i ve only been to milan a few times and always in passing. i ve never stayed here long enough to really get a sense of it. the first thing that strikes you about milan is its dynamism. no wonder espresso was invented here. i think i might need a few of these just to keep up with the rhythm of the city, but do the hard-working milanese bring as much to the italian table as they do to the country s economy? i m stanley tucci. i m italian on both sides and i m travelling across italy to discover how the food in each of this country s 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. that s delicious. here in milan, the menu is nothing like you expect. up here in the north, forget about pasta and pizza. oh my god, that s so beautiful. perfecto. this is the land of rice and polenta. polenta in the ancient time, it was like the bread. people from south of italy call us polentoni . tucci: there isn t even a tomato in sight. this is amazing. and olive oil plays second fidd
sicily is a mythical land of contrasts fire and water, dry and fertile, refined that s very french and rough. how did one of the poorest regions in europe i love it! create the richest of cuisines? get ready. this is delicious. i want to take a bath in it. every mouthful here is an eruption of flavor. oh my god they re so good. oh my god! before i arrive in sicily, there is one delicious food ritual that i have to experience. it s a tradition to eat these while you re on a boat passing this statue of the madonna. these are arancini. look at that. these beautiful little cones are rice with saffron, peas, meat. the story goes that the arabs brought these to sicily in the 19th century, hand-rolled rice with a meat filling, breaded and fried. that s good. the taste of arancini i am told is the taste of home for all sicilians. just a few miles off the toe of the boot of italy lies sicily, its southernmost region. and with volcanic soil so fertile, its nicknam
bring as much to the table as they do to the economy. 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. that s delicious. here in milan, the menu is nothing like you expect. up here in the north, forget about pasta and pizza. oh, my god, that s so beautiful. this is the land of rice and polenta. polenta in the ancient time, it was like the bread. people from south of italy call us polentoni. there isn t even a tomato in sight. this is amazing. and olive oil plays second fiddle to butter. jesus, whoa, jesus. warning, irresponsible amounts of butter were used in the making of this program. i hate to say it, but you need more butter. milan is the second biggest city in italy. it s the capital of lom barry, a region in the north of the peninsulaing the gateway to northern europe and all of the trade and money that that brings. s
times and always in passing. i never stayed here long enough to get a sense of it. i want espresso por favor. the first thing that strikes you about milan is its dynamism. no wonder espresso was invented here. i think i might need a few of these just to keep up with the rhythm of the city. do the hard working milanese bring as much to the table as they do to the country s economy. i am stanley tucci, i am italian on both sides and i am traveling across italy to discover how the food in each of these countries, 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. that s delicious. [ speaking foreign language] here in milan, the menu is nothing like you would expect. up here in the north, forget about pasta and pizza, this is the land of rice and polenta. polenta in the ancient time, it was like the bread. there is not even a tomato in site. olive oil plays second to butter. butter. whoa, jesus, jesus. warning, irresponsible amounts of butter were used in the makin
-but i m here to discover how it s the food of ordinary romans that has conquered our hearts. but i m going to warn you, if you re on a low carb diet beware. .you re going to see a lot of pasta in this show. i mean, like, a lot of it. like, a lot. i m sorry. i ve been visiting rome for decades. its beauty and history still leave me breathless but sometimes it s difficult to find a good meal if you don t know where to look. rome is situated in lazio, a region sometimes overlooked in favour of its grander gastronomic neighbours like tuscany and umbria. but lazio has fed rome for centuries and every part of the sheep and pigs raised here is put to use in kitchens across the city to make deeply flavoursome food. to start my journey i m catching up with my old friend claudia. she s lived here virtually her whole life. there you are. her cardinal rule for good food is, when in rome, eat as the romans do. are you okay? i m good. i m so happy to see you. it was a long t