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Catch up on Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy

Throughout the past four decades, Stanley Tucci has become one of the most endearing household names in the entertainment industry. The four-time Emmy winner has been attached to some blockbuster movies like The Devil Wears PradaThe Hunger Games franchise and Captain America: The First Avenger. He has also been known to work on dramatic movies such as Spotlight and his role as George Harvey in The Lovely Bones, which resulted in him being nominated for an Academy Award. Yet Tucci’s career has also focused on another passion of his, food. 


In 2012 Tucci released his first cookbook, The Tucci Cookbook, and since then, he has put out a memoir, Taste: My Life Through Food, which heavily talks about his love for food and encounter with cancer. The Italian-American really established his reign in that niche when he started hosting the show Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy in 2021. 

In the series, the 62-year-old American actor’s exquisite charm provides for a most enjoyable watch as we see Tucci traveling around Italy. As he goes to different regions within the country, he quickly discovers the vast differences and similarities. Throughout the fourteen episodes, he explores the culture, history, and specific cuisines of the places that he visits. Therefore, it’s time to look back on the last two seasons and what he has covered so far.

Where can you watch Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy? 

The show originally aired on Sundays on CNN but is now available to watch on CNNGo once you sign in with your cable provider. Alternatively, you’re also able to see Tucci in his guiding prime on the streaming platform Discovery+. 

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy Season 1:

In the series debut, Stanley Tucci goes down to Campania. He most prominently features Naples, the birthplace of pizza, as well as the magical island of Ischia and the most luxurious Amalfi coast. The dreamy backdrop allows the host to go in-depth about the love he has for his culture and the food you can find there. In Minori, he wanders off into a haze of limoncello, but the deviation to the lemony drink fits perfectly. The show, however, also gives the viewer a healthy dose of history. Who would’ve thought that pizza originated in Naples because the city had such bad sanitation and many serious cholera outbreaks, that it resulted in making the hygienic choice of frying their bread to which later made the experimentation of improving the taste that eventually developed in pizza to be a logical outcome. 

Afterward, Tucci visits his former home of Tuscany, the nation’s capital, the city of fashion, the home of the ragù, and the most diverse island Italy has to offer with tons of great architecture. Throughout the entirety of the first season, the actor stumbles upon some of the most interesting flavors and hearty selections. The creamy rich Carbonara he eats in Rome is to die for, while the Sicilian hospitality makes us want a book a flight right this second. 

While in Tuscany, Stanley Tucci goes on a wine crawl. Official tour guide Elisabetta Digiugno talks us through the iconic wine doors in Florence, where wine was passed down during the plague. Bologna is frequently named to be the food capital of Italy, so it’s only normal that the episode covering it focuses on staples such as Parmigiano, prosciutto de parma, traditional balsamic vinegar, and of course the renowned ragù. 

Stanley Tucci’s colorful personality takes the lead as the almost-hour-long episodes make you hungry for traditional Italian dishes and let you wander through some of the most beautiful settings on the earth. Originally released during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy’s first season definitely allowed people to have a dreamy escape through the madness. 

Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy Season 2:

In the second effort of the well-received series, the charming host returns to visit even more places. In the opening episode, Tucci goes to the floating city of Venice. There he learns more about the interesting ability the locals have adapted to as their aquatic existence pushed them into a different kind of growing food compared to other parts of the country. While there, the effervescent atmosphere of the place is shown as the touristy place calls to show off its beauty. 

Yet this time around, there’s also one episode of the eighth released that takes place outside of Italy. Where you might ask? Stanley Tucci’s new home, London. While there he learns about the way immigration changes some of the food that was produced and how Italians adapt to the culture they are living in while staying true to their own. It also showcases that within one city, which granted is a global hub, all Italian cuisines can be found. It’s, however, not the only episode that variates a little from the others. In Piedmont, a lot of the everyday being is influenced by the neighboring countries France and Switzerland. Therefore a lot of the far northwest region has interesting combinations, like the Italian cheese fondue Tucci tries or the Michelin star risotto he eats while there. 

But don’t worry there’s still a lot of classic Italian charm in the second season. Umbria, Puglia, Sardinia, and Liguria are definitely favorites. And the most heart-warming scene is shot in Calabria. The place his ancestors can be traced back to provides the most memorable moments because his elderly parents join him in Marzi. The quest to find Stanley Tucci’s grandfather’s home is set in action, yet, they are not quite sure if they found the actual place. "As it turns out, being a Tucci isn't that remarkable over here," the charismatic host jokes as it seems to be that a lot of people in the region have his last name. The adoration for food is not lost in the “homecoming” episode as the Tuccis rave over the Calabrese basics. And yes, they also pay a visit to his mother’s ancestral hometown in Calabria, Cittanova. 

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