![\"Stanley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/108_NaplesAndCampania_TucciInItaly_01.jpg\" "\\"Everything")
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Everything Stanley Tucci wants you to know before your first trip to Italy.<\/p>\n
Matt Holyoak<\/p>\n
National Geographic<\/p>\n
Planning a trip to Italy means wading through thousands of \u201cmust-see\u201d lists, viral restaurant reviews and conflicting advice about which cities deserve your time. Stanley Tucci \u2014 the actor whose Italian heritage and on-camera obsession with the country\u2019s food have made him a de facto travel authority \u2014 has a simpler starting point: skip the obvious itinerary, eat where locals eat<\/a> and don\u2019t try to cram everything into one trip.<\/p>\n His recommendations, shared in interviews and his shows, have become a go-to playbook for first-time visitors trying to plan a trip that feels less like a checklist.<\/p>\n Why Stanley Tucci Is Synonymous With Italy<\/p>\n Both of Tucci\u2019s parents are of Italian descent, with family lineages originating in the Calabria region of southern Italy. His paternal grandparents came from the village of Marzi in the province of Cosenza, and his maternal family hails from Cittanova in the province of Reggio Calabria. Tucci\u2019s first direct exposure to the country came when he was 11, when his family relocated to Florence for a year.<\/p>\n He has written extensively about that heritage in cookbooks like \u201cThe Tucci Table\u201d and the memoir \u201cTaste: My Life Through Food,\u201d which detail how the traditional cooking of his Calabrian mother and grandparents shaped his life. He also hosts the culinary travel shows \u201cStanley Tucci: Searching for Italy\u201d and \u201cTucci in Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Tucci Says to Start at a Local Market<\/p>\n Tucci\u2019s first piece of advice for travelers anywhere \u2014 not just Italy \u2014 is to head straight to a farmers market.<\/p>\n \u201cA market tells you how important food is or isn\u2019t to the people there. It exposes the soul of a place,\u201d Tucci said in a 2025 interview with Travel + Leisure<\/a>. \u201cFarmers markets in particular are a way of understanding the people who live in any given place. Not only the produce or products that are sold, but how fresh are they, and where are those products from? Are the majority locally sourced or imported? What are the vendors like that are selling them? Who is shopping there?\u201d<\/p>\n Which Italian Cities Tucci Recommends<\/p>\n For travelers hoping to get a true taste of Italian cuisine and culture, Tucci recommends Milan \u201cfor its progressiveness and elegance and proximity to the lakes and mountains, as well as its risotto, osso buco, polenta, and the like. Rome without question for its grandeur and for the four ubiquitous pastas\u2014alla matriciana, cacio pepe, carbonara, and alla gricia\u2014not to mention the artichokes,\u201d he told Travel + Leisure.<\/p>\n He also suggested \u201cPalermo and Naples for the madness of them both, the pizza, eggplant parmigiana, and the seafood. [And] Florence for the cultural richness of the city and the simplicity of the food, like the bistecca fiorentina and ribollita.\u201d<\/p>\n His top timing tip: \u201cDo your best to go off-season to avoid the crowds, especially in Venice, Florence, and Rome. And eat where the locals eat!\u201d<\/p>\n How to Get Around \u2014 and Where to Stay<\/p>\n Tucci told Fodor\u2019s<\/a> in 2022 that the car-versus-train choice depends on where you\u2019re headed. \u201cSometimes having a car is a great thing, except when you\u2019re going to visit Florence, you don\u2019t want to have a car. You can\u2019t drive anywhere,\u201d he said. But, he added, \u201cit\u2019s really nice to be able to drive and just stop off at little towns or little rest stops along the way, or take a circuitous route somewhere, go to a little hilltop town, that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n The trains, he said, are \u201creally wonderful because it\u2019s very relaxing. The countryside is gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n His hotel shortlist includes the Mandarin in Milan; the Gritti Palace and the Danieli in Venice; and the Ferragamo Hotel Lungarno in Florence. \u201cI dream about it all the time,\u201d he said of the Florence property. \u201cI\u2019ve stayed there a couple of times and I literally never wanted to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n His broader advice for any itinerary: \u201cDon\u2019t try to do too much in one trip.\u201d<\/p>\n What Not to Do in Italy<\/p>\n Tucci has one firm rule for visitors at the dinner table \u2014 respect local conventions<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ask for cheese on your own spaghetti alle vongole. Let the cheese thing go. I think that\u2019s key,\u201d he told Fodor\u2019s. \u201cAnd I think, most Italians will speak English, but it\u2019s always nice to make a vague attempt at least a few words of the language of the country that you\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.<\/p>\n This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 12:42 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n