Tony Hale Loved Being a Tourist in Rome While Filming Netflix’s ‘Decameron’ — Here Are His Favorite Spots

Let’s do a little Rome roaming with one of the most dynamic actor-comedians on Earth, shall we? 

Tony Hale, loved for playing Buster Bluth in Arrested Development, Gary Walsh in Veep and appearing in everything from “The Angry Birds Movie” to “Toy Story 4” headed to Europe for his latest smash “The Decameron.”

Premiering on Netflix on Thursday, the super-dark and timely comedy set in 1348, showcasing how a group of nobles ride out the Black Death pandemic in an Italian grand villa — which resulte in Hale spending six months in Italy, with Rome as his home base.

“Gearing up for Italy, I watched way too many YouTube videos on Rome and the ancient Roman empire,” he told Travel + Leisure in a recent interview. “Then I found myself in places like the Roman Forum and Colosseum and it was just mind-blowing and really hard to put into words. In the Colosseum, I would just find myself staring at a random stone and thinking about the history of that stone.”

Another touristy moment included when Hale visited the Vatican and made a new friend.

“I went to see it and I couldn’t find anybody to go with me,” he recalled. “So, it was just me on this tour and everybody was in a family, plus our tour guide. Everyone was like, okay, now we’re going to take pictures with the families in front of the Vatican. And so, I just took a picture with the tour guide.” 

A self-described “nut for tours,” a memorable guided experience was a Vespa Sidecar Tour he did with his wife and daughter for her 17th birthday. Of that experience, he joked, “we looked like something right out of ‘Despicable Me.'”

Off the beaten path and a place Hale discovered during the end of his time in Rome, was the Sant’Egidio convent church.

“It was this this faith community that’s committed to kindness, prayer and serving the poor,” he said. “It was such a sacred little space in the middle of the Trastevere area of Rome. When I go back, I want to spend more time there.”

And, of course, there was all the glorious food. His top morsels and spots include Neve di Latte for a scoop of black cherry with white chocolate ice cream, Pianostrada for Italian-meets-Mediterranean fare and Fraschetteria for an intimate Italian spread.

Beyond his Italy travels, Hale enjoys skiing and “the kind of travel with family and friends that involves sitting around a fire pit and having a glass of wine… I live for that stuff.”

On the flipside of happy times, there are some things he doesn’t like when adventuring, namely anything involving heights.

“I have a buddy Gabriel that loves to do that type of skiing where they take you in a helicopter and drop you on top of a mountain,” he mentioned. “He also likes to skydive and being able to enjoy that type of stuff… it’s a part of the brain I don’t have. I also zip lined once with my daughter and was like, ‘nothing about this is natural.’ But, of course, I put a smile on my face.”

As for one his favorite work-travel destinations, Hale likes Vancouver. As part of his work on The Mysterious Benedict Society, the first season was shot in the city during Covid. However, amid the widespread closures, he took to hiking surrounding confines with Capilano Suspension Bridge Park — with a narrow suspension bridge over Capilano River — being a top memory.

On camera, another top memory that just has be asked about is the epic Beyoncé Verizon commercial during this year’s Super Bowl. Serving as Beyoncé’s sidekick as she announced her country album and dropped two new songs — earning Hale some major bonus points with his daughter alongside all the travel memories they’ve had together.

“My daughter had just seen Beyoncé in concert with a friend and [with my non-disclosure agreement] I could not tell her that I did this commercial,” he recalled. “Ever since then, I love her Cowboy Carter album… and it was cool to be a part of something that is really a part of our culture now. And, I got some cool dad points and also a little bit of a ticked off kid that she didn’t know.”