tv Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy CNN November 24, 2022 8:00pm-9:00pm PST
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it means the green heart of italy. not a jealous heart, but a fertile one. arriving in early fall, i tried a course through umbria's ancient forests and missy mountains. this is italy before the romans. a place where families lived closed to land. a land of saintly legend, impossibly perched towns, and rustic wasn't. wow, stop filming and just eat it. cheers. i am stanley tucci, i am italian on both sides, and i'm traveling across italy to discover how the food in each of its 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past. [speaking non-english] umbria food isn't about fancy restaurants are tricky techniques. it is all about the skill and hard work that goes into producing its precious raw ingredients. from innovative farmers.
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two noble hunters. and let's not forget the chefs and butchers preserving the traditional ways to cook these treasures of the land. [speaking non-english] and in for a vegetarians watching, umbrian you lot of meat, particular early pork, like, a lot of it. a huge amount. >> i surrender to the pork. ♪ ♪ ♪ umbria it's named after -- one of at least most ancient people. they're landlocked homeland is right in the middle of the country. bordered on the west by it's more glamorous neighbor tuscany, it is often overlooked. but while the landscape here is similar, the culture is very different. less fancy, if you will.
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and i hear the locals like it that way. >> they're like flames, aren't they? >> i am headed deep into the heart of -- 's luscious red wine. to meet a man who fell in love with this rustic region over 25 years ago. we are going to meet big george, an italian known as -- he is a chef and restaurateur who lives at one with nature on a secluded farm outside -- with an assortment of animals, including the -- of umbria. >> good morning! ♪ ♪ ♪ >> [speaking non-english] >> [speaking non-english] >> a look, wine grapes, only the best for the pigs around here. >> [speaking non-english] >> [speaking non-english]
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[speaking non-english] >> in addition to wearing all his other hats, this renaissance man also somehow finds time to host one of italy's best loved cookery shows. giorgione - orte e cucina takes in all aspects of his life on the, byron with the heart of the action takes place right here. in this very kitchen. >> [speaking non-english] >> on the menu is maialino cooked in porchetta style. but instead of the law in pork, we have a whole piglet. and nothing goes to waste. >> [speaking non-english]
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>> [speaking non-english] ♪ ♪ ♪ [speaking non-english] >> oh, nice, yeah. so this is the lining that is lining all the organs. >> [speaking non-english] >> i'm beginning to feel like a guest on giorgione's show, not the other way around. the piglet goes into this giant wood fired oven for two and a half hours. >> [speaking non-english] >> the beauty of slow cooking
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-- once that door is shut, there is not really much more that you can do but sit back. and wait. >> [speaking non-english] cheers. [speaking non-english] chairs. >> as the lovely -- opens, up so does my new friend. >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] >> yes, two hours have flown by. in the moment we have been waiting for is upon us.
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maialino alla giorgione. pork, pork inside, fork on top. a lot of pork. >> [speaking non-english] >> oh, yes. [speaking non-english] >> [speaking non-english] >> okay. ♪ ♪ ♪ that is too much. >> [speaking non-english] >> giorgione's loving preparation of the very best fresh ingredients, and the alchemy of the slow cook of the wood fire have turned this dish into something really quite spectacular. >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] >> oh, my god.
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like 5 million others who come here each year, my journey has brought me to the mecca that is a cc, to pay umbrage to umbria 's most highly relevant saint, francis. approaching the stunning 13th century basilica, i remember the first time i came here as a young kid with my parents. ♪ ♪ ♪ united teacher, my dad wanted our family to see the 28 frescoes inside that tell the legend of st. francis, and to help me, quietly, navigate the story today is local historian mateo -- this is the most iconic and most famous. an incredible connection with
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the nature. probably he was the first environmentalist in the history of the church. >> the first time i came here i was 12th, but we didn't have this opportunity to have it just to ourselves, i mean, just for us. >> yeah, it is incredible. >> i feel very lucky. >> legend has it that saint francis for announced his privileged life to instead walk penniless among the poor folk of rural umbria. he was devoted to all of gods creatures, and where better to preaches message than in the green heart of italy. >> because of his connection with nature, is he, like, sequence of ten shull saint of umbria? >> yes, umbria it's really connect to nature. umbria is nature. that's why he's so representative of umbria. >> i could stand here all day, but it seems that matteo's mind has wandered.
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>> what is your favorite food? >> it is hard to say. i do like salami. >> in italy, it is never long until someone talks about food. but here in umbria, everything comes back to pork. you could say it is like a religion, not with its roots in the -- of assisi, but out here in the forest of -- today's hunt day. and i've been indicted to tag along by claudia -- [speaking non-english] we are hunting for, but looking at this spread, it is a wonder that there are any left out there. claudia's hunting group is the
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first all-female hunting squadron intently. but they are letting me and a few other fellows in on the action today. we have to be very quiet. just because the bore, they must have really good hearing. we are just waiting for the okay to go down. to try to kill them. people are starting to move forward, but they run away, can you hear me? we boar can't. the hunters set out in groups, and take up positions in the valley below. claudia, who is six months pregnant, by the way. and i will oversee the proceedings from a suitable vantage point. [speaking non-english]
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♪ ♪ ♪ wild boar have roamed the umbrian forests, and been a core part of the diet here for thousands of years. both revered and feared, today they have no natural predators and the population has to be controlled. [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] [sound of gunfire] oh my god. [sound of gunfire] [speaking non-english] now, i am under no illusion that we are all that salami comes from.
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but witnessing that shot firsthand really brings home the reality of our carnivorous ways. [speaking non-english] this boar will have to be hung for 28 days before it is ready for the pot. but luckily for us, claudia's mom and her brigade have been working away on another beast following a family recipe for wild boar. the local boar is full of flavor thanks to its forged diet of routes, acorns, and even travel. but to be at its best, the meet first needs a slow cook with herbs, lemons, and vinegar. then, -- whips it up in a blender before adding it to a tomato sauce with salty green olives, which is the perfect call compliment to the boar's richness.
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[speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] thanks to claudia's hunting, and the traditional culinary skills that -- will soon be passing down to her grandchild, no one's going hungry today. [speaking non-english] that is perfect. incredible. [speaking non-english] these two generations of umbrian women are a force of nature, they do their ancestors and the boar proud. >> i would like to make a
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toast. stop, i'm going to make a toast to you. [laughter] thank you so much, claudia, for taking us. i won't say italian, english, okay? thank you so much for taking us on the hunt today. and all of you, it was a great experience. and congratulations. cheers. thank you, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. cheers. ♪ ♪ ♪ the ragu is rich and comforting and taste all the better after a day out in the woods. i think if umbria itself had a flavor, this dish would be it. >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> [speaking non-english] [laughter] ♪ ♪ ♪ it's what sanctuary could look like... feel like... sound like... even smell like.
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♪ ♪ ♪ i am swapping umbria's majestic forests, for the achingly beautiful mountainous backdrop of norcia. this medieval city is blessed with panoramic views of snow capped peaks. but it is a place torn apart by the volatile fault line that runs beneath it. ♪ ♪ ♪ a series of disastrous earthquakes have battered norcia, the most recent in 2016, it demolished the city center. six years on, locals are still
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debating how best to be rebuild without changing the towns historic character. ♪ ♪ ♪ still standing amongst the rubble, however, is one tradition that has been synonymous with norcia for centuries. and of all the pork joints in all of the towns, this one reigns supreme. [speaking non-english] last night, i thought i was allport out, but my mouth is watering already. oh, oh. [speaking non-english] okay. that is so good. [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english]
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clearly some of the best, wow. [speaking non-english] so you can see why they would be called donkeys falls, you have to use your imagination for that rest of them, rest of the package. >> putting innuendo to one side, the salami here really is incredible. the combination of wild herbs from the forest, and the fresh mountain air takes it all to another level. i have got to meet the maker. -- that's him, on the, sign bending the sausage machine, it's the last true -- >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english]
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legend has it that during the renaissance, the master pork smiths of norcia were so skilled with the knives that they were even on occasion called upon to operate on humans. and they have been revered ever since with their craft and were your lake work ethic. but today the butchers here are struggling to recruit future norcia people. >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] at least happy to get back to work, mind you, he actually never stopped the whole time i have been here. and i'm left hoping that he
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finds a worthy apprentice. ♪ ♪ ♪ maestro pace dilemma is echoed throughout the forest and fails of umbria. and it seems as if the whole region is at a crossroads between its proud ancient traditions, and the pressures of the modern world. >> what is that? [bell ringing] everything dings these days, doesn't it? everything has to have a bell. >> nice to meet you, i am carlo. >> nice to meet you to. [speaking non-english] >> please, i will show you my valley. >> but some locals like farmer carlo caporicci believe there is a way to combine this region's past but the president, to fuse the best of the old with the best of the new. this place is incredibly
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beautiful. so this is all of the trees you have planted. >> yeah, 20, 21 years old. >> each of these trees holds a secret. what you see here laid out in a perfect grid is a travel plantation. yes, black truffles that are far farmed not forged. >> [speaking non-english] >> 30 or so years ago, not many people had ever really heard of this umbrian ingredient. but now carlo can barely keep up with the ingredient demand, and neither can mother nature. so he has come up with a solution. >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] >> to create the ideal conditions for travels to grow,
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carlo has a special technique for treating each acorn that he plants. >> you take the nut, a little bit of a travel. >> a little base of a -- we mix together. >> with this? >> put it in -- and wait for one year. then, put them in the ground. bruno! [speaking non-english] >> okay. >> we put inside the ground. >> a year in the, pop in the ground it goes. five years of umbrian sunshine and some rain. and there you are. truffles on tap. i wonder if this would work in my backyard? >> [speaking non-english] >> to showcase the flavor of all of these truffles, carlo and his daughter alicia opened a farm right here on the farm, and hits his skill and her skill in the kitchen that brings out the best -- >> alicia? >> [speaking non-english] >> [speaking non-english]
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rome. >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] >> alicia combines the distinctly umbrian food tradition with a more modern sensibility. >> [speaking non-english] yeah, yeah. [speaking non-english] >> earthy and sweet. yeah. the additional beat route is inspired, but nothing upstages the true star of the show. a mountain of truffle. ♪ ♪ ♪ and now, here it comes. a fitting finale in celebration of carlo, alicia, the future of the truffle, and possibly the
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future of umbrian cuisine. >> [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] [laughter] [speaking non-english] >> wait, wow. yeah. [speaking non-english] >> [speaking non-english] >> as for carlos black truffle, it tastes would be, 90, and luxurious. you would never know it was farmed not foraged. ♪ ♪ ♪ [speaking non-english] [laughter] ♪ ♪ ♪ t-mobile won't raise the price of your talk, text and data.
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it also has to be where mateo, my friend and historian, hails from. so who better to show me around embryos capital city? >> this is my city. it is a young city. it's a city where we have two universities. one for a telling people, one for foreigners. and there's a city which is known for jazz. we have an incredible jazz festival during the summer. >> this vibrant city is famous for its independent square. if fairy umbrians like to do that their own way. then people from perugia do that times ten. long ago, perugia was ruled by the pope, things came to a head shall we say. >> when you notice the square, is that the church is facing the building of the mayor. big and it's not by chance. >> and this is facing the government office? >> exactly. >> and his hand is on the
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griffin. >> which is the symbol of the city. that is a message that the pope wanted to send to the people of perugia. be careful. >> he silencing them. >> that's it. >> this standoff reached a breaking point in 15 40, when pope paul the third hit perugia where it really hurt. >> you have to note that one of the most popular with food in umbria -- use the salt. what did the pope do? he said, okay, if you're gonna use the salt now i will put attacks on the salt. >> that's crazy. >> it's crazy. >> salt tax was the last straw. perugia declared war on the pope. the people army crossed the insurgents in the very streets. the pope built a fortress smack in the middle of the town, to
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show people who's boss. that didn't stop the people of perugia. their spirit of resistance lived on with a cunning culinary plan to rebel against their oppressor. >> mateo is taking me to one of his favorite hangouts. -- it's a new take on the traditional motelier, and amongst their bounty of umbria finest meats and cheeses is the secret weapon against the salt tax. >> well. [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english]
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>> the nice thing, if you notice, is that we have a lot of salt in this place. we have salami, we have prosciutto, everything very salty. and now, this kind of bread is perfect -- >> because it doesn't get in the way. >> exactly. >> it accepts the flavors. the lengthy appetizers in the dish. >> that's really rich. >> yes. it is. >> also, the poppy seeds on it. i like that. cheers. >> the food is as good and authentic as i've had anywhere in umbria, but the service and setting is just a bit cooler. so, how old are you guys? why did you end up working here? [speaking non-english] >> yeah. [speaking non-english]
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>> thank you very much, thank you. and thank you. having made a good dent in yet another mound of salami, it's time to move on from the hustle and bustle of modern umbria and head back to its ancient heart. >> so it takes the right tool for the job... to keep it together. now there's new theraflu flu relief with a max strength fever fighting formula. the right tool for long lasting flu symptom relief. hot beats flu.
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♪ ♪ ♪ of all the fairytale landscapes i have seen in umbria, this one may be the most breathtaking. i talk a clip above will connect rock, orvieto is visible for miles in every direction. it's ornate cathedral reaching up to the heavens is one of the finest unduly. and beneath its dazzling -- orvieto has even more stories to tell. local chef valentina santanicchio is on her way to give me the -- but i have got time to give me
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a local gel or to see, strongly called -- because the strips of succulent -- resemble one. sort of. >> hi. >> hi. >> hello. >> hi. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you too. >> how are you? >> very well. >> it such a pleasure to see you here. >> it's a pleasure to be here. my mouth is full. >> good. >> that is delicious. >> yeah, it is traditional recipe. it's made with vinegar and say, it was very easy. -- breakfast when i was younger. 9:00. >> thank you. >> just like that, valentina whisks me away, leading me downwards like alice in wonderland. into a labyrinth of tunnels and cages. >> we have to go down. >> down, down, down. >> unlike alice, it is not a rabbit we have come to me but another small animal that the people here have dined on. >> here we are.
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>> incredible. >> yes. >> this is the house of pigeon, my favorite pigeon. >> your favorite pigeon? >> after, you will know why. >> yes, because we will taste it. yes. >> what we are looking at here are in fact -- carved into the walls by the -- who founded orvieto over 2000 years ago. encouraging pigeons to nest here, it gave the early town folks source of dishes meet without having to stray outside the city walls. >> people would come and go, but this is where they would roost. when would they the pigeon? at what stage in the pigeons life? >> usually when they are ready to fly. . >> when they are babies. >> yeah, baby. the babies are for food. >> or food. right. ♪ ♪ ♪ today, pigeon is still an orvieto staple.
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it's one of the significant -- but at the restaurant that valentina has run since 2016, she has pioneered a new approach. >> we are here with a pigeon four page, and it is so nice. >> cut this way. >> because pitching can be tough, valentino cooks the bird two ways, ensuring it is moist and flavorful. half of the pigeon is traced traditionally, and the other boroughs from far and wide. >> so you have never trained as a chef. >> never. it is something that is my blood. i studied as accountant. it was very useful for my job, but not for cooking. this is the breast. i put in the soy sauce marinated. >> marinated. yes, you put in soy sauce. >> marinate, yes. then cook in sous vide, that is modern technique to cooking. >> to make it moist?
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>> and this is easy, this is the easy part. for the likes, [speaking non-english] >> nice. >> just like most other dishes, no part of the patient goes to waste. >> this is has to cook altogether in this pan with all of oil. >> the heart and the liver? >> yeah, it's very bloody. [speaking non-english] everything. >> the kidneys, the liver, the heart, everything? >> yeah, yeah. >> it's like you killed someone, yes. >> care, it's on you, time, salary, it all goes in the pot. there needs to cook low and slow for up to four hours to make it melting the tender. luckily, valentina was up early this morning and started early. >> [speaking non-english] >> okay, wow. thank god for the truck in.
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i have always said that. >> right, right. >> i mean, come on? that is so good. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> the sous vide breast now gets what they call a reverse year in a little butter to crisp up the skin. >> [speaking non-english] >> yes. >> [speaking non-english] >> [speaking non-english] wow. okay. come on. [laughter] oh, i love that. wow, thank you so much. incredible amount of history in that little right there. and then a piece of it was something new. you, know it was so delicious. nutritious. >> thank you. >> it's really good. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪
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border. my friends colin and olivia firth have a home here. and olivia's twin brothers have a saint francis like epiphany, leaving their old careers behind to do something very special with a plot of land next door. [speaking non-english] come through. how beautiful. haven't seen you guys, last time it was like three and a half years ago? >> we changed our life, basically. >> you totally change your life. >> and you are living in rome? >> yes. >> and you are living? between london and milan, playing a big manager. now became a farmer. >> this is no run-of-the-mill farm, though. the twins have a passion for sustainability. and love to experiment by cross pollinating long forgotten varieties to create
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supercharged new vegetables. >> take in the flower from a tomato which is good, but it's not really resistant to climate change. to the summer it was 45 degrees. and just go to another plant with tomatoes that are really resistant and crossed them. as an example, this is what comes out. >> oh my god, look at that color. >> this is a mix between a black one and actually this one. and this one is much more resistant than this one and sweeter. >> to the? heat >> to the heat. >> that's good. what began as a childhood dream has evolved into a very real 60 acre farm, and extensive seed library. >> we start cultivating all of these wild kinds of mustard's, wasabi, edible flowers. >> oh, yeah. >> i don't know if we can eat that. >> and you guys eat meat?
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>> we didn't turn vegetarian for this. in umbria -- >> if you don't love me, you better move. >> i have to stand up, my knees are killer me. we squat a lot. >> i can't imagine it. >> if i were for tickets what alone are. >> their inventory now extends to over 1000 varieties of fruit and vegetables. but keeping this many different plants healthy without using any pesticides is no easy feat. >> what was the word before? >> -- which comes from agriculture. but -- is the duty of care. it's -- with care. it pays you back, with the taste, with the colors, with the consistency. >> the twins nurturing philosophy doesn't just apply to plants. but to people to.
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there's a sense of community and a family feel on the farm. >> stanley, we're gonna start picking up ingredients for our lunch. we're gonna get some -- >> look, it's an ostrich egg. >> it's called a dragon egg actually, we got this because they've got a very special, special taste. they don't get soggy. i put them on the fire like that, burn him in bit. cut him in half and eat like a spoon like a little desert. >> form in-house chef, -- is fanning the flames to make one of the specials of the day, eggplant caviar. pulled straight from the ground and simply pricked with a knife, these are going to be delicious. well they roast, it's time to start the past of course. >> this is one of my favorite things. big garlic.
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and that's that. go ahead, put it in. the top guns next door likely claim this mellow tasting garlic is their own. but don't tell that to the umbrians. it's classic partner is a simple -- made from tomatoes harvested just a few weeks ago. think enough to hang on to the sauce, these -- are the perfect pastor to go with it. look at that. gorgeous. >> now you see why they're called eggplant caviar. >> what is that, tarragon? >> the secret ingredient is a bit of that. >> a little touch of humidity in there. >> if you happen to have a brush eta. >> all the enough, we do. >> more salt. >> more salt? >> would you mind helping me. >> of course.
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>> go, eat, eat. past those downed. this rustic open air feast del -- embry's answer to fine dining -- the twins and this farm -- really encapsulate italy's green heart, and it's strong independent culture. cherishing the past well embracing the future. always on their own terms. and given that, you have to agree with big george. -- [speaking non-english]
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