Stanley Tucci’s amiable stroll through Italy continues this Sunday on National Geographic, and if you think you know Italian food, prepare to have your pasta paradigms shifted. In “Lombardy,” the second episode of “Tucci in Italy,” Tucci trades rustic vineyards and charming trattorias for something a bit more… space-age.
Yes, space-age. This week, Tucci explores the region’s surprising embrace of cutting-edge technology and its influence on local cuisine. He visits a futuristic farm where food production takes on a decidedly 21st-century twist, sampling the results of this high-tech harvest. And because no exploration of Italian foodways would be complete without a pit stop at the famed Autogrill service stations, Tucci also taste-tests new products being trialed for Italy’s hungry road-trippers.
Lombardy, as presented by Tucci, isn’t just about looking forward. It’s also about high-end, sometimes eye-wateringly expensive ingredients. Viewers will see Tucci investigate one of the world’s priciest foodstuffs, cultivated, oddly enough, near a steel factory. It’s these surprising juxtapositions – the ancient and the modern, the industrial and the artisanal – that give “Tucci in Italy” its unique flavor.
As always, Tucci connects with local chefs, home cooks, and food producers, giving viewers a taste of Italian life beyond the tourist traps. Tune in to National Geographic this Sunday, May 18, at 9:00 PM ET for “Lombardy.”
