Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy became a popular travel show for CNN when the series premiered last year in the midst of the pandemic. Now that the back half of its second season is about to hit Discovery+, does the show still retain that wanderlust-y vibe that it first had when we were all cooped up?
Opening Shot: “I’ve been dreaming of coming back to Calabria since I was a boy,” Stanley Tucci explains as he drives a car up a winding mountain road in southern Italy. (The toe of the boot, to be exact.) Though the actor has filmed, at this point, over a dozen episodes of his travel show, this one is a bit different because, as he explains, Calabria is the region where both sides of his family come from, so this episode in season two of his show, is a special, more personal one.
The Gist: Indulge me while I recall a memory: Several years ago (when I was childless and watched even more TV than I do now) I discovered a series on New York City public television called Vine Talk that was hosted by Stanley Tucci. On the show, Tucci, a bunch of his famous friends, and a wine expert would literally just sit around and talk about wine. It was haughty and erudite and Eater called it “an insane parody of itself.” It was a New Yorker cartoon come to life, and maybe that’s why I continued to watch it despite my taste in wine leaning toward “sweet and white, preferably with an ice cube.”
I think of that show when I watch Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, because on his travel show, Tucci’s passion for Italy and its food is as strong as his passion for wine was on his old show, but he has made this series much more personable and less affected than the former. Every episode features Tucci traveling to a different region of the country, meeting and cooking with locals, and exploring the uniqueness of each area.
In Calabria, an entire segment is spent with Tucci traveling through his paternal grandfather’s hometown as he tried to track down the house he was born in. Then came an education in how the Tropean onions of Calabria, which grow in a specific, tiny micro-climate near the oceam, are one of the agricultural crown jewels of the region. Later, Tucci made a trip to a town where the majority of its population has fled thanks to the town having fallen under the control of the local mafia. Italy is a gorgeous country filled with incredible food, and the show’s production helps to sell both of those. Tucci is both enthusiastic and willing to learn about the regions he visits, and he’s a thoughtful stand in for those of us who don’t have the privilege of traveling to these places in person.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? It’s hard to watch Tucci’s show and not compare it to popular travel shows like Anthony Bourdain’s great No Reservations or Somebody Feed Phil. While Bourdain’s show gave off a “Here, take this shot of aquavit and then we can get into a Swedish hot tub at 2 a.m.” and Phil Rosenthal’s show is like, “Hold my hoagie while I eat this other hoagie,” Tucci’s show is more like, “Can someone tell me if the grapes in this wine were grown in a sandy soil?”
Our Take: Searching For Italy was made for CNN, and it does have a newsy, intellectual quality about it. You’re here to travel and see the beautiful sights, but you’re also here to learn something from a man who takes his homeland seriously. You’ll be taken off the beaten path to learn about the thousand-year old cooking traditions of a certain town, the way produce is grown, and yes, since this is Italy, the influence of the mob on certain areas. Tucci never dives too deep into any one topic, but he provides a primer for all sorts of delightful and delicious information.
What I’ve come to realize after watching more than my share of travel and food shows is that your enjoyment of a show is less about where the show goes but who the host is, it’s why people like Anthony Bourdain make such an impression. Tucci doesn’t try to imitate anyone else and that’s a good thing, he just feels both familiar, having seen him in dozens of films, and trustworthy, giving off an air of your friend who has already read every guide book and is ready to share what they know. He simply wants to share his excitement for all the nooks and crannies he’s discovered.
Sex and Skin: Mi dispiace, no.
Parting Shot: Tucci, having reunited with a few dozen of his extended family members, sits at a table and makes a toast thanking them for their warmth and hospitality, while in voice over he gushes about how no matter where you are in Calabria, the people can make you feel like family.
Sleeper Star: Tucci is the only recurring “character” on the show, but to be honest, he is often upstaged by the food.
Most Pilot-y Line: “Gorgeous. Dolcissima!” Tucci says, one of his many emphatic, bi-lingual declarations of adoration for the food and the land he’s visiting. In this case, he is referring specifically to a raw onion he has just eaten like an apple.
Our Call: STREAM IT! Tucci makes for an eloquent travel guide as he enthusiastically takes us on his journey which, let’s face it, most of us won’t ever have the joy of taking in real life. Why not live the good life with him?
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.
