Tucci in Italy Season 2 is like any great Italian meal—it’s even better the second time around.
In the first season of the National Geographic series, Stanley Tucci traveled around Italy—Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Abruzzo and Lazio specifically—and used food as a Trojan horse to discuss issues impacting Italy, such as gay marriage and adoption, cultural identity, the rise of conservative political ideology, the importance of immigrants in Italy and the struggles and backlash they experience, and shifting cultural identity. It was a powerful display of using your medium for advocacy.
The sophomore season of Tucci in Italy finds the dapper Devils Wears Prada 2 actor using his epicurean escapist series to bring the audience tales of Italian ingenuity, resilience, and innovation. He takes his audience to the shadow of Mount Vesuvius to examine how the people of Naples and Campania overcame natural disaster and developed an iconic culinary culture. He sweeps viewers away to the near-untouched coastal region of Le Marche to show how women developed a successful way of life through seafood and shellfish after World War II. He transports us to Sicily to show how this island, through years of conquest, has grown into a fascinating multicultural hub.
The visuals of this season are immensely impressive. The overheard shots of the deep blue sea and pure white sand of Le Marche is so breathtaking. The sweeping views of Arabic architecture piercing the Sicilian skyline are majestic. The mountains, the hills, the cityscapes — all shot with such cinematic flare. It’s dazzling and you’re enveloped by the beauty of everything in Italy’s geography.
Oh, and let’s not forget the food. It’s all gorgeously shot. It’ll make your mouth water and your belly grumble. And it’ll make you envious of Stanley Tucci who gets to consume these wondrous feasts set before him. From the simplest of dishes to the most luxurious desserts, you’ll wish the actor would reach out through the screen and pull you into the kitchens, dining rooms, fields, backyards, and restaurants where he feasts.
Tucci in Italy Season 2 is a love letter to the Italian spirit. The sumptuous dishes he moans and groans over in this season are historical documents illustrating how the ancestors of millions have survived the harshest of times with simple food that has become the staples of so many of our lives. And while Tucci might not be touching on hot button issues of today, his stories of drive and fortitude are the sliver of inspiration we could always use these days.
Writer’s Post Script: This review was written before the news of the announcement of the series going to the UK. In this writer’s opinion it’ll be interesting to see if the series can capture the same cinematic culinary magic across the pond than in Italy.
