5 Reasons to Watch "Stanly Tucci: Searching for Italy"

Hi everyone! It's Nicole, Annette's web manager and friend, and I am here to share something shocking:I hated traveling to Italy.It's blasphemy around here, I know. And before you worry about my job security, Annette is fully aware of my feelings, too. In fact, I think it's one of the reasons she keeps me around: so she can one day try to change my mind. And to be honest, after nearly seven years of working together, she's finally wearing me down. Well, Annette along with Stanly Tucci.The first and only time I found myself on the streets of Italy was June of 2009. My best friend and I were teachers at the time, and we made the very responsible decision to use our first tax refund check of our adult lives to purchase a Greek cruise bookended by a few days in Milan, Florence and Venice. School ended, we hopped on a plane for what was going to be the trip of our twenty-something lifetime, and we landed in Milan.The streets were bursting with people, the duomo casting a shadow over everyone below. Cars, bicycles and Vespas zoomed left and right. The sun pressed down on us. I was sweaty. I was tired. I was not impressed. This was basically New York City...but in Italy. I cried to my now-husband that I was already ready to come home. It had been 3 hours.Florence captured my attention only slightly better, thanks to various art museums and markets. Venice...well, I found it to be about as pleasant as Annette does. Other than the Italian food, of which we have plenty in America, I decided Italy was not AT ALL for me.I confessed this during my interview with Annette in 2014. She vowed to change my mind, and I have to say, it's working. Before the pandemic, I had, rather hesitantly, started doing my research to visit Annette at La Fortezza. But to be honest, I wasn't too disappointed when it paused my travel plans.Last weekend, after watching more than my share of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and even Disney+, I decided to give a new CNN show a try: Stanly Tucci's Searching for Italy, released one episode at a time, old school style. Within one episode, I was happily hooked, and already singing Italy's praises to Annette, ready to book a ticket. Truly. That's how good it is. Besides completely converting me, an Italian naysayer to an Italian wanderluster, here are 5 other reasons to watch the show:Stanly's voice is soothing. I watch The Barefoot Contessa nearly every weekend right when I get up because I find Ina Garten's voice such a pleasant sound to wake up to. Stanly Tucci's voice is no different. It ebbs and flows in such a way that you barely notice that he curses every time he takes a bite of pasta. It must be good.The Italian pride is palpable. After reading, Italy is My Boyfriend, I think I came to understand the great pride within Italians. But seeing it on screen takes it to an entirely new level. There are restauranteurs who have carried on their family recipes for hundreds of years. There are butchers protecting the name and preparation of prosciutto, so phonies cannot trick the public. There are families who still gather around a table every single Sunday for supper, serving the main course as their ancestors did, no matter how antiquated it might seem.There is a depth to every region. I think this is what has struck me as the most interesting aspect of the show. We might be familiar with the bright colors and stunning seas of the Amalfi Coast, but what we don't realize is how poverty-stricken it is. Or how Napoli's infamous pizza was born out of a pandemic. There's more to Italy than Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome and Pisa. This show takes us there.He's the Rick Steves of 2021. I have to say the most enjoyable moments of my 2009 trip were when my BFF and I busted out our trusty Rick Steves' book when exploring. We found the most amazing pizza down the scariest alleyway in Venice, and rested our heads only in Steves' recommended lodgings. Even though Stanly isn't a food writer on a budget, he is bringing viewers to some obscure places, and for that, I love the show even more.We meet Stanly's wife. Did you know Stanly Tucci is married to Emily Blount's sister? It's true! Emily and Stanly met while filming The Devil Wears Prada. He was later invited to Emily's wedding. There, Emily introduced Stanly to her sister, Felicity. Stanly and Felicity were married two years later. Felicity is the woman behind the camera for all of Stanly's cocktail posts on Instagram. Now, we see her in front of the camera on the show.Will you watch? I hope so! Let me know what you think.xo, Nicole