i'm stanley tucci. i'm fascinated by my heritage, so i'm traveling across italy to discover how the food is as unique as the people and their past. the creations of famous tus cans are known the world over. michelangelo, come back today, he'd walk around florence, it hasn't changed. but it's the hands of the ordinary people that have crafted the incredible food here. it's like christmas in your mouth. >> yeah. >> this is a place built on human ingeniuty, mind boggling riches, and an insane amount of bread. i really don't know how they eat that much bread. >> all great love affairs start somewhere. [ speaking foreign language ] and for me, my love of italy started right here in florence when i was just 12 years old. like this tartlet or rice pudding. come on. there's always something wonderful to discover in florence. the city is the capital of tuscany. 500 years ago it was the playground of some of the richest families on earth. in the countryside, they used their land to cultivate the finest produce and cattle. and in the city, they bank rolled the incredible explosion of art, science, and architecture known as the renaissance. i love that just about everywhere you turn, there's something incredible to see. the chance to actually live among these treasures, even for just a year, a young family from suburban new york to florence nearly 50 years ago. it seems that no matter where you are, you can always see that. my family. n meet joan and stan tucci. >> i have a photograph of that. remember? >> in 1972 we moved here because my dad was an art teacher and we went to fulfill his dream. >> how incredible that? >> that's incredible. my dad came to study figure drawing and sculpt chur here. you look up and see that perspective. >> i can't see that far. it hurts my neck. >> does it? >> yeah. >> lay down. at nearly 400 feet, if duomo took 16 years to build and the genius architect came up with a way to slash lunch breaks. >> guys had to come down. they would make their lunch and lose all this time. he found out what they were cooking and he put ovens up there. they would just cook up there. make their lunch up there. >> really? >> supposedly. money was tight on our year abroad, so our family lived in slightly less grandeur than this. this is a lot cleaner than it used to be. >> very clean. >> yeah. >> very clean. just-mo just north of the city center. so our apartment was those four windows? one, two, three, four? that was us on the end there, right? >> yeah. >> it was nice. >> you'd never traveled? >> no. my mom and pop said why are you going? >> your parents, who came from italy? >> yeah. >> didn't want you to go? >> callabri. >> i think everyone got a great deal out of it. especially all the food. >> it changed everything. >> it changed everything. >> itting t changed things for well. while my father studied art, my mother studied local cuisine. >> like this? >> no. a little more. a little more. i didn't know how to cook when we got married. didn't even know how to boil water. >> while she was here she set out to discover the art of italian cooking. >> when everyone was in school in florence, i would love to make different recipes. i love it. >> my mother found the key that unlocks so much of italian cooking, carrots, celery and onions. when put together it's called the sofrito. >> looks good. >> yeah. it's the base of countless italian dishes, including today's special tucci family special. it's a delicious vegetable sauce named after our beloved neighbor here in florence who showed my mom how to make it all those years ago. it's nutritious and full of tomato. i make it quite often. the kids love it. >> every time my mother comes to visit, which is too often. >> all right. >> all right. anyway. i go can you show me how to make this, but mine still doesn't turn out the way hers turns out. i don't get it. i think you did it. >> we did it. >> you did it. >> nice. >> there we go. >> nice to have help. i love it. it's fun. that's my hobby. i don't have anyone to cook for anywhere. i miss my grandchildren. remember? >> oh, don't, don't. >> but you can move to england. if this series does well, this series does well -- >> which series? >> the one we're shooting right now. >> got news for you. >> the time we shared in florence changed everything for us. finally you're here. >> yes. >> after a year spent in the home with the renaissance, we returned to america as a family reborn. so delicate, this sauce, too, isn't it? >> yeah. >> you smell the sweetness of the carrot and the butter. >> yeah. >> our eyes had been opened to some of the greatest treasures on earth and some pretty good food, too. >> it's so good. >> for me, it was the start of a life-long love affair with italy. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> thank you. thank you. >> thank you, cheers. >> to understand italy, you need to look at the food. sitly is a mythical land of con contrasts. kevin bacon here. you know me from six degrees of well... me. but it's time to expand. see, visible is wireless with no surprise fees, legit unlimited data, powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. but when you bring a friend every month, you get every month for $5. so i'm bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. bam, 12 months of $5 wireless. visible. as little as $25 a month. or $5 a month when you bring a friend. powered by verizon. wireless that gets better with friends. sisley i've always focused on my career. but when we found out our son had autism, his future became my focus. lavender baths always calmed him. so we turned bath time into a business. ♪ there was a dream ♪ and building it with my son has been my dream job. ♪ ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com when i had acne, i made up a lot of excuses. i need to spend more time... with my cat. i am just soo busy... busy bee. there's a raccoon outside of my door... and it's... a alpha. and when i was tired of the excuses? i got rid of my acne with differin gel. take the 90-day challenge now and you'll get consistently clear skin too. so if you're tired of making spaghetti for your hamster, do things differin. still your best friend. and now your co-pilot. still a father. but now a friend. still an electric car. just more electrifying. still a night out. but everything fits in. still hard work. just a little easier. still a legend. just more legendary. chevrolet. making life's journey, just better. . that's a family whose name hangs over this region like the hot tuscan sun. their astonishing wealth made them one of the most powerful families on earth in the 1500s. they practically bank rolled the renaissance, paying for scientists like michelangelo and galileo to remake the world. how many days a week are you here? they are the medici. and i'm going to meet one of them. >> you are in the place medici. it was created as a scientific laboratory. he wanted all the bright minds in europe to come here and to create new things and to experiment with science, with the arts, with food, with s spices. >> daniela murphy is sneaking me in. where is he? >> he's right there. >> oh, my. meet codimo de medici. in this press co undergoing restoration he's so powerful he's been crowned grand duke of tuscany by the pope himself. >> he marries a wealthy woman, the spanish princess. not only does she bring a lot of money, she brings new spices from the new world. chocolate, the pomodoro. >> that's when the tomato arrived? >> more or less. >> which completely altered -- >> completely -- >> italian -- >> completely. >> -- question seen. medici money cultivated the city, and the arts and ideas changed how we all see the world. but this family also changed the way things taste. it might seem a long way from michelangelo to the greatest t-bone stake you've ever eaten, but the medici have a chand in that, too. fabio pinky may look like he's fallen out of a painted, but he's an actual chef and a master of meat. [ speaking foreign language ] >> back in the 1500s, most people wouldn't get close to cuts of meat like this. tuscany' famous cattle needed lots of land and it was hugely expensive to run. of course, the medici didn't need to worry about that. [ speaking foreign language ] 500 years later, thankfully, you don't need to be a grand duke to enjoy steaks this big. and he wants to caulk for me the signature dish. [ speaking foreign language ] >> and in case lunch isn't looking worthy enough for like ten men, he picks out an appetizer, yet another cut of meat. we head back to the delhi favio owns. >> look at that. look at the flowers. >> he hurries past any food that hasn't had a pulse and we head up to his roof where he does his cooking. oh, my god. come on. we're starting with the peef, the medici family favorite. this cattle has grazed the tuscan fields for 2,000 years. they're such high quality that we're eating it raw. oh, my god. that's the best sushi i've ever had. and now, the main event. >> prepare only -- [ speaking foreign language ] >> so what he's doing now, he says this is the secret. >> the family secret. >> besides excessive amounts of salt. the little sort of risps of olive branch like this in the fire. [ speaking foreign language ] . >> yeah. so you're getting the flavor of those olive branches. it gives it a very distinctive taste. [ speaking foreign language ] >> during the renaissance, the medici lit fires around the city on feast days and handed out roast beef to the common people. most of the time, though, they kept this amazing meat for themselves. this one actually comes from the same area where the medici family originated. jesus. this is like no steak i've ever eaten. it's both crisp and delicate and the smoke carries with it the taste of the land. god damn it! that just melts in your mouth. it's what makes the regional cooking of italy about so much more than just a tasty meal. [ speaking foreign language ] >> the palate that connects italy. [ speaking foreign language ] >> i'll drink to that. yeah, yeah. cheers. jeff's been to the bottom of the ocean. the tops of mountains. and wherever this guy runs off to. a life well lived should continue at home. with home instead care, older adults can stay home, safe, and happy. home instead. to us, it's personal. ♪ ♪ ♪like an echo in the forest♪ [singing in korean] ♪another day will return♪ [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ ♪ ♪ you can't plan for your period's... [singing in korean] ♪like nothing ever happened♪ what the gush moments. but the right pad can. only always ultra thins have rapiddry technology and, they absorb 40% faster. the gush happens fast. that's why always absorbs faster. see every delivery... every yikes... and even every awwwwwwww... wait, where was i? introducing self protection from xfinity. designed to put you in control. with real-time notifications and a week of uninterrupted recording. all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determination. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. there comes a too many in any show about tuscan any where the host heads out to the spectacular hills and tells you how the mediterranean sun has blessed the vineyards for 3,000 years. they may even have a thoughtful sip of a world famous tuscan wine. but i'm not going to do that. i'm going on a good old-fashioned bar crawl. when i say old-fashioned, i mean like the renaissance. a friend of mine elizabetha who is a renaissance scholar. she's an incredible woman but we'll make it through. my god, i can't believe you came. cao. >> nice to see you. >> nice to see you, too. >> this is a 500-year-old tradition. in 1559, the grand duke decreed that wealth country floor enteens could sell the wine grown on their estates through windows cut through walls. >> in the early years it was trade became hard in europe. >> right. >> they had it became a great business in that moment, for many families. because it was the producer to consumer. >> right. no middleman. >> no middleman. >> so you would walk by. >> yeah. >> you would buy by -- not by the glass? >> you buy by flask. it was a bell. sometimes they would place a flasing on top to say, hey, guys, here's some wine. >> i remember living here when i was a kid and i always thought they were for where you put a little statue or something. >> yeah, yeah. like a tabernacle. >> yeah, yeah. let's order some wine. what do you -- do you pull it? oh, it's a bell. >> yeah, it's a bell. >> they're awfully slow. >> yeah. >> hi. wonderful. hi, how are you. [ speaking foreign language ] >> here you go. >> thank you so much. thank you, thank you so much. thank you. >> that's good. >> that's good. >> i always thought wine tasted better when it comes through a window. >> yeah. you care for another one? >> yeah. yeah. it seems to be empty. oh, hi, how are you? can i get -- 500 years ago everyone was encouraged to drink at least a liter of wine a day. not for the wipe maker's profit but for health. tell me everything else you know. some people needed to be more healthy than others. >> if you were pregnant, you could have one at any time. >> you could have wine tnt? >> yeah. >> if you were pregnant? >> yeah. because it was considered to be -- >> really? >> yeah. like a nourishment. >> sort of the opposite of today. >> yeah, of today. >> let's go. come on. >> this could be a disappointingly short wine crawl as that is the only functioning wine window in the city. these little wine windows don't exist anywhere outside of tuscany, another example of renaissance genius. there aren't too many of them. >> yeah. >> and completely by chance we come across another. but the sign would be from when? >> that sign -- [ speaking foreign language [ speaking foreign language ] >> the little doors. >> perfect. >> hi! how you -- hi. there you are again. hi, how are you? >> cao, cao. >> to end the evening, we head out for tuscany's favorite night cap. the local desert wine, vin santo, the holy one. >> you drink it and a halo appears on your head. >> anyway. tuscan tradition dick indicates you dip biscotti in your vin santo. >> it's like corner, angle. is that what it means? >> uh-huh. >> the vult a sweet, crunchy, and heady delight. really good. maybe too heavy. >> hmm. >> anything that ends in tucci, i like. that's the end of that episode. >> that's so fun. contucci, right? y can use less. charmin ultra soft is twice as absorbent so you can use less. many plug-ins are stuck in the past.y the go with charmin. they release a lot of scent at first but after a while, you barely know they're working. new febreze fade defy plug works differently. it's the first plug-in with built-in technology to digitally control how much scent is released to smell 1st day fresh for 50 days. it even tells you when it's ready to be refilled. upgrade to febreze fade defy plug. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ tuscany may be renown for incredible meat and fine wines, but this food of the rich is only half the story. the other branch of tuscan cooking grew occupy of biting povrpt and humble ingredients. so where do you want to go first? a historian is taking me to florence's central mark to show me the ingredients of what italians called poor food. you want to show me some beans? >> yeah. >> a staple of floor enteen cooking. >> you have different types. >> different dishes. >> yeah. the best are sofini. she's type of beans are so good that you don't need to put in the water before cook it. >> oh. >> it's so -- you don't have to soak them. yeah, yeah. >> plus we say [ speaking foreign language ]. . it means flooren tien -- >> bean aeters. >> yeah. because we use in so many different -- >> now you're going to mix them all up. >> ok, ok. >> the cooking is really very poor, simple cooking. >> yeah. >> that's true. i read that during the renaissance, the wealthier people would have meat. >> yeah. >> whereas the poor people just had beans, some kind of soup, some bread, and that was it. >> yes. >> i have to say we use what we have. it's something about the collector of the tuscany people to have tuscan bread. >> i remember when i was a kid and we came here and we taesed the bread. it was terrible. the worse thing i had in my life. we never got used to it. seeing these basic ingredients in the city mark is one thing, but the only way to truly understand tuscan poor food is to go out of the city and go deep into the endlessly beautiful countryside. isn't that kind of amazing when you look around? i mean, you really don't see a contemporary building for miles. look at that. i'm following the river arnaux to a small village where i've been invited to a wheat tleshing festival. do i know what that refreshing the wheat is? are you kidding? i grew up threshing wheat. that's the steam engine. >> yeah, yeah. >> a local teacher organizes this event. [ speaking foreign language ] tonight there's a huge feast for the villagers, they're coming together to give thanks for the good times many this region that was once ralvaged until relatively recently. [ speaking foreign language ] >> this is a world away from the huge steaks and fine wines of florence. the people here cook what they grow. after toiling and milling the wheat, what they're left is bread. [ speaking foreign language ] >> lots and lots of bread. so here, the dough is rising and you cook it in that oven. [ speaking foreign language ] like it was done years ago. over in the kitchens, some of the 200 villagers are hard at work preparing the feast, and here, too, bread plays a starring role. in pretty much everything. what are you making? [ speaking foreign language ] oh, the gander. oh, my god! >> good. it's so hot. i go out back and discover wood-fired ovens full of roasting ganders. these male geese were one of the few farm animals that peasants were allowed to keep for themselves and not swhard the landowners. they were saved for special occasions like weddings and festivals. the smell is incredible. come on. that's christmas in your mouth . sp[ speaking foreign language ] >> well, your great cooks. over the centuries, the food of the working people here in the tuscan countryside developed into its own cuisine. it's not as show we as the food in florence but it's one just as glorious as the landscape from which it comes. washed your hands a lot today? probably like 40 times. hands feel dry? like sandpaper. introducing new dove handwash, with 5 x moisturizer blend. removes germs in seconds, moisturizes for hours. soft, smooth. new dove handwash. soft, smooth. kevin bacon here. you know me from six degrees of well... me. but it's time to expand. see, visible is wireless with no surprise fees, legit unlimited data, powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. but when you bring a friend every month, you get every month for $5. so i'm bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. bam, 12 months of $5 wireless. visible. as little as $25 a month. or $5 a month when you bring a friend. powered by verizon. wireless that gets better with friends. today let's paint with behr ultra scuff defense... so that you can live that scuff-free life. honey, i'm home from my really important job! scuff defense. honey! scuff defense. [ chuckles ] scuff! -defense! i love our scuff-free life. you too, scruff defense. today let's paint with the interior paint that's too tough to scuff. behr. exclusively at the home depot. with unitedhealthcare medicare advantage plans, there's more to take advantage of. pick up your prescriptions here. and get free delivery there. ♪ wow, uh-huh ♪ unitedhealthcare medicare advantage plans. take advantage everywhere. ♪ wow. ♪ rely on the experts at 1800petmeds for the same medications as the vet, but for less with fast free shipping. visit petmeds.com today. my night at the wheat threshing effectively has reminded me of the epic, insatiable obsession tuscany has for bread. it's a love that has oakoed through the ages. the best are saved for the advanced years, when bread is old and stale. that's when tuscan cooks get really creative. and here we are. >> yeah. >> very exciting. i'm having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in florence. and i'm joined again by local food expert professor romano and damna murphy. hi. this place specializes in poor food and their recipes are so heavenly i'm sure old dred would choose to die. the restaurant's owner -- >> the main grepts are bread and the black cabbage and then we have the tomato and bread soup. the base is olive oil and garlic. tuscan bread. tomato. it sounds very simple. not so -- >> not simple to make. >> in my opinion, the queen of the tuscan dishes is the pantanella. >> i was hoping that was mine. >> also very simple and poor dish. >> yes. >> tuscan bread soaked in vinegar. >> uh-huh. >> and onion and tomato. enjoy. >> thank you. >> this is really good. >> it's really good. [ speaking foreign language ] it's one of my favorite things. i make it for my kids and they'll just eat it like it's ice cream, practically. >> good tomatoes, good olive oil and tuscan bread. >> yeah. maybe not tuscan bread. i must admit i prefer it cooked in dishes like this because on its own it can taste quite bland. that's an understatement. it tastes like cardboard. it has no salt. >> they spent money with other people but never give money to pisano. >> but of course, this being italy, food rivalries go deep, but no one can "remember why. >> and the idea is this. if they don't use salt, the bread could stay for a long time. >> long time. >> because with the salt -- with the salt become dry. >> yeah. >> the most convincing one is we don't want to give money to the pissani. >> i believe that actually most of all. >> for me panzonella is one of the best dishes of poor food, giving brittle old bread new live to create a surprisingly refreshing salad. knowing my love of food and art, daniela has invited many to a effectively this evening, a very fancy effectively. festival. the one thing that everybody has in common is food. >> yeah. >> this event is about adds far as you can get from the wheat threshing effectively. here the richest and most powerful families have gathered, as they have for centuries, to toast new talent, from chefs to musicians, to artists hoping to follow in the footsteps of da vinci and michelangelo. >> you are in a situation where more or less 500 years ago, they would have done something like this. >> so we're going to have some food. >> she knows we too well. [ speaking foreign language ] >> interesting. >> i love the capers. really? >> it's a really cities caded dish. >> this looks very different than the rustic bread salad we had for lunch. completely different. >> it was what the farmers would eat. >> yeah. >> and now it's turned into this very sophisticated -- you see? the past being rediscovered. >> it's a little renaissance in a bowl. >> and a lot of future . >> after tasting this new version of ponzanelli we made some inquiries and found the chef. maria and her team are about to open a brand-new restaurant that reimagines tuscany's rural food in the heart of the city. >> the menu and the dishes that we do is so take traditional dishes, traditional recipes and then add something new. the restaurants, we are 30 years old, so we're really young. >> these young chefs are seeing old tuscan dishes with new eyes. >> so the pancanella is an example of an original tuscan dish. [ speaking foreign language ] >> basically made with simple ingredients. onion, tomtomato. >> cucumber. >> and all with bread. >> with bread. right. you're taking it to another level. >> the inside it becomes very light, but still keeping the flavor of the pantenella. >> basil and oil. couple drops. >> i love that you did -- you're so smart. it's delicious. >> it's really fresh. >> yeah. it's like -- it really is the perfect kind of appetizer, isn't it? >> exactly. >> wow. you've taken tomatoes to another place. the simplest dishes to a whole nutter level. this simple bread salad has woven its way through tuscan society from peasants making sure that nothing goes to waste, to tuscan alisto kratz. m alr say, for colon cancer. humana does you one better and sends you an at-home test kit, when it's overdue. huh! one of those tests could save your life, or at least a little hassle. or both. yeah! you get it, you do it, you send it back. i get it, i do it, i send it back. you get it, you do it, you send it back. yeah, i got it. you got it! ♪ ♪ humana. a more human way to healthcare. priceline works with top hotels, to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. ♪ if you're 55 and up, t-mobile has plans built just for you. get 2 unlimited lines for only $70. and now get netflix on us with your plan. and this rate is fixed, you'll pay exactly $70 total. this month and every month. plus, switch today and get a free smartphone for each line. the best value and award-winning customer service. only at t-mobile. the food of rich cities and the poor countryside are the two great pillars of tuscan cuisine. but what unites them is a blast of fresh sea breeze blowing in from tuscany's fabulous coastline. i've come 50 miles west of florence. in the late 16th century the family turned it into one of the great trading ports of italy, where tuscany welcomed the world. chef fabio is never happier than when he's here with friends and the prospect of a good meal on the horizon. [ speaking foreign language] >> during the renaissance migrants were actively encouraged to settle here. its reputation as a free-thinking, big-hearted city by the sea drew people from across europe and beyond. in the town center is a tiny place. it opened in 1959 and sells just one thing known as the cake. it's a pancake made from chick pea flour. [ speaking foreign language] >> the tortiria is a local institution serving the cake in, what else, a huge hunk of bread. [ speaking foreign language] >> i'll go from this side here. this is good. i like this. >> it's absolutely delicious. he says he makes it because he loves it and 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. [ speaking foreign language] >> this is a fake cacciucco. i need to keep my voice down so the neighbors don't hear but if you're not from here, you're not supposed to be making this stew. [ speaking foreign language] >> there's always this battle between whether you're from here or from there or from there. whatever you're making, you can make the same thing but you can't call it -- it's maybe a little bit different. [ speaking foreign language] ♪ >> cacciucco is a rich fish stew that dates back over 500 years. it is a way for the fishermen to use up whatever they hadn't sold that day. he's using this really beautiful fish. he's also using lobster. it's not a poor fish, obviously. so he's taking this and sort of amping it up a bit. [ speaking foreign language] >> like so many italian dishes, the base of fabio's stew is the trusty tomato. it's hard to imagine italian cuisine without tomato. the scholars only date their arrival to this fortuitous marriage to spanish nobility in the 1540s. here, legend says that the tomato was brought by newcomers fleeing oppression. [ speaking foreign language] >> tomatoes were a popular ingredient among the jews of southern europe. [ speaking foreign language] >> unless you want. yeah, yeah. i think so, yeah. as the incredible smell drifts outside, fabio's friends take their seats. the density of the flavor is just -- [ speaking foreign language] ♪ [ applause ] >> fabio may not be from livorno, but he can definitely cook the cacciucco. oh my god. these are ingredients rooted in both the poor fishing community and in livorno's immigrant past. it's a part of tuscany's history on a plate. and fabio's not finished. in true tuscan tradition, creativity is everything and nothing goes to waste, so he whipped 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. ♪ >> cheers. 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. nearly 50 years later, i still keep coming back for more. ♪ here we are in milan, the fashion and industrial powerhouse of italy. i have only been to milan a few