Searching for Stanley

Stanley and the crew brave a storm to learn how to cook Stanley and his wife's favorite spaghetti and zucchini dish: spaghetti alla nerano. (Photo: Lo Scoglio)

Stanley visits the town of Ponte Buriano to attend the Festa della Battitura, a peasant festival that celebrates the cucina povera of the Tuscan countryside. Among the many hearty dishes that the cooks prepare are crostini d’ocio, crusty toast with a topping of sauce made from a male goose (gander).

Tucci does not climb the slopes of Mt. Etna. But the still-active volcano looms over everything in Catania. Its mineral-rich soil is also the reason why food and wine from this area is especially prized.

Stanley heads to the Orobic Alps, to the small town of Gerola Alta, to see how the rare Bitto cheese is made, a 2,000 year old cheese so expensive, it was never eaten by those who made it. He meets cheesemaker Paolo Ciapparelli, who explains the history, production, and lengthy aging process of Bitto - the secret to which are the cows who graze on Alpine grass at different altitudes.

After a two-hour flight, Tucci lands in Lampedusa, the tiny Sicilian island that has become the center of the Mediterranean migrant crisis. Here he meets fisherman Beppe, who tells a harrowing tale of an overturned migrant ship. The “open arms” policy of Lampedusa earned the island a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2014. At the home of Beppe and his wife Rina, Tucci dines on sarde a beccafico, the poor man’s attempt at recreating a stuffed poultry dish made with the beccafico (garden warbler). Sarde a Beccafico has many different versions depending on in which city in Sicily it is made.

Sicily is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, but its wines are often thought to be too bold to enjoy on their own. Winemaker Arianna Occhipinti is changing the game by producing a more delicate vintage at her vineyard in Vittoria.

Stanley heads back to Massimo's hotel-restaurant, Casa Maria Luigia, named after Massimo's mother. Here, Stanley and Massimo enjoy cheese from Rosola, along with with local honey, elderflower vinegar and a bit of traditional balsamic vinegar.

Enzo and Stanley visit this dairy farm to see how real mozzarella di bufala is made.

Stanley visits the Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico di Giuseppe Giusti, the oldest balsamic vinegar producer in Italy. Established since 1605, it produces some of the best balsamic vinegar in the world - rightfully nicknamed "Black Gold".

Standing defiantly away from the seaside crowds, Stanley visits Il Focolare, a restaurant that draws crowds thanks to its coniglio all'ischitana, made with local wild rabbit.