“There’s nowhere on earth quite like Italy. Every mouthful here is an eruption,” says Stanley Tucci in the 30-second trailer previewing season 2 of the fortunate CNN series, “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.”
The critically acclaimed show featuring the Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning actor of Italian origins returns for a second season this spring. In it, Tucci explores the cuisines of Umbria, Venice, Piedmont and, for the first time in the show, a place outside Italy, that is London, to understand how Italian immigration has shaped the food scene in his adopted hometown.
In “Searching for Italy”, CNN writes, Tucci “indulges his passion for Italian cooking as he explores the stories and people behind the world’s most popular cuisine. [...] Tucci continues his journey to understand Italy’s culture and history through its food.”
Every episode focuses on regional specialties, prepared and enjoyed both in restaurants and family kitchens, where Tucci meets with chefs, home cooks, winemakers, food producers, guides and historians, trying to provide viewers with an understanding of the real Italy.
"I think in America there are a lot of very specific ideas about what is 'Italian,' and one of the reasons I wanted to do [my new] show is to dispel some of those myths about what Italy is," he told CNN. "People imagine it's always sunny and people are playing mandolins and eating pizza and chicken parmigiana -- which isn't even an Italian dish. Because my parents were so respectful of their heritage, that cultural identity was really important to me, and still is."
Tucci was born in Peekskill, New York. His parents were both of Italian descent, with roots in Calabria. In 1972, when he was 12 years old, he spent a year in Florence with his family, attending middle school there and learning Italian. In the Tuscany episode of season 1, he says that year “was transformative.” He ached to go back ever since and has traveled extensively in Italy.
In 2012, Tucci published “The Tucci Cookbook,” a book of Italian recipes handed down to him by his family. His latest memoir, "Taste: My Life Through Food" (Gallery Books) was released in October 2021.
Season 2 is scheduled to air on CNN for U.S. audiences, although a date was not given, after the premiere of the first episode, originally scheduled for Sunday, March 13, was postponed due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
In an Instagram post on March 2, Tucci announced: “Due to the situation in Ukraine, season two of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy will be delayed and will premiere later this spring.”
In the UK, season 1 is currently airing and there is no information yet as to when season 2 will be available.
Season 1 of “Searching for Italy” consisted of six episodes during which Tucci traveled to Naples/Amalfi Coast, Rome, Bologna, Milan, Tuscany and Sicily. It aired in the U.S. in early 2021 when most international travel was still halted due to the pandemic, thus offering viewers a very pleasant way to virtually travel to Italy.
At this link you can see a 30-second preview of season 2 two and read a summary of each of the four episodes.
