this world. >> oh my god. it just melts in your mouth. >> i am stanley tucci, i am fascinated by my italian heritage so i am traveling across italy to discover how the food in each of this country's 20 roegions is as unique as ther past. it is the hands of the ordinary people that crafted the incredible food here. >> it is like christmas in your mouth. this is a place built on human, mind boggling richest and insane amount of bread. i really don't know how they eat that much bread. >> delicious but so hot. ♪ >> all great love affairs start some where. >> for me, my love of italy started right here in florence when i was just 12 years old. >> delicious. you have to taste that. >> like this tartlets filled with rice pudding. come on. the capitol of tuscany, it was the playground of some of the richest families on earth, they bankrolled the incredible explosion of art, science and architecture known as the renaissance. >> i love that. just about anywhere you turn there is something incredible to see. >> the chance to liver among these treasures even for just a year luring young families from suburban new york to florence nearly 50 years ago. my family. >> meet joan and stan tucci. back in 1972, we moved here because my dad was as high school art teacher taking a year off to follow his dreams. >> omnih my god, how incredible that? >> my dad came to study figure drawing and sculptures here. >> when you look up and see the perspective. >> it is staggering. >> i can't see that far. it hurts me neck. >> really? lay down. at nearly 400 feet. the domo is still the tallest structure in florence. it took 16 yeears to build. the genius architect came up with the way/lunch break. the guys would have to come down, they would make the lunch and he would lose all this time. he would put oven up there and they would cook up there, make their lunch up there. >> really? >> supposedly. money was tight on our year abroad. our family lived in slightly less grander than this. it is a lot cleaner than it used to be. >> very clean. >> north of the city center in this building, not the whole thing you understand. >> our apartment was those four windows? >> that was us on the end there, right? >> yes. >> it was nice. >> but you would never travel. >> nope. >> your parents who came from italy. >> didn't want you to go to italy. >> right. worked out. >> i think everybody ended up getting a great deal out of this. >> it changed everything. it changed everything for me certainly. >> while my father was studying art, my mom was studying something just as beautiful. the local cuisine. >> one of these because it is so big. >> no, a little more. >> i didn't know how to cook when we got married. didn't know how to boil water. >> while she was here, my mother was inspired by the spirit of renaissance and set out to discover the art of italian cooking. >> when everyone was in school, i would learn to make different recipes. i loved it. my mom found the key that unlocks so much of italian cooking. a simple combination of carrots and celeries and onions, fried up together. >> looking good, what do you think, stan? >> it is good. >> throw the tomatoes in? >> it is the base of countless italian dishes. a tucci's family favorite called salsa mi rosa. we named it after our neighbor who showed my mom how to make it all these years. it is nutritious and full of ta mt tom tomatoes. i make it all the time. and every time my mom comes to visit, which is too often. mine still does not turn out the way hers turn out. i docn't get it. >> i think that's it, stan. >> i think we did. nice to have help. i love it. it is fun. that's my hobby. i don't have anyone to cook for anymore. i miss my grandchildren, remember? >> oh, don't. >> you can move to england. if this series does well. this series does well. >> which series? the one we are shooting right now. >> i got news for you. [ laughter ] >> the time we shared in florence changed everything for us. >> finally we are here. >> yes. >> after years spent in the home of renaissance, we return to america as a family reborn. >> so delicate this sauce, too. you smell the sweetness of the carrot and the butter. our eyes have been opened to some of the greatest treasures on earth and some pretty good food, too. >> so good. >> for me it was the start of a lifelong love affair with italy. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> thank you! >> thank you, cheers. "stanley tucci" searching for italy, brought to you by the new lexus sedan. woo! i'm whatever this is. obsession has many names. this is ours. the new lexus is. all in on the sport sedan. woohoohoohoohoohoo! experience amazing at your lexus dealer. these are the people who work on the front lines. they need a network that's built right. that's why we created verizon frontline. the advanced network and technology for first responders. built on america's most reliable network. built for real interoperability. and built for 5g. it's america's #1 network in public safety. verizon frontline. built right for first responders. for 175 years, new york life has been helping people act on their love. so they can look back and say, "we did good." after forty, we need anti-aging care that works. new revitalift night serum with pure retinol. our most potent retinol. in a clinical test, 100% of women showed reduction of wrinkles. even deep wrinkles. new revitalift night serum with pure retinol. from l'oréal paris. to support local restaurants, we've been to every city. including little rock and even worcester. and tonight... i'll be eating the chicken quesadilla from...tony's tex mex...in... katy. (doorbell) (giggle) do ya think they bought it? introducing fidelity income planning. we look at what you've saved, what you'll need, and help you build a flexible plan for cash flow that lasts, even when you're not working, so you can go from saving... to living. ♪ let's go ♪ their astonishing wealth made them the most powerful families on earth back in the 1500s. they bankrolled the renaissance and paying for artists and scientists like m michaelange aa and gallileo. >> people come here to create new things and experiment with sciences and arts and food and spices. >> like a taste tank. >> exactly. >> danielle murphy is sneaking me in with an audience of the most powerful medichi. he led the family in the 1500s. in this fresco under going restoration, he's becoming so powerful, he's become crowned grand duke of tuscany by the pope himself. >> he married an extremely wealthy woman, the spanish princess. not only she brings a lot of family but she brought a lot of new spices from the new world, the chocolate and the coffee and pepperchino. >> that's when the tomatoes arrived? >> completely alter italian cuisine. >> completely. >> the arts and the ideas that grew here in the renaissance changed how we see the world. this family also changed the way things taste. it may seem a long way from michaelangelo to the t-bone you are eating. he's actually a renowned chef, born and bred florentine and a master of meat. back in the 1500s, most people would not get close to cuts of meat this good. tuscany's famous needed a lot of land that was hugely expensive to run. of course the medicci did not worry about that . 500 years later thankfully, we don't need to be a grand duke to enjoy steaks this big. fabio wants to cook the tuscany's traditional dish, the magnificent. >> good? >> and in case lunch is not looking worthy enough of ten men, fabio picks out another cut of meat. we head back to the deli with fabio. oh, look at that. look at the flour. we head up to his highde away o the roof where he does his cooking. oh my god. come on. we are starting with the beef. the medici's family favorite. this cattle has grazed the tus tuscany's field for 2,000 years. they're such high quality that we are eating it raw . >> oh my god. >> the best sushi i ever had. and now the main event . >> he's doing now is this is the secret. >> family's secret besides excessive amount of salts so the little whisks of olive branch like this in the fire. so you are getting the anyway vor of flavor of those olive branches. during the renaissance, the medici handed out roast beef to common people and they kept the amazing meat for themselves. this one actually comes from the same area where the medici family originated. >> oh jesus. this is like no steak i have ever eaten. it is both crisp and delicate and the smoke carries with it the taste of the land. god damn it. it just melts in your mouth. it is what makes the regional cooking of italy is so much more than a tasty meal. the palate is the origin that connects italy . >> oh, i will drink to that. >> cheers. rcester. and tonight... i'll be eating the chicken quesadilla from...tony's tex mex...in... katy. (doorbell) (giggle) do ya think they bought it? oh yeah. the sun is incredible. it makes our lipton tea leaves better. which makes the smooth tea taste better, and time together even better. and drinking lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton is a proud sponsor of the american heart association's life is why campaign. lipton is a proud sponsor i made a business out of my passion. i mean, who doesn't love obsessing over network security? all our techs are pros. they know exactly which parking lots have the strongest signal. i just don't have the bandwidth for more business. seriously, i don't have the bandwidth. glitchy video calls with regional offices? yeah, that's my thing. with at&t business, you do the things you love. our people and network will help do the things you don't. let's take care of business. at&t. hey! it's me! your dry skin! i'm craving something we're missing. the ceramides in cerave. they help restore my natural barrier, so i can lock in moisture. we've got to have each other's backs... cerave. now the #1 dermatologist recommended skincare brand. the host heads out to the spectacular hills and tells you how the mediterranean sun blebl blebl blessed tuscany for 3,000 years. i am not going to do that. i am going on a good old fashion bar road. when i say old fashion, i mean like the renaissance. >> i am going to meet a friend of mine, elizabeth who's a renaissance scholar. she's incredibly boring but we'll make it through. my god, i can't believe you came. hi. >> how are you? >> good to see you. >> nice to see you, too. this little bar has just reintroduced to 500 years old tradition. in 1559, our old friend, decree that wealthy florentine can sell the wine. so the family had to restart a business and to do something different and not just to reduce wine. it became great business for that moment for many families because it was from producers to consumers. >> right. >> no middleman. >> you would buy not by the glass. sometime they would place a flask on top. >> i remember these things, you know where you put a little statue or something. >> yeah. >> exactly. let's order some wine. >> do i pull this? >> oh, it is a bell. >> yeah, it is a bell. would someone come? >> roughly slow. >> oh, hi. >> wonderful. how are you? >> who are you kidding? >> thank you so much. oh, that's good. i always thought wine tasted better when it comes through a window. >> yeah. you got another wine? >> yeah, it seems to be empty. >> oh, how are you? >> 500 years ago, everyone was encouraged to drink at least a liter of wine a day. not for the wine's maker profit but for health reasons. >> tell me everything else you know. some people needed to be more healthy than others. did you know when you were pregnant, you could have wine at any time? >> you could have wine any time if you were pregnant? >> hey, my mother did that, too. >> really? sort of like the opposite of today. >> yeah. >> okay. come on. >> this could be a disa disappointingly short win wine -- these little wine windows don't exist anywhere outside of tuscany, another example of renaissance's genius. >> there are not too many of them. >> yeah. >> and completely by chance that we come across another. >> the sign would be from when? tucci. >> the little doors of paradise. >> yeah. >> hi, how are you doing? there you are again. how are you? >> thank you so much. ciao. >> to end the ooevening, we hea out for the local vine. visanto. >> tuscany's tradition, intervene something. >> it is like corner or angle. >> oh, angle, is that what it means? >> sweet and crunchy and heavy delight. maybe too heavy. anything that ends in -tucci, i like. >> you are so funny. >> that's the end of that episode. >> stanley tucci, searching for it phi, aly italy, brought to you by fisher investments. (judith) nope, we tailor portfolios to our client's needs. (money manager) but you do sell investments that earn you high commissions, right? (judith) we don't have those. (money manager) so what's in it for you? (judith) our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'll do it. good plan. for 175 years, new york life i'll do it. has been helping people act on their love. so they can look back and say, "we did good." tuscany may be renowned for incredible need for winefine wi. >> so you want to show me some beans? >> the best are sofini. these kinds of beans you don't need to put in the water before cook it. >> we don't have to soak them. >> it means -- beans eater. >> now you are going to mix it all up. >> okay. >> the cooking is really very poor, simple cooking. >> yeah. >> that's true. >> i read that during the renaissance. >> the wealthier people would have beans where as the poorer people would have beans and some kind of soup and some bread and that was it. >> yeah. >> we use what we have. it is something about the character of the tuscany people. >> i remember when i was a kid we came here and we tasted the bread and i was like this is terrible, the worst thing i had in my life. we never got used to it. >> seeing these basic ingredients here in the city market is one thing. the only way to truly understand t tuscan's poor food is to get out of the city and go into the beautiful countryside. >> is it amazing when you look around? >> you really don't see a contemporary building for miles. >> look at that. >> i am following the river, 50 miles south of florence to a sm small village where i have been invited to a wheat fresh festival, to ponte burano. the grain of wheat are shaken loose so they can be ground down. a local teacher organizes this event. >> tonight there is a huge feast for the village. they're coming together to give thanks for the good times in this region that was once ravaged by families and farmers were treated as indenture servants until recently. >> this is a world way way from the huge steaks and fine wine of florence. the people here cook what they grow. after the harvesting and the wheat, what they are left with is bread. >> oh. >> lots and lots of bread. >> so here the dough is rising and you cook it. >> over in the kitchens, some of the 200 villagers are hard at work preparing the feast. here too, bread in this room and pretty much everything. >> what are they making? >> oh, the gander. oh my god. it is delicious but it is so hot. >> i go out back and discovered wood fired ovens full of roasting gas. these male geese were one of the farm animals where peasants allowed to grow themselves and did not have to save with the landlord. the smell is incredible. >> comen. >> it is like christmas in your mouth. >> wow. well, you are a ggreat cooks. over the centuries, the food of the working people here in the tuscan side develops into their own cuisine. it is not a showy. it is one that's just glorious as the landscape from which it comes. (man) i'm a verizon engineer, part of the team that built 5g right, the only one from america's most reliable network. we designed our 5g to make the things you do every day better. with 5g nationwide, millions of people can now work, listen, and stream in verizon 5g quality. and in parts of many cities where people can use massive capacity, we have ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. this is the 5g that's built for you. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. what happens to your body language when your underarms are cared for? ♪ ♪ it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree. with hepatitis c... ...i felt i couldn't be at my... ...best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret... ...i was cured. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret... ...i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test... ...if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant,... ...other liver problems, hiv-1, or other medical conditions,... ...and all medicines you take. don't take mavyret with atazanavir... ...or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. if you've had or have serious liver problems other than hep c, there's a rare chance they may worsen. signs of serious liver problems may include yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain or swelling, confusion, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. tell your doctor if you develop symptoms of liver disease. common side effects include headache and tiredness. with hep c behind me, i feel free... ...fearless... ...because i am cured. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. introducing michelob ultra organic seltzer it's made with real fruit juice is six times filtered no added sugar no artificial aftertaste and is usda certified organic it's a cut above new mango apricot michelob ultra organic seltzer as real as it tastes it's amazing. new revitalift night serum with pure retinol our most potent retinol. in a clinical test, 100% of women showed reduction of wrinkles, even deep ones. new revitalift night serum with pure retinol from l'oréal paris. my night at the wheat festival as reminded me of the obsession that tuscany has with bread. it is a love that echoed through the ages and there are recipes through every stage of a loaf's life. the best ones are saved for the advanced years when bread is old and stale. that's when tuscan cooks get really creative. >> here we are. >> yeah. >> very exciting. i am having lunch at one of my favorite restaurant in florence. i am joined again by a local food expert professional. this place specializes in poor food. their recipe is so heavenly, i am sure where all bread choose to come undone. marco marcelli is the restaurant's owner. >> we have tomato and bread soup. the base is olive oil and garlic. it sounds very simple. the cream of the tuscan's dishes is the pancinella. tuscan bread soaked in vinegar and onions and tomatoes. >> it is really good. one of my favorite things and i make it for my kids. just eat it like it is ice cream. >> good tomatoes and good tuscan bread. i must prefer tuscan bread cooked on dishes like this because on its own is quite bland. it actually tastes like card board because it is unsalted. >> they're willing to spend money to other people but never give money to peasants and even today. >> now the idea the bread can stay for a long time. with the salt, we can dry. >> the most convincing one is we don't want to give money to the peasants. >> it is one of the greatest dishes of tuscan's food. giving old bread new life by using fresh tomatoes by creating surprisingly refreshing salad. knowing my love of food and art, danielle invited me to a festival this evening, a very fancy festival. the one thing that everybody has in common is food. >> yeah. >> this event is about as far as you can get from the wheat festival. here florence's richest families have gathered to tell the city's talents from chefs to musicians and artists hoping to follow in the footsteps of leoleonardo da vinci and michaelangelo. >> she knows me too well. >> interesting. >> it is a very sophisticated form of panzanella. >> but it tastes like panzanella. >> now it is turning into this sophisticated foam. >> you see the past we redisco redis rediscovered. >> a little renaissance and a little future. >> after tasting this new version of panzanella, we found the chef that created it. a brand new restaurant that reaim reaimagines tuscany's rural food in the heart of the city. >> the dishes we do is take traditional dishes and recipes and then add something new. we are 30 years old so we were really young. >> these young chefs are seeing old tuscan dishes with new eyes. >> thankuscan dish. basically made with simplest ingredients. on onions, tomatoes and bread and cucumbers. >> old bread. >> right. you are taking it to another level by foaming it. >> it becomes very light. but, still keeping the flavor of the panzanella. >> now we finish with the basil and a couple of drops. extra virgin oil. >> it is really fresh. >> it is like the perfect kind of appetizer, is it? >> exactly. >> wow. you have taken tomatoes to a whole other place and the simplest dishes to a whole other level. >> this salad, it does not go to waste to florentine, it is great to see these flavors inspiring a new generation, making exciting food that looks to the future while respecting the land and its history. >> stanley tucci, searching for italy, brought to you b by stella artois, please drink responsively. . ♪don't tell me you've felt this fire on your lips♪ ♪i got the recipe♪ ♪hit a hundred degrees♪ ♪my love♪ ♪who brought the sauce?♪ - ♪i brought the sauce♪ - ♪who made the sauce?♪ - ♪i got the sauce♪ - ♪what's in the sauce?♪ ♪i, i, i am the sauce♪ at novartis, our goal is to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you're taking cosentyx and your insurance or coverage changes or you need help paying cosentyx connect is here to help. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. call us or visit us online. we're here for you. tonight i'll be eating a calzone from doughballs in aurora. (doorbell) rock on. tonight i'll be eating lobster thermidor au gratin. really? sh-yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. make it two calzones! it's amazing. new revitalift night serum with pure retinol our most potent retinol. in a clinical test, 100% of women showed reduction of wrinkles, even deep ones. new revitalift night serum with pure retinol from l'oréal paris. the food of rich cities and the poor countryside are the two great pillars of tuscan cuisine. but what unites them is a flash of fresh sea breeze blowing in from tuscany's fabulous coastline. i have come to the city of loverno. in the state 16th century, it was turned into one of the great trading ports of italy where tuscany welcomed the world. chef is never happier than when he's here with friends and family. during the renaissance, migrants were actually encouraged to settle in loverno and its reputation as a free thinking welcoming city by the sea drew people from europe and beyond. in the town center is a tiny center that opened in 1959 and sells just one thing known as the cake. it is a pancake made from chick pea flour. it is a local institution, serving up the cake in, what else, a huge hunk of bread. >> i'll go from this side here. this is good. i like this. this is absolutely delicious. and he says that he makes it because he loves it. he makes it at home, but he can't make it as good as this. >> yeah. >> after that little appetizer, we head up to the house of one of fabio's friends in the hills above the town. he's gathered together the ingredients for a classic. he's making a fish stew. >> this is a fake cacciucco. i need to keep my voice down so the neighbors don't hear, but if you are not from loverno, you are not supposed to be making the stew. there is always this sort of battle about whether you are from here or from there or from there, whatever you are making, right? you can make the same thing but you can't call it -- and it's maybe a little bit different. >> yeah. >> it is a rich fish stew that dates back 500 years. it is the way the fishermen would use up whatever they hadn't sold that day. he's using this really beautiful fish. he's also using lobster, which is not a poor fish, obviously. so he's taking this and sort of amping it up a bit. >> like so many italian fishes, the base of fabio's stew is the trusty toe matoe. scholars date their arrival to the noble marriage. legend says that it was brought by newcomers fleeing oppression. they were a popular ingredient i don't think the jews of southern europe. unless you want. yeah. yeah. yeah. i think so, yeah. as the incredible smell drifts outside, fabio's friends take their seats. >> the density of that flavor is just - - >> fabio may not be from loverno, but he can definitely cook cacciucco. these are ingredients rooted in the poor fishing community and in loverno's immigrant past. it is a part of the history on a plate. and fabio is not finished. in true tuscan tradition, creativity is everything. and nothing goes to waste. so he whips up a second course with the leftover sauce. >> you have all the flavors of the sea. otherwise, what would you do with that beautiful sauce that he had left. it only makes sense. best thing in the world. i feel very lucky that my parents followed their hearts and moved us across the world for a year when we were just kids. i saw how the food of both rich and poor came together in this corner of italy that's like nowhere on earth. and nearly 50 years later, i still keep coming back for more. xxxx. previously on lincoln, divided we stand. >> lincoln is dealing with personal tragedy at the same time that he is facing military defeat after military defeat. >> he knows that black people are his last card to play. lincoln issues the emancipation proclamation saying that on january 1st,