Tucci in Italy, review: a proper passion for food is this show's secret ingredient
Yet while watching other people have the time of their lives is so often a total turn-off, spending time with Tucci as he sniffs out gastronomic delights like a truffle hunter, delving into hidden corners of his grandparents' homeland, is actually a rare delight.
Teaming a little bit of off-the-wall history – did you know that the Egyptians invented pizza? – washed down with lashings of food and wine, Tucci is a tour guide par excellence. Which is largely down to his ability to fit right in with the locals: time and again in this five-episode tasting menu, it looked like Stanley, a fluent if slightly staccato Italian speaker, was talking to a long-lost cousin. The shaven-head, thick rimmed specs look is big in foodie Italy.
It also helps that Tucci's style – dry humour mixed with an enthusiastic amateur's knowledge – never tips over into the gushing clichés that blight so many foodie shows. It's a crowded field, but Tucci's culinary explorations feel driven by authentic passion (and an ability to neck whatever bit of dead animal gets artistically presented to him) with appropriate gusto. Vegans and vegetarians best steer clear.
The format here does not stray too far from Tucci's previous forays into Italian cuisine. Each episode tours a selected region, sees our host seek out local chefs, restaurateurs and home cooks – kudos to the researchers, the stories featured feel fresh, not the usual reheated leftovers – but if a format ain't broke, then it's wise not to fix it.
One key ingredient is the light seasoning of political and historical detail that gives the food-envy a necessary break. In Trentino, there were tales of wartime persecution of German speakers, in Tuscany, hearing of the difficulties faced by gay parents was not only informative but also illustrated that confirmed Italophile Tucci was not viewing his beloved adopted land through rosé-coloured glasses.
The less spontaneous elements, Tucci narrating rather over-egged takeaways from each region, feel a little stodgy compared to the light touch elsewhere. Excellent at highlighting how food connects us to our roots – we British have a lot to learn from the Italians on that front – emotions are often bubbling near the surface.
The last thing I expected when watching a food programme was to get a little choked up. But as Tucci joined a young chef who'd returned to the wild and rugged mountains of Abruzzo, having tired of big city kitchens, a rustic mutton barbecue triggered unexpected emotions. It had been the chef's grandfather's special dish.
'Memories from childhood make us feel like children again,' he told Tucci as the pair shared a manly embrace. Food for thought.
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