“I love food and I love Italy for this reason I tell it in a TV series”, it is with these words that Strisel Tucci, one of the most acclaimed American actors, famous to the Italian public for his role of Nigel in the film “The Devil wears Prada”, told us in a chat in connection from the United States, his new series “Tucci in Italy”, a National Geohraphics title that is available on Disney+ May 2025 with all five episodes, each of which is dedicated to the culinary traditions of a particular Italian region.
From Abruzzo to Trentino, from Lazio to Tuscany, to Lombardy, the actor of Calabrian origins – his grandparents, in fact, were from Cosenza and Vibo Valentia – he embarked on a journey through the boot to celebrate his origins, explore lesser -known places in the Italian territory, get in touch with the beginning of the place, taste typical dishes and learn traditional recipes from cooking experts but above all.
With your “Tucci in Italy” series you made a culinary journey to five Italian regions. What was your goal?
“To record this series I traveled to places where I had already been and in others that I had not visited, like Abruzzo. My goal was to tell Italy through the prism of food and without romanting it. I think Italy has been too fictionalized. There are extraordinary places and people but like all countries it is not a perfect place”.
Is there an Italian region that surprised you most of all?
“If I have to be honest, among all, one of the regions I preferred was Trentino Alto Adige”.
How come?
“For its history, for the Germanic and Austro-Hungarian influence, for the topography. That landscape is simply incredible! I then love winter, I like the mountains and I think Trentino is a beautiful region.
And then I like the fact that the Laddes are still there after thousands of years. There are about 30,000, 35,000 that still live in that region and maintain their traditions. And I like that there is a respect for these traditions and that signs – road signs and everything else – is in three different languages: Italian, German and Ladin. I think it’s really surprising. ”
Do you hope that this series changes the idea that Americans have Italians and their food?
“I hope they understand its diversity, that is, the diversity of topography, history, regions and their traditions. I hope they understand that Italy is not only sun, pasta and pizza but is much more complex than this in food and beyond”.
What is the Italian dish that you liked the most in this gastrononic tour?
“The rabbit with the colonnata lard”.
And a dish that you really didn’t like?
“I must say that I didn’t like the dishes I didn’t really insert them in the series. It would have been rude, do you understand what I mean? So I can’t reveal them”.
Do you plan to tell the cuisine of other Italian regions in the future?
“I reveal that we have already recorded five other episodes of the series, in other Italian regions, which will come out next year. To be honest this series we could continue to make it forever, because there are so many interesting stories in each region and this is a series that tells stories, not only food”.
