From overlooked regions to fiercely debated food origins, National Geographic’s Emmy-winning series TUCCI IN ITALY returns for a second season, this May. The five-part series will premiere on National Geographic (DStv 181, StarTimes 220) across Africa, on Wednesdays at 18:50 (CAT) from 13 May 2026 and will also be available on Disney+ in South Africa.
Revealing a deeper, more personal journey, the Academy Award® nominee, Emmy®– and Golden Globe®-winning actor Stanley Tucci returns to his beloved Italy, visiting five new regions – Naples and Campania, Sicily, Le Marche, Sardinia, and Veneto – to trace the link between Italy’s historical landscape and its culinary traditions, where the ritual of the shared meal remains the ultimate expression of its people.
Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91aFquJ5ZgI&feature=youtu.be
“In Italy, food is never just food. It’s memory, identity and, sometimes, a full-blown argument,” said Tucci. “This season, we explore how the past continues to shape the present, one region and one extraordinary meal at a time. I’m so pleased to share these captivating stories and these wonderful people with you.”
In Season 2, Tucci visits new regions, including Le Marche, a lesser-known destination he’s never featured before. Located in central Italy along the Adriatic coast, the region’s rich culinary delights have largely escaped the attention of international tourists. In Campania and its famed capital, Naples, he celebrates a once-forgotten vine grape, and in Veneto, he deliciously wades into the passionate culinary debate over the origins of tiramisu.
Stanley also explores two very different Islands: Sardinia, where he looks into the relationship between food and longevity, and Sicily, where multicultural history has left a delicious mark on its food.
