The Italian Bob

"The Italian Bob" is the eighth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 11, 2005. This episode was written by John Frink and directed by Mark Kirkland.

In this episode, the Simpsons go to Italy to pick up Mr. Burns' new car and encounter Sideshow Bob after the car is involved in a collision. Serving as a sequel to "The Great Louse Detective", it features Kelsey Grammer in his ninth appearance as Sideshow Bob and is the first time the Simpsons visit Italy. Maria Grazia Cucinotta also guest starred. The episode received mixed reviews. Grammer won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his performance in this episode. Frink won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation for his script to this episode.

The episode's title is a reference to the 1969 British caper film The Italian Job. Among the locations the Simpsons visit in this episode are Pisa, Pompeii, Tuscany, Rome and Venice.

After Mr. Burns gets teased about his old car by the kids at Springfield Elementary School, he sends Homer Simpson to pick up a brand new Lamborgotti Fasterossa car in Italy. The Simpsons fly over on Alitalia, and tour the country. After a huge wheel of mortadella lands on their car and crushes the hood, they push it into a small fictional Tuscan village called Salsiccia (sausage), and are told that the mayor speaks English.

The Simpsons visit the mayor, who turns out to be Sideshow Bob. He explains that after he last attempted to kill Bart, he decided to get a fresh start in Italy. He helped the villagers crush grapes into wine using his enormous feet, and they elected him mayor. Bob has resisted all intention of killing Bart, and introduces the Simpsons to his wife, Francesca Terwilliger, and his son, Gino. Bob begs the Simpsons not to tell anyone about his past crimes and arranges to have the car fixed.

One month later, Bob hosts a farewell party for the Simpson family. Lisa gets drunk on wine and spouts off about Bob being an attempted murderer. He leads her away from the table, but as she stumbles backwards, she rips off his suit to reveal his prison uniform. Upon this revelation, the village sacks Bob as Mayor. Bob swears a murderous vendetta on the Simpsons. The family flees in the fixed car, but Bob follows on a motorcycle. Homer drives into a ditch and onto a Roman aqueduct, landing on top of Trajan's Column in the Roman Forum. Bob's wife and son catch up with him. Francesca professes her love and loyalty to Bob and offers to help him take revenge.

The Simpsons are left with no car and no money. Lisa spots a bus with a poster advertising Krusty the Clown's performance in the opera Pagliacci. They meet up with him at the Colosseum in Rome, and he puts them in as extras. Bob, Francesca, and Gino find them and corner them on the stage while Krusty flees through a trap door. Lisa warns the audience that the Terwilligers are about to actually kill her and the family, but Bob tricks the audience by performing the climax of Vesti la giubba. Before Bob and his family can kill the Simpsons, Krusty's limousine picks them up; Krusty needs them to smuggle an ancient artefact back to America. The Terwilligers are disappointed at first, but then walk away plotting revenge together.

Maria Grazia Cucinotta guest starred as Sideshow Bob's wife Francesca. Tress MacNeille voiced the role of Bob's son Gino.