Tucci In Italy

PREMIERE TUESDAY 12 MAY 8PM

Stanley Tucci believes the best way to understand what makes a country and its people unique is through their food. Nowhere is this truer than Italy – where even the shape of your pasta and the sauce you serve it with speaks directly to identity and differentiates the character of each region. In the second season of Tucci in Italy, Stanley will venture for the first time to Le Marche, while revisiting Sicily, Veneto, Campania and Sardinia, to explore the complex connections between the land, the people and the food they eat.

EPISODE 1: SICILY

Stanley discovers that Sicily is an island of contrasts and multiple influences, where its multicultural history has left a delicious mark on its food and people. He feasts on blood oranges, originally introduced to the region by the ancient Greeks; saffron-rich arancini, which came with the Arabs; and red prawns pulled from the ocean, thanks to the skills of the island’s Tunisian fishers.

EPISODE 2: VENTO

Stanley digs into the time-honoured recipes of this famous region and discovers how these dishes are being kept alive and reinvigorated for the future. He goes behind bars to meet lawbreakers making high-end cakes, takes Sunday lunch with a Nigerian-born local chef who is renowned for making some of the region’s most protected recipes, and wades into the controversy over the origins of tiramisu.

EPISODE 3: SARDINIA

Stanley immerses himself in the myths and mysteries of this wild island, discovering a cuisine that’s as unique as its geography. He travels into the hills to reveal the secrets of longevity, shares a seaside pasta meal with royalty, cooks a pig underground, and learns how a much-loved recipe has its roots in ancient “fairy caves.”

EPISODE 4: NAPLES AND CAMPANIA

Stanley discovers how adversity has shaped this famed region and its capital, revealing a history of hardship that has resulted in creative culinary inventions. He explores the dark story behind Campania’s famous tomatoes, reveals how buffalo milk went from zero to hero, and celebrates a once-forgotten wine grape. And on one of its lesser-known islands, Procida, he samples a very different take on pesto that is made with lemons.

EPISODE 5: LA MARCHE

The region of Le Marche sits on the Adriatic coast of Italy, and though it’s lesser known to international tourists, Stanley unearths culinary treasures worthy of recognition. He samples mosciole, plump hand-fished mussels, served in a surprising recipe and discovers three-star Michelin food in a beachside hut. He also tastes vincigrassi, a dish resembling lasagna but regarded as far superior by locals, which originates from one of the earliest cookbooks on record.