfect setting for guest artists to perform an intimate, acoustic concert.
«Our goal is to develop a product which could be suitable for television too» Nubifilm’s Claudio Spanu explains «And that’s why we decided to put a lot of work into the podcast’s video quality, also thanks to the cinematographic video format we adopted. Not only is it innovative in the field of video-podcasts, but the result is also esthetically appealing».
The two speakers are able to stand in front of the video camera, also thanks to their radio-vision experience on RTL 102.5. They are not just good voices, as Pecchia jokingly says, «we invested in a video-audio format from the beginning, because we felt that a lot of things in our podcast were worth to be seen other than listened to. This is true both for games and for live exhibitions of the artists. And look how nice this place is».
The video podcast is broadcasted on YouTube, the key center of Teccheppigli ecosystem, but it can also be found on Spotify and on the main podcast streaming platforms. For extra features, check their Instagram profile. Their bio, with a reference to the Italian cult series Boris, is already a sort of self-justification: «Stanis, sorry if Federico Pecchia and Davide Damiani devastated the world of podcasts, too».
Damn, you Tuscans.
