On the May 8th episode of CNN’s Searching for Italy, actor Stanley Tucci and his crew visited one of his favorite parts of Italy: Piedmont. Unlike past episodes, this one had a bit more history than usual. It also managed to capture that region’s misty, autumnal charm fairly well. It likewise doesn’t hurt that Piedmont is close to the Italian Alps, whose majestic presence automatically adds a touch of mysticism to the area.

In short, Tucci’s slightly aloof personality found its perfect visual match.

The history couldn’t be avoided: The city of Torino/Turin, which Tucci visited first, was the original capital of Italy after the nation was nearly fully-reunified in 1861 during the Risorgimento. Florence then became the “new” nation’s capital shortly thereafter, followed by Rome once the Papal States fell in line in 1871.

I put the word “new” in quotes because, of course, Italy had already been a unified nation during classical Rome’s reign. As the IIA’s own Rosario Iaconis pointed out in a January 23rd, 2015 piece in the Financial Times: “Will Durant, in The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ, notes that by March 1, 222 BC, ‘protective colonies were established at Placentia and Cremona – and from the Alps to Sicily, Italy was one’ “. 

As a reviewer of my previous blog on Venice also noted, classical Rome was the planet’s first genuine “multi-cultural” nation, which makes this CNN’s show obsession with the subject a bit moot. Tucci alludes to this storied history only casually – and, when he does, the assumption always seems to be that Italy wasn’t much to begin with and needed foreign influences in order to fully thrive. That Rome’s influence is still felt to this day – no less than in the inspiration for our own nation – is something which Tucci and Company always ignore.

Tucci ate lunch at the Ristorante del Cambio, located across from the building which served as Italy’s first parliament. It was a favorite haunt of one of the nation’s founding fathers, Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour, who ate there so he could see aides across the courtyard signaling him when parliament was in session. Tucci stressed Cavour’s Frenchified ways, of course, yet we also were introduced to Cavour’s favorite meal (and apparently a Piedmontese staple): Finanziera, a stew comprised of veal, sweet-breads and testicles.

Tucci loved it. In fact, to quote Tucci, “I had my doubts about this, but I love it. I love offal.”

Recall his similar soiree during the Rome episode re: offal. I will let this comment pass.

Tucci then drove to Pollenzo and met with Carlo Petrini, creator of the Slow Food Movement in the 1980s, a reaction to the popularity of fast food. No pun intended, but the interview was Way Too Fast.  Petrini, who wore a cape, seems a fascinating figure, but after a brief chat, Tucci moved on. It would have been interesting to hear more from Petrini, whose movement was much more profound than noted – no less than an Italic defense of what Tucci later called “savoring things: food, drink, company, in short the wonderful art of eating.”

On to Vercelli and its numerous rice fields, where i fratelli Costardi – two eccentric, bearded, tattooed chefs – showed Tucci their take on risotto, a traditional staple of northern Italy. Tucci then met up with another eccentric, bearded figure (who probably also had tattoos under his hunting clothes): Igor Bianchi. Accompanied by his border collies Lola and Suzy, Igor took Tucci on a (unsuccessful) hunt for white truffles, another delicacy specific to the Piedmont.

There was one great shot in this segment: a camera was mounted on one of the dog’s shoulders as she trekked through the forest, rummaging for buried truffle. Nice visual touch.

Tucci followed with a tour of a Barolo wine estate with its thirty-year-old proprietor, Giulia Negri. We learned how the fog of the region contributes to that wine’s unique flavor. At one point, Negri told Tucci to put his ears down toward a large, open barrel of fermenting grapes. You could actually hear them pop, like Rice Krispies in a cereal bowl. In Italy, nature sings.

The final segment took us to Valle D’Aosta, which borders France and Switzerland. Tucci ate some fondue, called fonduta via the Italian-speaking residents (others speak French or a blended accent called francoprovencal). As he rode a gondola up to the top of the Italian Alps, he and his host were suddenly enveloped in a cloud, blocking their view of the peaks.

The sun did eventually come out while they were there, but that brief cloudiness stuck with me. It is the perfect metaphor for Searching for Italy, a series with a good heart but watery eyes. Hopefully, that brisk mountain air cleared up Tucci’s vision.

Quick example: Before the final segment, the title which CNN flashed on the screen is “Valle D’Aosta,” which is the French way of spelling the region’s name. In Italian, it is Val D’Aosta.  A myriad of travel websites use “Valle D’Aosta,” too, which speaks to a bigger bias. However, being “an Italian on both sides” (as Tucci describes himself), why couldn’t he speak up and demand that the Italian spelling be used, especially on a show dedicated to Italy? 

It’s little slip-ups like this — another one is his halting spoken Italian (could he not bone up?) — which leads one to question his ultimate commitment behind the series.  -BDC