Latest news with #TucciInItaly
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Tucci In Italy' On Disney+ And Hulu, Where Stanley Tucci Eats His Way Through Italy Yet Again
Tucci In Italy is more or less a continuation of Stanley Tucci's CNN travel series Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy. He continues to visit different regions of his ancestral home, talking to chefs and other people who contribute to the food culture of a particular region. In the five episodes in this season of the show, Tucci visits Tuscany, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Abruzzo and Lazio. Opening Shot: A windy mountain range that yields white marble. Stanley Tucci walks on a ridge and quotes Michelangelo: 'I saw the angel in the marble, and I carved until I set it free.' The Gist: In Tuscany, Tucci starts with Florence, the city many think is Italy's food and culture capital. He tries lampredotto, which is essentially beef intestines, which Florentines often eat on a roll for breakfast(!). Then goes to Dalla Lola, a restaurant specializing in peasant recipes that Florence's working class used to make and eat all the time, including a dish called 'fake tripe.' He then travels to Colonnata, known for its impeccable marble, but also one of the best places to get lardo, which is aged pork fatback. He then goes to Maremma, 'the 'Wild West' of 'Italy's Wild West,' visiting with cattle ranchers called Butteri, who manage herds of free-range cattle that produce low-fat, very tender steaks, which Tucci helps the lead buttero grill. Back in Florence, Tucci eats at an Asian-influenced restaurant that adheres to the city's arcane restaurant rules as far as sourcing of ingredients are concerned, but definitely goes a different way than the usual. Then he goes to Siena, where he observes the mass feasts that happen all over the city during the twice-per-year Palio di Siena. What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As we mentioned, Tucci In Italy is pretty much a continuation of the 2021-22 CNN/BBC series Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy. It's very much in the vein of other food-oriented travel shows, like Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown or Taste The Nation With Padma Take: Despite a couple of years' break and a switch of networks, Tucci In Italy doesn't try to give us anything more than the previous show did, which is Stanley Tucci walking through various places in Italy, where his family was from and where he lived for a time when he was a kid. He is his usual wry and erudite self, enjoying all sorts of food, speaking Italian to the people that are featured in a segment, and muses about the marriage of food and culture in his voice overs. What we thought about all this four years ago, when the original show debuted, really hasn't changed: Tucci isn't quite as personable a narrator as Bourdain or Lakshmi is, and he tends to observe rather than connect with the people he talks to. He definitely can lead towards pretentiousness at times. But he also shows so much passion for his family's homeland, and a fascination with each region's food culture, especially restaurants and dishes that go against the norms of what a tourist might eat when he or she goes to Italy on vacation. So, if there are moments where, for instance, he seems a bit detached when the owner of a local marble mine talks to him about the history of mining in his town, we're figuring he's just thinking about the food he's going to be eating later. Sex and Skin: None, except for sexy shots of Shot: An overview of thousands of people sitting at long tables for the communal dinners during the Palio de Star: In a show like this, the director of photography is the sleeper star, because of all the inviting scenery they shoot. In this episode, the DP is Matt Ball. Most Pilot-y Line: Tucci says 'Wow' a lot when he eats something he loves, though at times we wish he said something like, 'Damn, that's good!' or something equally enthusiastic. Our Call: STREAM IT. Stanley Tucci isn't exactly the most relatable or warm presence as a travel host, but he is thorough, and Tucci In Italy is a good continuation of the journey through the country that he started on CNN in 2021. Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn't kid himself: he's a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, Fast Company and elsewhere.
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Glossy food travel show with Hollywood star is airing on TV tonight
Glossy, cinematic and hosted by a movie star, the latest travel show has been given the Hollywood treatment, as Tucci In Italy airs right now on Disney+. It's no longer enough to just be a travel show - this one is a 'cinematic journey through food, culture and history'. Pretentious much? Fortunately, award-winning actor Stanley Tucci, who seems to have morphed into a foodie type recently, is completely captivating in this stylish series. The 64-year-old American, born to parents of Italian descent, embarks on this culinary voyage across five regions of Italy, exploring the essence, traditions and flavours of each. He even manages to speak a bit of Italian. Tucci meets with locals, chefs, fellow foodies, fishermen, artisans and even cowboys to unearth hidden gems and untold stories, resulting in a filmic journey across the full series. With National Geographic's signature immersive storytelling, the series offers a fresh perspective on both well-loved and undiscovered corners of Italy, guided by Stanley's signature wit and charm. He says: 'I believe that the best way to understand what makes a country and a people unique is through their food. And this is true nowhere more than Italy where even the shape of your pasta and the sauce you serve it with, speaks directly to identity. Italy is a feast for the senses, and this is an invitation to the table. It's about more than just the food; it's about the people, the history, and the passion that makes Italy so special. I hope you'll join me on this new adventure. I believe that eating well is inspiring, and I hope to inspire viewers to embrace the beauty and richness of Italian culture.' From a lavish Sienese feast in Tuscany to a futuristic farm-to-table experience in Lombardy, from pine needle pesto to wild seafood, Stanley experiences Italy through his stomach. And with his storytelling and stunning camerawork, it's all a joy to watch. Chris Packham explores a subject that's very close to his heart in this emotional instalment, since his stepdaughter Megan is dyslexic. Megan says to Chris: 'I have a vivid memory of you walking into my room, and I must have only been six or seven, with a pile of books in your arms. It was a big intimidating pile, a big reminder of something I couldn't do. To this day, if anyone hands me a book, it still stresses me out.' Chris adds: 'I would read to you up until the last two paragraphs of a cliffhanger and leave the page open to see if you were so enraptured in the story that you would finish it, but you never did.' The naturalist, who has Asperger's syndrome, has been making documentaries about neurodivergent minds, looking at autism, ADHD and now dyslexia, which affects around one in ten people in the UK. Determined to help those who are 'misunderstood', he gives people the chance to make a powerful short film, bringing their experiences to life. He says: 'While a difficulty reading and spelling is at the core of any dyslexia diagnosis, most dyslexic people will tell you that they also experience problems in a wide range of things - from memory to organisation.' Chris meets construction site manager Lee, 53, who was only diagnosed recently and says his dyslexia gives him 'tremendous anxiety'. He's only ever read one book. Chris also meets psychotherapist Suiki, 35, who struggles to order her thoughts and recall information, especially under pressure. It's a Great British lunch-time obsession - something we all like to discuss endlessly. Which sandwich did you get? Which flavour crisps? Did that include a Mars Bar? Was it under a fiver? Joe Swash is excitedly yelling his head off in this interesting little documentary that analyses the Meal Deal, dubbed by one expert here as 'British tapas' - bit of a stretch. Joe says: 'A meal deal represents two things that I love most, eating and getting a bargain. 'You may think that me and my missus live a life of glitz and glamour but really me and Stacey love nothing more than sitting on the sofa and debating the big subjects like 'What are we here for?', 'What is the meaning of life?' and 'Which snack is going to get me the most savings on my meal deal?' Bringing us the shocking stat that Brits eat five million meal deals every day, Joe investigates everything there is to know about this consumer phenomenon. Harry is on a drip in the hospital and Mackenzie is a pariah. Moira awaits the bill for the slurry spill clean-up, pessimistic about the farm's prospects. After 16 years of farming the land through tragedy and trauma, the refusal of the insurers to cover for Mackenzie's recklessness has Moira convinced that this is the death knell for her tenure of the farm. Sarah's keeping her appointment at the fertility clinic a secret. Nicola catastrophises about the village water supply. Lauren is having a difficult time as she struggles with Jimmy. Peter is trying to support her, but is worried about her past issues with addiction. With Jean and Mo away, Lily and Freddie are trying to run the Slater house alone as Stacey refuses to leave her bedroom. Zack gets word from Whitney that she's found a safe place for her and the girls to live, somewhere Nicola won't find them. Nigel feels sad on the day of Clare's 40th. Bernie catches Brody shoplifting. Kit goes after him and lets slip to Mick that Lou isn't as loyal as he likes to think. Craig arrives for work to shadow Kit as part of his CID placement, while making plans for an internet date that evening. After being largely ignored by Kit all day, Craig tells Lisa that Kit doesn't rate his work. Lisa urges him to prove Kit wrong. When Craig is called to investigate a disturbance, he sees his chance.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Tucci in Italy, review: a proper passion for food is this show's secret ingredient
If you took a swig of Frascati every time Stanley Tucci gave us his food orgasm face coupled with an 'Oh man! That's so good!' you wouldn't make it halfway through the box set of Tucci In Italy (Disney+) without slipping under the sofa. Stanley loves his Italian nosh, of that there's no doubt. 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.
Condé Nast Traveler
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Condé Nast Traveler
Me, Stanley Tucci, and a Food-Filled Escapade Through Florence
I've traveled to Florence to spend time with Tucci while he films his new 10-part docuseries, Tucci in Italy, with National Geographic and BBC, which premieres on May 18. He has been filming for four months, with another three to go, but the show is already highly anticipated: Two years prior to filming in 2024, CNN canceled his two-season Emmy-winning show, Tucci: Searching For Italy, which had gained an avid following thanks to the actor's charming deep dive into the culinary scene in Italy, his motherland. From chatting with the locals of Naples, the birthplace of pizza, to indulging in tastings of Minoro's fresh limoncello—the world learned the potential of Tucci as a well-rounded, fun, and informative travel host. This time around, Tucci says, he felt 'more himself.' 'As an actor, when storytelling, I was always playing a character,' he explains. 'It didn't feel so natural to present myself to the world, as myself.' Since Searching For Italy's cancellation, though, he's continued to find his footing as the ambassador of a certain brand of good living: He's released a new book, What I Ate in One Year, and is growing his loyal base of followers thanks to his ongoing cooking and negroni making on Instagram. For the National Geographic show, Tucci says viewers won't find him 'climbing up anything' as some travel hosts on the channel do. Instead he will be doing what he does best: spending time with people and their stories in some of his favorite regions of Italy, whether that's one of the few remaining southern-Tuscan cattle herders or a relentless nonna who doesn't trust even the butcher to cut the meat from her farm. Tucci, who researched and scouted chefs, tastemakers, locals, and foodies with the production team for months leading up to filming, says he wants the people they spotlight to 'feel like they don't have to perform' and for the show to 'feel truly authentic.' There's also a greater sense of history and connection between the episodes this time, says Tucci. In one, we see him return to Tuscany for the famous bareback horse race Palio di Siena, where he films in the kitchen with local Sienese chefs ahead of the Contrada dinner, a gigantic communal feast to celebrate the race and feeds each of the city's 17 districts.
Washington Post
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Stanley Tucci returns to Italy with National Geographic series and vows to 'go more in depth'
NEW YORK — You can't keep Stanley Tucci from his beloved Italy just like you can't keep cheese from lasagna. The Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actor is once again elegantly roaming through the land of his heritage in National Geographic's new food-travel series 'Tucci in Italy,' less than three years after a similar show was axed.
