Each episode is filled with mouth-watering regional specialties prepared by chefs from across the country.
for those who want to follow Stanley TucciOn the trail, below is an episode-by-episode guide to all the restaurants — including local hangouts and Michelin-starred restaurants — that the cast visited during the show’s second season.
Liguria
This italian riviera Widely regarded as the most stunning and picturesque coastline in Europe. Portofino and Cinque Terre in Liguria are the two most visited destinations in Italy. With steep cliffs and stark countryside softened by scattered villages of candy-coloured houses, this idyllic mountainous landscape offers breathtaking scenery. The harshness of the land fostered the creativity of the people. We have to thank Ligurian pesto, one of Tucci’s favorite things.
Chef Carlo Cracco shows Stanley Tucci how to make pasta with preboggion and walnut sauce. “It’s very different from anything I’ve ever tasted,” Tucci said. “Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy” Airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
Kraco Portofino Run by Carlo Cracco – one of the most famous in Italy, Michelin star chef. His menu features dishes related to the land. For Tucci, he cooks a traditional Ligurian dish, ravioli-like pasta mixed with greens and herbs called preboggion and walnut sauce. “It’s very different from anything I’ve ever eaten,” Tucci said, raving about the meal.
genoese Famous for its pesto, which is ground by hand in an ancient mortar.Chef Roberto Panizza, known as the King of Pesto and the founder of Pesto Pesto World Championships, Showcase Tucci as pasta delicious green sauce He added green beans and potatoes to the pasta to make it creamier. “So humble, this dish. So humble, like me,” Tucci joked.
Ancient oven of the house According to food writer Laurel Evans, it makes the best focaccia in the area. Bread with its signature dimples is a working-class staple that originated in Genoa. The local trick is to eat it upside down so that the salt tastes on your tongue first and the other flavors follow.
When the cappon magro — a dish of seafood and vegetables arranged in a decorative pyramid — arrives, Stanley Tucci is speechless. “Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy” Airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
chef Chef Ivano Ricchebono’s hot new restaurant, housed in a 14th-century palace in Genoa. “Whoa whoa!” Tucci exclaims as he walks in to admire the building. Ricchebono specializes in seasonal and local ingredients. Tucci came for the Genoese pasta corzetti, Carpenter Magro, Gorgeous seafood dishes When the cappon magro arrives, Tucci is in awe of the presentation.
Ititturismo, Built on the cliffs of the Cinque Terre, it doubles as the family home and their restaurant. The head chef is his son Pietro Galletti, who prepares the fresh fish his father Guido forages. Tucci and his family have lunch on the patio. They enjoyed pasta with fish sauce and fried anchovies stuffed with cheese and herbs and then breaded.
puglia
Puglia is known for its aromatic olive oils, delicious vegetables, delicious cheeses and delicious durum wheat. Often referred to as the boot of Italy, this southern region represents the country’s most fundamental culinary scene—simple, fresh, locally produced cuisine. Despite being one of the poorest regions in Italy, Puglia is slowly coming into its own, and Tucci has found a newfound pride in its gastronomic roots.
Prepared by Italian Chef Celso Laforgia assassin spaghetti, Or assassin’s spaghetti. This spicy dish oozes explosive heat. “Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy” Airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
exist urban bistro In Bari, chef Celso Laforgia prepares pasta all’assassina (assassin pasta). This spicy chard dish is made by tossing pasta in a pan with olive oil and spices (but no water) until it’s charred and crispy. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Tucci said. “And I’ve been around too.” According to Laforgia, the dish got its name because the first person to try it called the chef a killer because it was so spicy.
The name means “ancient taste”, old taste in Montegrosso is known for transforming simple, unpretentious ingredients into world-class cuisine. Such is the case with its signature dish, charred chickpeas in a broad bean cream with burrata and charred black olives. Fava beans are a favorite in Puglia; they add a smooth, creamy flavor to pasta. “It’s the balance of flavors,” says chef Pietro Zito, as he serves the dish to Tucci. “It’s been fantastic,” Tucci said. “Now, I can’t stop eating.”
Trattoria Bere Vecchie, Tucked away in the labyrinth of alleyways in the hilltop town of Cisternino is a butcher shop that not only sells meat, but also cooks it on-site. The shop is run by young restaurateur Vito Zurlo. Historically a pharmacy, the building now serves kebabs reminiscent of Turkish-style kebabs. Tucci tried bombette (a pork roll stuffed with cheese, herbs and red pepper) and gnumareddi (lamb wrapped in intestines).
Dicheka Dairy A cheese bar like no other, cheesemaker Vito Dicecca has created something never before seen in the region: Apulian blue cheese. Over time, he developed 66 different types of blue cheese. He made Tucci focaccia out of burrata, which Dicecca’s mother used for his school lunches.
Restaurant Vitantonio Lombardo An abandoned cave in the ancient town of Matera, now turned into a Michelin-starred restaurant. Chef Vitantonio Lombardo cooks up dishes with inventive names like “I left my eggs in the garden” and “Murgia’s drone landscape”. For Tucci, he did “Poverty and Nobility in Red Wine Sauce.” The dish is veal tenderloin and veal throat, or sweetbread, covered in black crumbs that look like black truffles—symbols of decadence. Then serve with mashed potatoes and red wine reduction sauce. “It’s been fantastic,” Tucci said.
sardinia
Sardinia is the most remote region of Italy. Isolated from the Italian peninsula, the island has developed its own customs and cuisine. Eating here is like cooking an archaeological dig, as so many waves of settlers throughout history have influenced the food. While stopping here, Tucci discovers two sides of this fascinating region: the coast with its seafood and the dizzying cultures from around the Mediterranean; and the interior – a steep rocky landscape where locals stubbornly cling to their age-old traditions and freedom.
Fregola is a couscous-like dish that is a central element of Sardinian cuisine. Stanley Tucci tours the area and learns about its rich history. “Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy” Airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
little freddys Get fresh seafood daily from the surrounding waters.Restaurant’s sustainable menu wins coveted award Michelin Green Star – The first in Sardinia. Chef Francesco Stara makes fregola ai frutti di mare, a local staple, as Tucci stops by. The star of the dish is fregola, a North African-style couscous pasta.
In Luigi Pomata, Chef and owner Luigi Pomata is known as the king of tuna. Raw seafood, including tuna, takes center stage on his menu. During Tucci’s visit, Pomata served local bluefin tuna and pesto in a traditional pasta dish called cassulli alla carlofortina. To Tucci’s surprise, Pomata boils fresh tuna belly. “It’s delicious,” Tucci said after tasting the dish.
bake, It is a small bakery located in Alghero, a medieval city known as Little Barcelona. Tucci ordered the panada—a savory Sardinian pie said to be named after the empanada, a similar pastry thought to have originated in Spain. “My God!” Tucci announced. “It’s like Italy and Spain together in my mouth.”
Alghero is world famous for its lobster. So good, Queen Elizabeth II personally requested it to be used at her wedding reception. “Stanley Tucci: Finding Italy“It airs every Sunday night on CNN at 9 p.m.
mabrook It is a former 16th century monastery converted into a restaurant. Chef Antonietta Salaris serves some of the best local lobster in the world. She made the popular local lobster Catalan. Lobster eggs are often thrown out in the US, but Salaris adds them to the sauce for a savory and sweet twist. “That’s fucking delicious,” Tucci said.
Alimani, In the ancestral village of Batista in northern Sardinia, there’s a cooking school, so here you’ll have to make your own lunch to feast on. Chef Simonetta Bazzu has dedicated her life to preserving Sardinia’s traditional cuisine and ancient recipes. For Tucci, she makes pane carasau — a crispbread that dates back to at least 1,000 B.C. — and zuppa gallurese, pane carasau soaked in lamb broth, topped with piles of cheese and wild mint, and served Bake in a wood fire oven.
calabria
In all regions of Italy, calabria It means a lot to Tucci. This is the hometown of his ancestors and the place he dreamed of visiting since he was a child. “I wanted to understand the area my family left behind,” Tucci said on the show. This wild and rugged region forms the “toe” of the country’s boot-shaped peninsula. It’s known for its sprawling beaches, mountains and local cuisine, including traditional salami, sweet red onions and peppers.
Kuty Bakery, Run by baker Pina Olivetti, it has been serving traditional Calabrian bread – a yeast bread called pane de cuti – since 1985. The site is located in Marzi known as the Valley of Wheat. When Tucci stopped by the bakery, he tried pane di cuti, a 100-year-old recipe. For Tucci and his hungry parents, she also made morsello, a bread bowl filled with sausage and broccoli rabe. This portable meal was once a favorite of farmers and hunters who wanted a not-so-small potluck to take with them wherever they went. Today, this dish is often served at weddings and celebrations.
Tropea is famous for its red onions. They are very sweet and are served with pasta, preserves, and ice cream.Catch all-new episodes Sunday at 9pm ET “Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy.”
exist Red Onion Tavern (Red Onion Inn), run by Michele Pugliese and Romana Schiariti, featuring unapologetically simple red onion pasta.The key ingredient is the region’s famous sweet red onion known as shallots, They only grow on a small stretch of coastline around the city of Tropea. Onions are so sweet that in one episode, Twitch bites into a raw onion as if it were an apple.
Prince Sira is a family-run restaurant in Scilla, Italy, that specializes in local swordfish, Calabria’s most revered or prized sea creature – really telling for a region surrounded by water on three sides . “It’s like prosciutto and smoked salmon had an illegitimate child,” Tucci said as he ate fresh raw swordfish with restaurateur Johnny Giordano. Tucci also tried scialiatelli alla ghiotta, which is like swordfish pate. “It’s unbelievable,” Giordano said of the pasta dish.
in the dishes kaffiz, Tucked away in the Aspromonte mountains, chef Nino Rossi uses local ingredients in his creations. He serves Tucci’s signature dessert, which helped the restaurant earn a Michelin star: fire. Inspired by the idea of regrowing after the wildfires of 2021, the aptly named dish is made with meringue flavored with charcoal, apple slices, and white chocolate foam. “There are a million different flavors in it,” Tucci said, diving in for a few seconds.
Small hill, Located in the mountain town of Martone, it is run by farmer and chef Pino Trimboli. When Tucci visited, Trimboli cooked lamb, an ancient Greek dish, out of clay. The lamb is surrounded by wet clay before roasting to seal in delicate flavors and juices. This age-old technique comes with trade-offs: Each dish requires more than four hours of cooking time. But Tucci said the resulting “bone-off” lamb was worth the wait.
Stay tuned for updates on Tucci’s trip to two more Italian regions.Earlier this year, Tucci traveled to Piedmont, Umbria, Venice and London. For a guide to all the places he visited in season one, Click here.