Hollywood star Stanley Tucci discovers the secrets and delights of Italy’s regional cuisines in his new six-part BBC2 travelogue Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, which was originally shown on CNN in the US last year.
"I’m Italian on both sides and for many years it’s been a dream of mine to make this show,’ says Stanley 61, whose films include Road to Perdition, The Devil Wears Prada and The Hunger Games series.
So here's everything you need to know about Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy including a word on the food and destinations from Stanley himself...
'Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy' release date on BBC2
Having previously been shown on CNN, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy now gets an air date in the UK where it starts on Sunday February 27 at 7.20pm on BBC2. It's a six-parter and all six episodes will be available on BBCiPlayer after the first episode has been shown on BBC2.
Is there a trailer for 'Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy'?
Yes a trailer was released for Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy in 2021 when the travel series was shown on CNN in the US. Take a look below...
Stanley Tucci reveals the food and places he visits...
Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy begins in Naples, a city that gave the world its favourite food – pizza!
"Naples is a truly thrilling city. The second you arrive you’re engulfed by a magnificent chaos and there’s no point in fighting it. People here do things their own way.|
Pizza is everywhere in Naples and Stanley gets to try a traditional fried pizza and a classic Margherita named in 1889 after Italy’s then queen, as well as a simple tomato-based pizza created by chef Enzo Coccia, who runs the first-ever Michelin-starred pizzeria. "Mass-produced pizza brands always use sugar, fat and flavouring in their dough," explains Tucci, who speaks fluent Italian. "But in Naples there are only four ingredients – water, flour, salt and yeast – and a lot of skill."
But it’s not all about pizza, as Stanley discovers. The actor also learns about how the people of Naples have learned to live in the shadow of famous volcano Vesuvius and how poverty and crime gangs have always been a part of life in the city.
Meanwhile, on the island of Ischia, the traditional dish isn’t pizza or pasta, but rabbit, and Stanley returns to a restaurant he first visited with his late wife, Kate, to experience how to create a simple rabbit stew with garlic, white wine and tomato.
"Fourteen years ago, my late wife Kate and I took a ferry from Naples to Ischia just an hour away," recalls Stanley. "One night we went to a restaurant halfway up a mountain where they served rabbit. Now I try to come back whenever I’m lucky enough to get the chance."
Stanley helps catch the rabbits that live wild above the restaurant using chestnuts to lure them out of their warrens, and then shares a special Sunday lunch with chef Riccardo D’Ambra and his extended family. "Traditional cooking like this tells you the story of a place,’ he says. ‘It also connects us and that’s why even today families across Ischia sit down every Sunday to enjoy a rabbit in a pot together."
'Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy' episode guide
Episode 1: Naples and the Amalfi coast
See above for Stanley talking about Naples experience sharing the history and ingredients of Naples famous pizza through finding the freshest mozzarella and the best San Marzano tomatoes. He explores the island of Ischia and enjoy spaghetti and zucchini on the Amalfi Coast
Episode 2: Rome
Stanley heads to the Italian capital Rome in search of the famous Four Pastas. He orders rigatoni all'amatriciana, samples carbonara and tries a selection of cheeses and sausages made from the sheep and pigs farmed in the region.
Episode 3: Bologna
Bologna is seen by many as the food capital of Italy. The region of Emilia-Romagna is home to globally renowned protected food products: parmigiano, prosciutto de Parma and traditional balsamic vinegar to name a few. Stanley finds out about it all.
Episode 4: Milan
Stanley enjoys an aperitivo, feels inspired to make pizzoccheri — a noodle made from buckwheat — and enjoys classic Milanese of veal chops and risotto.
Episode 5: Tuscany
Stanley explores his former home region where he does a wine bar crawl, celebrates the importance of the lowly loaf and samples dishes which use stale bread as the key ingredient.
Episode 6: Sicily
At the end of the foot of Italy, Stanley arrives in Sicily, for his final experience of the series. Here, he tries a salty crunchy sensation, tastes the grapes grown in the region's unique soils, and reflects on Sicilian hospitality.
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