Every episode is stuffed with mouth-watering regional specialties prepared by chefs all over the country.
For those wanting to follow in Tucci’s footsteps, below is an episode-by-episode guide to all the restaurants — including local hangouts and Michelin-starred establishments — Tucci visited during the show’s second season.
New episodes air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. Missed a week? Catch up here on CNNgo. Season one is available on Discovery+ and here’s the list of places he visited during that six episode run.
CALABRIA
Of all the regions of Italy, Calabria holds the most meaning for Tucci. It’s his ancestral homeland and a place he had dreamed of visiting since he was a boy. “I want to get to know the region my family left behind,” Tucci said on the show. This wild, rugged region makes up the “toe” of the country’s boot-shaped peninsula. It’s known for its sprawling beaches, mountains and regional foods, including traditional salami, sweet red onions and chili peppers.
Panificio Cuti, run by baker Pina Olivetti, has been serving traditional Calabrian bread — a sourdough yeast bread called pane de cuti — since 1985. The spot is located in Marzi, which is known as the valley of wheat. When Tucci swung 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 among farmers and hunters who wanted to carry a not-so-little slice of home with them wherever they went. Today, this dish is often served at weddings and celebrations.
Tropea is famous for its red onions. They are so sweet, they can be served in pasta, preserves and ice cream. Tune in Sundays at 9 p.m. ET to watch all-new episodes of “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.”
At Osteria della Cipolla Rossa (Red Onion Inn), run by Michele Pugliese and Romana Schiariti, the specialty is the unapologetically simple red onion spaghetti. The key ingredient is the region’s renowned sweet red onions, called cipolla rossa, which only grow along the small stretch of coastline surrounding the city of Tropea. The onions are so sweet that, during the episode, Tucci bit into a raw one as if it were an apple.
Il Principe di Scilla is a family-run restaurant in Scilla, Italy, that is all about the local swordfish, the most respected or prized sea creature in Calabria — and for a region surrounded by water on three sides, that’s really saying something. “It’s like prosciutto and smoked salmon had a love child,” Tucci said as he sampled the fresh raw swordfish with restaurant owner Johnny Giordano. Tucci also tried scialiatelli alla ghiotta, which is like a swordfish ragu. “It’s nothing short of incredible,” Giordano said of the pasta dish.
In the dishes at Qafiz, tucked in the Aspromonte mountains, chef Nino Rossi uses local ingredients. He prepared for Tucci the signature dessert that helped the restaurant snag a Michelin star: fire. Inspired by the idea of renewed growth after the 2021 wildfires, the aptly named dish is made of meringue flavored with charcoal, sliced apple and white chocolate foam. “It’s like a million different flavors in there,” Tucci said as he dove in for seconds.
La Collinetta, located in the mountain town of Martone, is run by farmer and chef Pino Trimboli. When Tucci visited, Trimboli made lamb in clay, an ancient Greek dish. The lamb is surrounded by wet clay before it’s baked to seal in the delicate flavors and juices. This ancient technique comes with a tradeoff: Each dish takes over four hours to cook. But Tucci said the resulting “fall off the bone” lamb was worth the wait.
Stanley Tucci’s Italian relatives prepared him a feast of the family’s favorite dishes, including stockfish Cittanova-style. Tune in Sundays at 9 p.m. ET to watch all-new episodes of “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.”
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