that means it s the green heart of italy. not a jealous heart but a fertile one. arriving in early fall, i chart a course through umbria s ancient forests and misty mountains. this is italy before the romans. a place where families live close to the land. a land of saintly legends, impossibly perched hilltop towns and rustic cuisine. wow. stop filming and just eat it. cheers. i m stanley tucci. i m italian on both sides and i m traveling across italy to discover how the food in each of this country s 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. umbrian food isn t about expensive restaurants or tricky techniques, it s all about the skill and hard work that goes into producing its precious raw ingredients. from innovative farmers to noble hunters. and let s not forget the chefs and the butchers, preserving the traditional ways to cook these treasures of the land. and a note for any vegetarians watching, umbrians eat a lot of meat, particularly pork, like a lot of it. h
hello, i m in puglia, which is the heel of can you see me through the olive branches? they re hard to avoid in puglia, a region that s home to 60 million olive trees. that s one olive tree for every italian in italy. this region is italy at its most elemental simple fresh cuisine that s grown and produced here. fragrant olive oil, beautiful vegetables, cheeses renowned the world over. hello. hello. one focaccia. and durum wheat for pasta and bread. look at that. i m stanley tucci. i m fascinated by my italian heritage, so i m traveling across italy to discover how the food in each of this country s 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. you really want it to be like that? need to be like this. despite being such a fertile region, puglia is also one of italy s poorest. it was nicknamed the shame of italy. located in the south, a place the italians call il mezzogiorno, or high noon, because of the intensity of the midday sun, poverty a
through the olive branches? they re hard to avoid in puglia, a region that s home to 60 million olive trees. that s one olive tree for every italian in italy. this region is italy at its most elemental simple fresh cuisine that s grown and produced here. fragrant olive oil, beautiful vegetables, cheeses renowned the world over. hello. hello. one focaccia. and durum wheat for pasta and bread. grazie. look at that. i m stanley tucci. i m fascinated by my italian heritage, so i m traveling across italy to discover how the food in each of this country s 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. you really want it to be like that? need to be like this. despite being such a fertile region, puglia is also one of italy s poorest. it was nicknamed the shame of italy. located in the south, a place the italians call il mezzogiorno, or high noon, because of the intensity of the midday sun, poverty and hardship are very much a recent memory in this part o