London


<p>Hot off the heels of the <a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/film-tv/new-films-in-the-cinema-this-may/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Devil Wears Prada</em> 2</a> launch (he&#8217;s reprised his role as <em>Runway&#8217;s</em> creative director, Nigel), Stanley Tucci&#8217;s walking the red carpet again to promote the second series of everyone&#8217;s favourite foodie TV show <em><a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-c39bde8d-32a6-48e2-8aa9-1c90c202ed07" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tucci in Italy</a></em>. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Stanley Tucci Returns: A New Journey Through Italy | Tucci In Italy | National Geographic UK" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NsD9IIeq5VU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p>Muddy was invited to the Soho Hotel for a sneak peek of the new five show series, which airs on Disney+ and National Geographic <strong>12 May</strong>, followed by a Q&amp;A with the man himself hosted by Edith Bowman. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci-and-Edith-Bowman024-1024x683.jpg" alt="Tucci and Edith Bowman " class="wp-image-21071" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci-and-Edith-Bowman024-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci-and-Edith-Bowman024-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci-and-Edith-Bowman024-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci-and-Edith-Bowman024.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Stanley Tucci and Edith Bowman. Photo by Dave Benett</figcaption></figure>



<p>He arrived looking sharp in a pinstripe suit with a cream shirt and handkerchief and posed for pictures alongside the crew and film critic Ali Plum, before settling in to watch Episode 1 in the hotel&#8217;s private cinema. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="771" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/PXL_20260508_184006635-1024x771.jpg" alt="Tucci and Edith Bowman " class="wp-image-21072" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/PXL_20260508_184006635-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/PXL_20260508_184006635-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/PXL_20260508_184006635-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/PXL_20260508_184006635-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/PXL_20260508_184006635-2048x1542.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Amanda Statham </figcaption></figure>



<p>The first episode of the new series, which covers five lesser known regions (Naples and Campania, Sicily, Le Marche, Sardinia and Veneto), is a brilliant watch. From a chef cooking with stones plucked from the sea to make spaghetti di mare to buffalo, buffalo, buffalo (you&#8217;ll have to watch it), it&#8217;s a celebration of the country, its culture and extraordinary cuisine, and the star of the show was keen to chat about it afterwards&#8230;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-this-show-s-not-only-about-food-was-it-always-the-intention-to-give-it-more-depth">This show&#8217;s not only about food, was it always the intention to give it more depth? </h2>



<p>I actually came up with the idea for the show about 20 years ago. I wanted to break Italy down region by region because it&#8217;s so diverse and complex &#8211; it&#8217;s not just pasta, pizza and mafia. It&#8217;s complex culturally, geographically and culinarily, from Trentino boarding Austria down to Lampedusa, 70 miles from Africa. I&#8217;m also genuinely interested in the stories behind the people we meet, if I don&#8217;t feel it&#8217;s of interest to viewers or sheds a new light on things, then it doesn&#8217;t go in. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/108_NaplesAndCampania_TucciInItaly_UHD_03-1024x576.jpg" alt="Tomatoes and bread in Tucci in Italy " class="wp-image-21073" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/108_NaplesAndCampania_TucciInItaly_UHD_03-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/108_NaplesAndCampania_TucciInItaly_UHD_03-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/108_NaplesAndCampania_TucciInItaly_UHD_03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/108_NaplesAndCampania_TucciInItaly_UHD_03.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bruschetta made with the tomatoes grown at Azienda Agricola Rosso Vesuvio.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-why-is-the-culinary-scene-in-italy-so-complex">So why is the culinary scene in Italy so complex? </h2>



<p>I think because many Italians really only trust their family. They&#8217;ve been invaded by so many people over thousands of years that really, they became mistrustful &#8211; it&#8217;s one of the reasons there are so many different dialects too. It&#8217;s also supposedly one of the reasons they speak with their hands and they don&#8217;t necessarily have a history of writing, like many other cultures do, because they didn&#8217;t want whatever they wrote down to fall into the wrong hands. That mistrust also created this sort of clannish atmosphere that even extends to cooking, which is done in a very, very personal and very specific way to where you live and who you are. In Italy, you can eat this one ingredient or dish and just 10 miles away they&#8217;ll say &#8216;we never eat that thing&#8217;. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-talking-of-dialects-you-speak-very-good-italian-in-the-show">Talking of dialects, you speak very good Italian in the show&#8230; </h2>



<p>The real Italian speakers here might question that, but thank you! I enjoyed conversing with everyone in the show very much. I used to speak fluently when I was a kid, but now I&#8217;m more clumsy &#8211; thankfully some of the producers on the show speak Italian beautifully. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/101_Sicily_TucciInItaly_06-1024x683.jpg" alt="Tucci in Italy " class="wp-image-21074" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/101_Sicily_TucciInItaly_06-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/101_Sicily_TucciInItaly_06-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/101_Sicily_TucciInItaly_06-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/101_Sicily_TucciInItaly_06.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(National Geographic/Matt Holyoak)</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-kind-of-preparation-goes-into-a-food-series-like-this">What kind of preparation goes into a food series like this? </h2>



<p>It took over a year of planning. The logistics alone are mind-blowing because parts of Italy aren&#8217;t conducive to just jumping in a car and driving for five minutes. However even with meticulous planning, it can take a person longer than expected to get to the point where they are comfortable to tell their story, and you just have to let that go. It might take longer than you thought, they might be clumsy about it, they might go off on a tangent, but then those tangents might end up being the story itself &#8211; you just don&#8217;t know. And that&#8217;s kind of the beauty of it. It&#8217;s the equivalent to improvising as an actor, or when you&#8217;re directing a scene in a film.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-it-feels-like-you-ve-discovered-the-real-italy">It feels like you&#8217;ve discovered the real Italy&#8230;</h2>



<p>The show leans into the celebration of small, family-run businesses or companies where generations have been creating the same thing. <br>There&#8217;s a real focus and emphasis on that. We go off the beaten track, tell the stories that haven&#8217;t necessarily been heard before &#8211; the people who are trying to maintain, sustain and encourage traditional methods of farming, rearing animals and making and serving food.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="687" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci022-1024x687.jpg" alt="Stanly Tucci " class="wp-image-21076" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci022-1024x687.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci022-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci022-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Stanley-Tucci022.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> Stanley Tucci attends a special screening of Disney+ and National Geographic&#8217;s &#8216;Tucci in Italy&#8217; Season 2. Photo by Dave Benett</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-ever-get-too-full-while-filming">Do you ever get too full while filming? </h2>



<p>You plot out your day stomach-wise. We have to go here, do this, try this, then break for lunch and sometimes the crew will all have a bite to eat and I&#8217;ll go into the van and just lie down. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-have-you-had-to-refine-how-you-eat-in-front-of-the-camera">Have you had to refine how you eat in front of the camera? </h2>



<p>It&#8217;s kind of an infringement of your personal space having a camera on you the whole time whilst you&#8217;re eating things like spaghetti, but it&#8217;s such a big part of the show., you&#8217;ve got to get used to it. I mean, you just have to eat what&#8217;s in front of you &#8211; though I don&#8217;t eat, like, the whole f****** thing. I think I&#8217;d die if I ate every plate of food put in front of me. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cooking-with-sea-rocks-really">Cooking with sea rocks, really? </h2>



<p>When the producers brought me the story of the chef who cooked with stones initially I was like, what, that&#8217;s impossible. Then you go and see him cook and it was literally one of the greatest things I&#8217;ve ever eaten. I&#8217;m going to try it, maybe next time I&#8217;m in Cornwall or something &#8211; it needs to be the right rocks, with algae on, not just a random pebble from the Thames. When this series airs, there might be a bit of a viral moment of people cooking with rocks, and probably having some broken teeth&#8230;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-there-anything-you-won-t-eat">Is there anything you won&#8217;t eat?</h2>



<p>Yeah, I don&#8217;t really like sweets or desserts. Do you ever see any desserts in the show? No! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-was-the-biggest-revelation-from-making-the-series">What was the biggest revelation from making the series?</h2>



<p>That I never want to go to Italy again with a bunch of cameras following me&#8230; No, it was that Italy becomes more complex the more you dig into it. You could go to regions multiple times and you&#8217;re gonna discover something new and incredible every visit. Each time you go deeper, and it&#8217;s a real gift. </p>



<p><strong><em>Catch <a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-c39bde8d-32a6-48e2-8aa9-1c90c202ed07" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tucci in Italy</a> on Disney+ and Nat Geo on 12 May. </em></strong></p>



<p><em>By Amanda Statham </em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE?</h2>



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<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/film-tv/moss-freud-film-review/">‘Moss &amp; Freud’: James Lucas’ love letter to Noughties London</a></li>



<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/film-tv/first-look-secret-service-gemma-arterton/">‘Secret Service’: Gemma Arterton’s “realest” spy thriller yet</a></li>



<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/film-tv/everything-you-need-to-know-about-rivals-season-2-release-date/">Buckle up! The Rivals Season 2 trailer has finally dropped</a></li>
</ul>


Tucci’s in town! Muddy meets the Hollywood actor

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