Every episode is chock-full of mouthwatering regional specialties prepared by chefs all over the country. For those wanting to follow in Stanley Tucci‘s footsteps, below is an episode-by-episode guide to all the
Every episode is chock-full of mouthwatering regional specialties prepared by chefs all over the country.
For those wanting to follow in Stanley Tucci‘s footsteps, below is an episode-by-episode guide to all the restaurants — including local hangouts and Michelin-starred establishments — the actor visited during the show’s second season.
LIGURIA
The Italian Riviera is widely considered to be the most glamorous and picturesque coastline in Europe. Portofino and Cinque Terre, located in Liguria, are two of Italy’s most visited destinations. With its steep cliffs and wild countryside softened by sporadic villages of candy-colored houses, this idyllic strip of mountainous land has breathtaking views. The harshness of the land has made the people inventive. It’s Liguria we have to thank for pesto, one of Tucci’s favorite things.
Chef Carlo Cracco shows Stanley Tucci how to make pansotti pasta with preboggion and walnut sauce. “It’s very different from anything I’ve ever tasted,” Tucci said. “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
Cracco Portofino is run by Carlo Cracco — one of Italy’s most famous, Michelin-starred chefs. His menu features dishes that are linked to the land. For Tucci, he cooked the traditional Ligurian dish of ravioli-like pansotti pasta with a mixture of greens and herbs called preboggion and walnut sauce. “It’s very different than anything I’ve ever tasted,” Tucci said as he raved about the meal.
Il Genovese is known for its pesto, which is crushed by hand in an ancient mortar. Chef Roberto Panizza, known as the King of Pesto and the founder of the Pesto World Championship, made Tucci a pasta dish to showcase the delectable green sauce. He added green beans and potatoes to the pasta to make it extra creamy. “So humble, this dish. So humble, just like me,” Tucci joked.
Antico Forno della Casana makes some of the best focaccia in the region, according to food writer Laurel Evans. The bread with its signature dimples is a working-class staple that originated in Genoa. The local trick is to eat it upside down so the salt hits your tongue first and the rest of the flavors follow.
When cappon magro — a seafood and vegetables dish arranged into a decorative pyramid — hit the table, Stanley Tucci was speechless. “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
The Cook is the hot new restaurant of chef Ivano Ricchebono that is situated in a 14th-century palazzo in Genoa. “Wow! Wow! Wow!” Tucci exclaimed as he walked inside and took in the architecture. Ricchebono specializes in seasonal and local ingredients. Tucci came to try corzetti, a Genoese pasta, and cappon magro, an ornate seafood dish. When cappon magro hit the table, Tucci was in awe of the presentation.
Ittiturismo, built into the cliffs of Cinque Terre, is both a family home and their restaurant. The head chef is the son, Pietro Galletti, who cooks the fresh fish foraged by his father, Guido. Tucci joined the family for lunch on their terrace. They feasted on pasta with fish sauce and fried anchovies stuffed with cheese and herbs then covered in breadcrumbs.
PUGLIA
Puglia is famous for its fragrant olive oil, beautiful vegetables, delicious cheeses and flavorful durum wheat. Frequently called the boot of Italy, this southern region represents the nation’s culinary scene at its most fundamental — simple, fresh, locally produced cuisine. Despite being one of Italy’s poorest regions, Puglia is coming into its own, and Tucci discovers that there’s a newfound pride in its gastronomic roots.
Italian chef Celso Laforgia cooks up spaghetti all’assassina, or assassin’s pasta. This spicy dish delivers explosive heat. “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
At Urban Bistrot in Bari, chef Celso Laforgia cooks up pasta all’assassina (assassin pasta). The spicy and charred dish is made by putting the pasta in a pan with olive oil and spices — but no water — until it’s burnt and crispy. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Tucci said. “And I’ve been around too.” According to Laforgia, the dish got its name after the first person who tried it called the chef a killer because it was so spicy.
With a name that means “ancient flavors,” Antichi Sapori in Montegrosso is known for transforming simple, humble ingredients into world-class cuisine. Such is the case with its signature dish, burnt gain orecchiette in a fava bean cream served with burrata cheese and charred black olives. Fava beans are a favorite in Puglia; they add a smooth, creaminess to the pasta. “It’s the balance of flavors,” said chef Pietro Zito as he served the dish to Tucci. “That’s amazing,” Tucci said. “Now, I can’t stop eating.”
Trattoria Bere Vecchie, tucked in the labyrinth of alleyways of the hilltop town of Cisternino, is a butcher shop that doesn’t just sell meats, it cooks them on the spot. The shop is run by young restaurateur Vito Zurlo. Historically, this building was a pharmacy, now it serves up meat spit-roasted in a way reminiscent of Turkish style kebabs. Tucci tried bombette (rolls of pork stuffed with cheese, herbs and red pepper) and gnumareddi (lamb wrapped in intestines).
Caseificio Dicecca is a one-of-a-kind cheese bar, where cheesemaker Vito Dicecca created something unprecedented in this region: Apulian blue cheese. Over time, he’s developed 66 different types of blue cheese. He served Tucci focaccia with burrata, which Dicecca’s mother use to make for his school lunches.
Ristorante Vitantonio Lombardo is an abandoned cave in the ancient town of Matera that’s been turned into a Michelin star restaurant. Chef Vitantonio Lombardo whips up dishes with inventive names like “I dropped the Egg in the Garden” and “Drone View of the Murgia.” For Tucci, he made “Poverty and nobility with a red wine sauce.” The dish is a veal filet and veal throat, or sweetbread, covered in black breadcrumb to look like a black truffle — a symbol of decadence. It’s then served with a potato puree and a red-wine reduction sauce. “That is f**king amazing,” Tucci said.
SARDINIA
Sardinia is the most remote region of Italy. Cut off from the Italian peninsula, this island has developed its own customs and cuisine. Eating here is like going on the culinary equivalent of an archaeological dig since so many waves of settlers throughout history have influenced the food. While stopping here, Tucci discovered two sides to this fascinating region: the coast with its seafood and a dazzling mix of cultures drawn from around the Mediterranean; and the interior — a steep, rocky landscape where locals stubbornly cling to their ancient traditions and freedoms.
Fregola, a couscous-like dish, is a central element in Sardinian cuisine. Stanley Tucci visits the region and learns about its rich history. “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
Fradis Minoris gets its supply of fresh seafood daily from the surrounding waters. The restaurant’s sustainable menu earned it a coveted Michelin Green Star — the first in Sardinia. When Tucci swung by, chef Francesco Stara made fregola ai frutti di mare, a local staple. The star of the dish is the fregola, which is a North African-inspired, couscous-like pasta.
At Luigi Pomata, chef and owner Luigi Pomata is known as the king of tuna. Raw seafood, including tuna, takes center stage on his menu. During Tucci’s visit, Pomata cooked up local bluefin tuna with pesto in a traditional pasta dish called cassulli alla carlofortina. Much to Tucci’s surprise, Pomata prepares it by taking the fresh tuna belly and boiling it. “That’s delicious,” Tucci said after sampling the dish.
Al Forno, located in the medieval city of Alghero known as little Barcelona, is a small bakery. Tucci ordered panada — a type of Sardinian savory pie said to have received its name from empanada, a similar pastry dish thought to have originated in Spain. “Oh my God!” Tucci proclaimed. “It’s like Italy and Spain together in my mouth.”
Alghero is world famous for its lobster. It’s so good Queen Elizabeth II herself requested it for her wedding reception. “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.
Mabrouk is a former 16th-century monastery converted into a restaurant. Chef Antonietta Salaris works with the local lobster that’s known to be some of the best in the world. She makes the regionally popular lobster a la Catalana. In the US, lobster eggs are often thrown out, but Salaris adds them to the sauce for a salty sweetness. “That’s so f***ing delicious,” Tucci said.
Arimani, in the ancestral village of Battista in northern Sardinia, is a culinary school, so here you must cook your own lunch before feasting. Chef Simonetta Bazzu has devoted her life to preserving Sardinia’s traditional cuisine and ancient recipes. For Tucci, she made pane carasau — a thin, crispy bread dating back to at least 1000 BC — and a zuppa gallurese, pane carasau soaked in sheep broth, topped with heaps of cheese and wild mint and baked into the woodfire oven.
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.
Stay tuned for updates as Tucci travels to two more regions of Italy. Earlier this year, Tucci traveled to Piedmont, Umbria, Venice and London. For a guide to all the places he visited during season one, click here.
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The Israeli government has dropped some of the most controversial rules in a draft ordinance controlling how foreigners can enter and stay in the occupied West Bank.
A draft of the rules was published in February and received harsh public backlash as well as legal challenges which forced a delay to their implementation.
One of the most controversial rules would have required foreign passport holders entering a formal relationship with a Palestinian living in the West Bank to notify Israeli authorities within 30 days of their engagement, wedding, or moving-in together. Another regulation in the draft placed quotas on the number foreign academics – lecturers and students – permitted each year.
But those regulations have been removed from the official guidance published on Sunday. The rules are currently set to take effect on October 20.
Israel says the new ordinance is meant to codify norms already in place.
The document also states that the new regulations will be part of a “two-year pilot period” after which “the situation will be evaluated and a decision will be made regarding whether to keep the procedure in force.”
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to speak more freely, told us the reason Israel wanted foreigners to declare romantic relations with West Bank Palestinians was to simplify visitors’ visa process. The official said as an example, a student with a foreign passport who fell in love with a Palestinian could – instead of needing to renew their student visa every year – just register as a couple and receive the equivalent of a spousal visa.
But Palestinians and human rights groups said the rules were a further tamping down on the basic rights of Palestinians in the West Bank – while such rules would not have applied to Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are governed by Israeli civilian law.
Much of the international community, including the United States, considers the West Bank to be occupied territory since Israel took control of the area following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Israel controls all movement in and out of the territory.
The draft guidelines published in February were challenged in the Israeli Supreme Court by human rights groups and individuals.
In a statement, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said the Embassy had been “aggressively engaged” with the Israeli government since the draft rules were published in February.
“I continue to have concerns with the published protocols, particularly regarding COGAT’s role in determining whether individuals invited by Palestinian academic institutions are qualified to enter the West Bank, and the potential negative impact on family unity,” Nides said. “It is important to ensure all of these regulations are developed in coordination with key stakeholders, including the Palestinian Authority.
COGAT is the Israeli agency which administers Israeli policy in the West Bank.
In a statement HaMoked, an Israeli-Palestinian legal aid organization that challenged the ruling in Israel’s Supreme Court, said the Israeli government “has removed some of the most outrageous elements” of the draft rules but that the basic problem remains: it is extremely difficult for foreign spouses of Palestinians to gain legal West Bank residency.
“[The] Israeli military takes the prerogative of micromanaging Palestinian society – including interfering with academic freedom of Palestinian universities. This procedure violates Israel’s international legal obligations and HaMoked will continue its legal challenge of it,” said HaMoked Executive Director Jessica Montell.
Israeli military admits Shireen Abu Akleh likely killed by Israeli fire, but won’t charge soldiers
The Israel Defense Forces admitted that there is a “high possibility” Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed by Israeli fire while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin in May, the IDF announced Monday.
- Background: Abu Akleh was fatally shot while covering an Israeli military operation in the West Bank in May. According to an autopsy carried out by the Palestinian Authority, she was killed by a single bullet to the back of the head. Footage obtained by CNN – corroborated by testimony from eight eyewitnesses, an audio forensic analyst and an explosive weapons expert – suggested that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces.
- Why it matters: This is the first time the IDF has admitted that Abu Akleh’s death was probably caused by Israeli fire. A senior IDF official who briefed journalists on the findings of the military’s investigation before they were released said troops didn’t know they were shooting at the press, and said that Abu Akleh’s back “probably” being turned to the soldiers was a contributing factor. In images from the scene of the shooting, Abu Akleh is wearing a protective vest that is labeled “PRESS” on both the front and back.
Iran sentences two women to death for ‘corruption on earth’
Two women have been sentenced to death in Iran on charges of “corruption on earth” and human trafficking over the last few days, Reuters cited Iran’s official IRNA news agency as saying on Monday.
- Background: “Corruption on earth” is a term Iranian authorities use to refer to a broad range of offenses, including those related to Islamic morals. “Contrary to news published online, the sentenced have deceived and trafficked young women and girls out of the country by promising them educational and work opportunities, thus leading to the suicide of several of their victims,” IRNA said.
- Why it matters: Advocates and rights group took to social media to share pictures of the two women, saying they are LGBT rights activists and are innocent. Reuters couldn’t verify the pictures. In March, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described homosexuality as part of a “moral deprivation” widespread in Western civilization. Under Iran’s legal system, homosexual acts can be punished by the death penalty.
Erdogan accuses Greece of ‘occupying’ demilitarized islands
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Greece on Saturday of occupying islands in the Aegean Sea that have a demilitarized status, and said Turkey was prepared to “do what is necessary” when the time comes, Reuters reported.
- Background: Ankara has recently accused Athens of arming the demilitarized Aegean islands, which Athens rejects, but Erdogan had not previously accused Greece of occupying them. “Your occupying the islands does not bind us. When the time, the hour, comes, we will do what is necessary,” Erdogan said. Greece reacted by saying it will not follow Turkey in its “outrageous daily slide” of statements and threats.
- Why it matters: NATO members Turkey and Greece have been at odds over issues ranging from overflights and the status of Aegean islands to maritime boundaries and hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean, as well as ethnically split Cyprus. Turkey has also recently been angered by what it said is harassment of its jets by Greek forces.
Abandoned for years on Istanbul’s Asian shore, the city’s famed “haunted mansion” was finally sold on Friday to Turkish lender İşbank for 449.3 million Turkish Liras ($24.7 million).
The 116-year-old historic structure stands tall and majestic in the city’s affluent neighborhood of Kadikoy. It was built in 1906 by the Prussian architect August Carl Friedrich Jasmund, according to Turkish state media, and was named ‘Ragip Pasha’ after the aide-de-camp to Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.
Ragip Pasha lived in the mansion until his death in 1920, and the property has since exchanged hands several times.
The three-story building has a closed area of 2,700 square meters and sprawls over a large garden space. In desperate need of renovation, its 20th-century architecture and spectacular seaside view have made it an integral historical landmark for the Kadikoy neighborhood.
The abandoned building’s rough facade and dilapidated facilities have led locals to refer to it as ‘haunted’.
The property was sold at a public tender, where the court had initially placed the building’s price at 449.4 million liras.
İşbank bought the mansion at just 8 liras over the court’s price, according to Turkish media.
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The ministry identified the dead man as 29-year-old Mohammad Sabaaneh.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were in Jenin “in order to demolish the residence of the terrorist who killed three people in a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv the night of April 7, 2022,” the IDF said in a statement.
The IDF regularly demolishes the homes of terror suspects and their families as punishment.
The IDF said “a violent riot was instigated” during the operation and that “the rioters burned tires, hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and explosive devices at the forces, who responded with riot dispersal means.”
The 16 wounded Palestinians were injured by bullets and shrapnel, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and all were transferred to the hospital in Jenin.
The clashes took place in the same West Bank city where Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed during an IDF raid in May. The IDF admitted for the first time on Monday there was a “high possibility” that its troops fired the fatal shot.
A senior IDF official said the soldier thought he was firing at Palestinian militants — although Abu Akleh was wearing a flak jacket marked “Press” — and that the soldier was “sorry.”
Israel’s military prosecutor said it would not pursue criminal charges against the soldier, who was not named.
Since the beginning of the year, 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank, and 19 Israelis and foreigners have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank.
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