01x01 - Naples and the Amalfi Coast

[bunniefuu]

It's hard to believe that
just a few months ago

the first wave of
COVID-19 had emptied

the streets of Naples

and Italy was in lockdown.

Thankfully, I've arrived during

a brief moment of normality.

Restaurants are open and

masks are not required outside

and we'll be sticking
to the local rules.

Napoli is a truly
thrilling city.

The second you arrive
you're engulfed

by a magnificent chaos

and there's no point
in fighting it.

People here do
things their own way.

Take the energy of New York,

mix in the gritty
elegance of New Orleans,

add 3,000 years of history

and cook it all up in the heat

of the world's most
famous volcano.

That is Napoli.

I'm Stanley Tucci.

I'm Italian on both sides and
I'm traveling across Italy

to discover how the food in

each of this
country's 20 regions

is as unique as the
people and their past.

This place may be looked down on

as the poverty-stricken
underdog of Italy.

But the people who
live in this region

have their own way
of doing things.

For me, this is our philosophy.

This is our style and tradition.

They've given the world
its favorite food.

Pizza margarita!

Just don't forget
where it was invented.

If pizza was going
to be born anywhere,

it would be here in Naples.

The city is hot, fast,

and a feast for the senses.

Naples is situated in Campania.

It's the unofficial capital
of the Italian south

and is even older than Rome.

It's a region of volcanic
landscapes, magical islands

and the world-famous
Amalfi Coast.

The southern sun
nurtures tomatoes

that are the envy of the world

and out in the hills, buffalo

produce the milk for
the finest mozzarella.

But pizza wasn't born
in the lush hills.

It came from the darkest,
poorest streets of Naples

and its story combines two
of Italy's favorite subjects,

food and death.

Vesuvius explodes.

Italy's historical volcano

bursts into the most fearsome
and devastating eruption

At least once in every century,

it has heralded disaster.

The volcano is this sort of
ever-present threat, isn't it?

It is. You know, it
is on the landscape,

you always watch it, and have it
in your mind and in your eyes.

Professor Elisabetta Moro is

one of the three
million Neapolitans

who live in the shadow
of the mighty volcano.

People are obsessed with
the possibility of dying

because there is a volcano,
because there are earthquakes,

-because there are
epidemics -Yeah.

So it's very hard for them.

Life can be tough in
this volatile city.

It's no wonder everywhere you go

in Naples you see
handmade shrines

keeping a light shining for
loved ones who have died.

This is all over the
city you see this.

Yes, they are included in
the architecture of the city.

You know these are kind
of temples of memory,

you remember the people of
your family or your friends,

especially young
people who died.

Coming from a southern
Italian family,

death was always talked about.

I remember my grandmother
used to call my mother,

my mother would pick up
the phone and she'd say,

- You know who died?
- Yeah, exactly!

- That's what it was!
- My grandmother did the same.

But it was also a way
for feeling alive.

Elisabetta is showing me the
historic heart of the city.

For hundreds of years the
poorest people in Naples

were packed into
these narrow streets.

Terrible sanitation
meant that life

could be snatched at any moment

by the brutal
epidemic of their age,

cholera.

People really got
scared, because

you know, it was an epidemic

like more or less
the COVID-19 virus...

Yes.

So you could transmit
it very easily.

Right. Right.

Cholera was spread
by water and by food

so people here cooked
pieces of bread in hot oil.

So the frying is simpler.

It's simpler, it's easy,

you can get a very
good point of hygiene

because you know, frying
really sterilizes everything.

It was probably one of
the few times in life

that frying something might
actually be healthy for you.

So this is where we're
going to get fried pizza?

Alright, ciao.

Okay, so...

Beautiful.

You know since a century
her family's doing this.

For a century?

For a century

These streets were once
full of places like this,

but Fernanda is now the
last of an historic lineage.

It all
puffs up, doesn't it?

It's beautiful.

- Alright thank you. Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Ready?

This delicious pocket of history

was pizza before
pizza was pizza.

-With the pork and the ricotta
-Yeah, it's very tasty.

Pizza margarita!

As we walk off some
of those calories,

Elisabetta tells me how pizza
was born in these streets

from quite unpromising
beginnings.

Well mostly they
were selling bread

with a little bit of fat on it.

Sometimes pepper,

because people were really poor.

Then at a certain point,
people here invented pizza.

But for many years it was
just a Neapolitan taste,

a Neapolitan dish.

Because cholera also played
a significant role...

- Yes it did.
- In its attitudes.

It did for centuries.

Thankfully for us, by
the late 19th century,

the Italian prejudice
against Naples

and its food began to change

and Elisabetta's taken
me to the place where,

according to legend,

in 1889 the Italian
Queen ordered a pizza

that went on to bear her
name, the Margherita.

Do you make pizza at home ever?

In Naples it's almost forbidden.

There's no point.

The only problem
was during lockdown,

all the pizzerias were closed.

- That was really bad.
- Yeah.

You know the first
day after lockdown,

60,000 pizzas were
made same day.

Really?

Yes and they were not sufficient

because everybody
wanted a pizza.

- Because they were desperate.
- Yeah.

First the pizza
then the vaccine.

In the streets of Naples,

pizza grew out of one pandemic

and sustained the
city through another.

What was born in a
place consumed by death

is now a food the entire
world finds life-affirming.

Pizza with ham.

In this city of pizza-makers,

there is a man whose
reputation towers over the town

like Vesuvius.

Enzo Coccia wrote the

globally recognized standards

on making the best
Neapolitan pizza in the world

and was the first ever pizzaiolo

to be recognized by
the Michelin guide.

Enzo?

The only thing he loves more
than pizza is Naples itself.

Before he makes me a pizza,

the Maestro needs
to go shopping.

And when you're in Campania,
who needs the store

when you can go
straight to the source?

Buffalo were brought to work
the Southern Italian land

by Arab conquerors almost
a thousand years ago

and early each
morning, their milk

is turned into the
finest mozzarella.

This masked man is
Mimmo la Vecchia

and he's acknowledged as one

of the greatest
cheesemakers in Italy.

Once this morning's collection
of buffalo milk is heated,

Mimmo adds rennet to separate
out the curds and the whey.

The curds are chopped and
boiling water is added.

The result is incredible.

It's like he's a magician.

Do you know what I mean?

In Italian, "Mozzare"
means "to cut off"

and this ancient process
gives the cheese its name.

The mozzarella then rests in
a salt bath for a few hours.

Unlike other cheeses
which get better with age,

mozzarella is best eaten fresh.

Which is great news for me.

Oh my God!

If you're going to
make the greatest pizza

in Naples, once you
have the bestmozzarella,

you need the perfect tomato.

There's a place whose
name is whispered in awe

by pizza fans everywhere

from Brooklyn to Bangkok
and Enzo is taking me there.

As a pizza lover, I only ever

buy cans of San Marzano tomatoes

and now I'm heading
to the promised land.

Although I hadn't
quite expected it

to be a small farm
under a freeway.

We're meeting Enzo's special
supplier, Uncle Vincenzo.

Behind his rusty gates I'm
reminded that here in Italy,

treasures are to be found in
the most unlikely locations.

I've eaten San Marzano
tomatoes all around the world,

but the bright,
balanced flavor of these

is like nothing
I've ever tasted.

That's it?

Yeah, no, impossible. Yeah.

Varieties using the
San Marzano name

are grown everywhere from
New Jersey to New Zealand.

But only the tomatoes
grown right here

are fed by the
nutrient-rich soil

gifted by our old friend
looming on the horizon.

Wow. Wow!

After our little shopping
trip, we're back in the city

and finally,
finally, the maestro

is making a pizza for me.

Mass-produced pizza
brands always add sugar,

fat and flavorings,

but in Napoli it's just
water, flour, salt,

yeast, and a lot of skill.

Incredible.

Nice.

The crushed San Marzanos from
Uncle Vincenzo go on first.

Next, the creamy nuggets
of mozzarella di bufala

to counteract the sweet
sharpness of the tomatoes.

And a final flourish

to add saltiness

and fragrance.

And then, in a
matter of moments,

food magic happens.

Incredible.

Oh, my God!

Thank you.

- Mmm!
- Is that not perfect?

It's delicious!

Perfect, perfect, perfect!

Pizza making is one tradition
we all hope will never die out

and that the pizziaoli of Naples

will always keep
the flame of pure,

simple perfection burning.

In Napule.

- In Napule.
- In Napule.

Good!

So, this isn't
what it looks like.

Let me explain. In this city,

it sometimes seems
like everyone's

making up their own rules,

but somehow the
place hangs together.

I'm meeting the man who tries
to keep some order here.

Chief of the Municipal
Police, Captain Capuano.

In true Neapolitan style,

he wants to explain how it works

over a coffee.

The Captain orders three
coffees for the two of us.

I figured he just
really likes coffee.

But paying for one
extra is actually

a hugely important
tradition here in Naples

It's called "suspended coffee"

and when a person
in need shows up,

the coffee-seller
gives them a free drink

that their fellow
citizen paid for earlier.

Cheers.

That's nice.

The people of Naples
have unofficial

ways of helping each other
out that go back centuries.

They "suspend"
essentials like coffee,

food and even toys

for families that
can't afford them.

Campania is the
second-poorest region in Italy

and community help is
the only safety net

some people have.

When that fails, the
powerful Neapolitan Mafia,

here known as the Camorra,

is only too ready to swoop in.

Poverty and crime has always

been part of life in this city,

but in 1960s an experiment
to improve things

went badly wrong.

Five miles from the city center,

a new world was built.

It was called Scampia.

The poorest Neapolitans
were moved out

of those dark slums

into futuristic new homes.

But the dream quickly
turned into a nightmare.

The place had neither
jobs nor transport

and people here were trapped.

Camorra crime gangs stepped in

where the state had failed.

Drugs were sold on the streets

and things got so bad, even
the police stayed away.

Ordinary residents were
caught in the middle.

More recently, a new chapter

in the neighborhood's
history began

when hundreds of
nomadic travelers called

the Romani people arrived.

They came from Eastern
Europe and set up camp

under a freeway here.

The Romani sought a
better life in Italy

despite no access to running
water or electricity.

All across this neighborhood
thousands of people

like Samantha saw their
lives going to waste,

unfairly labeled as criminals,

while the authorities
turned their backs.

But still, this is Napoli and

people look out for each other

in the most creative ways.

So, the kitchen was a
very powerful instrument

to overcome stereotypes
but also to create work.

Right.

We decided to make
a small revolution

through the kitchen.

In a hut on the edge of Scampia,

local activist, Emma
and her friends realized

that they had a
talented community

of Neapolitan and Romani women,

each with unique food traditions

and decided to take matters
into their own hands.

In the south we're
used to fighting,

with or without
the institutions.

I think this is a very
southern Italian quality.

That small idea grew into
something astonishing.

The hut is long gone.

It's now a restaurant and
catering company called Chiku

based in a large,
disused building here.

Samantha, whom I met
over at the Romani camp,

got a job as a cook here.

Her recipes proved so popular
they now star on the menu.

Customers now come to
Scampia from across the city

to taste the delicious fusions

of Neapolitan and Romani
food they create here.

This place receives
no government help,

but the success of
the social enterprise

allows them to also
offer childcare

and education to all the
residents of Scampia.

This neighborhood still
has huge problems,

but in the face of
unimaginable bleakness

the volunteers at
Chiku have opened up

a space to mix
food with talent...

Delicious! Delicious!

And create hope.

This is just the most wonderful
experiment, but reality now

which is that you've
taken two cultures

and brought them together

with a frying pan.

The greatest joy of traveling

is that sometimes you
discover a place by chance

and it winds up staying with you

for the rest of your life.

14 years ago, my
late wife Kate and I

took a ferry from Naples
to the island of Ischia,

just an hour away

One night we went to a
family-run restaurant

where they served food that
we never expected to have

on an island in
the Gulf of Naples.

I try to come back
whenever I'm lucky enough

to have the chance

and the family's eldest, Silvia,

is meeting me at the dock.

Silvia

- Ciao.
- Welcome.

- Welcome to our island.
- Nice to see you.

Now we start your adventure.

- Are you ready?
- I'm ready!

Now you may well be thinking,

"time for a beautiful
drive along the coast

for some tasty seafood."

But no.

This restaurant
stands defiantly away

from the seaside crowds,

through the woods,

and halfway up a mountain.

Ischia is one of a handful
of volcanic islands

just off Naples.

Tourists started
coming here in the '60s

to enjoy the thermal waters,

but before that it was
pirates and foreign armies

washing up on the shore.

Welcome.

So island families
chose to live up

in the safety of the mountains

and instead of catching fish,

they caught rabbits.

The place is overrun with them

and coniglio al'ischitana
is famous across Italy.

In the States we
rarely eat rabbit now,

but the delicious, lean meat
draws the crowds up here

to this secluded restaurant.

But before we can eat it...

- Do you want me to open this?
- Yes, please.

We have to catch it.

Above the restaurant,
wild rabbits are caught

with an ingenious and
sustainable method

the islanders have been
using for centuries.

A pit is dug close
to the rabbit hole

and tasty food is thrown
down to tempt them out.

Fragrant leaves and berries
are specially selected

to add flavor to
the rabbit's meat.

- The taste of the meat...
- Comes through into the meat.

The natural way.

Then, all you've
got to do is hop in,

catch one and, I'll
spare you the rest...

Silvia's little
brother, Agostino,

runs the kitchen
at Il Foccolare.

He's brilliant at bringing
out the best flavours

from the wild game here.

He's worked at the
finest restaurants

in New York and London.

But he came home
to apply his skills

to traditional rustic cooking.

The last time I saw
him, I ran into him

on the streets of New York.

-Yeah -He was in a bad way.

No, I'm kidding.

- That was a long time ago.
- Yeah.

But I love rabbit, I
cook it at home a lot

and the thing about rabbit...

No, no, no, no.

Because this rabbit is wild.

This is fine, we put olive oil.

Garlic, this style

And after we start
to put rabbit.

OK?

The juice.

You can smell.

I like that you put the
garlic in as a whole.

Now white wine.

It's beautiful.

The ingredients are very
simple, tomato, herbs, garlic,

white wine, olive oil.

Knowing how to make
the best of what you

have is vital up here.

While the rabbit cooks,
I notice something

I've never seen before,

the Nonna of the
family, Loretta,

is showing her grandchildren

how to tie tomatoes
to local vines.

Today the restaurant is closed,

but I'm honored to be
invited to family lunch.

This is the first time the
family has come together

since their father
passed away earlier

this year during lockdown.

A toast!

- To dad.
- To life.

It's an emotional time,

but also one of celebration.

Oh, my God!

As delicious as the food is,

traditional cooking
like this also tells you

the story of a place,

how they lived and what
was important to them.

For as long as
anyone can remember,

there's been a strict hierarchy

to how Ischia's
rabbit is served.

-The head of our family.-You're
very kind, thank you.

Just one?

Sadly, in this
traditional hierarchy,

the mother of the family is left

with the bony neck and skull.

The neck side, right?

Traditional food
like this connects us

and makes us part
of a bigger story.

She's my daughter.

That's why, even today,
families across Ischia

sit down every Sunday

to enjoy a rabbit
in a pot together.

As if the awe-inspiring
majesty of Vesuvius

and volcanic islands
aren't enough,

Campania has one
final crowning glory.

Just a half hour
outside of Naples,

some of the most famous
and fabled landscape

on earth begins,

the Amalfi Coast.

It's the backdrop for a
thousand romantic movies

and once-in-a-lifetime
vacations,

and home to a
restaurant where I had

a simple zucchini and pasta dish

that honestly, changed my life.

I've been longing to come back.

The family have agreed
to show me how it's done.

My wife has come to join me

and we're in one of the most

beautiful places in the world.

What could possibly go wrong?

OK, so there's this
once-in-a-decade

storm forecast

and everyone's taking shelter,

but that doesn't stop
the morning delivery

coming down from the family's
farm up in the hills.

Every morsel grown by
the father, Peppino.

Hello.

Pride of place this season is

the star of my favorite dish,

zucchini.

The first time I had this dish,

I insinuated myself
into the kitchen

to wheedle out the recipe

from Peppino's
daughter, Antonia,

who runs the place.

We now make spaghetti alla
Nerano at home every week

but it's never as good.

Chef Tomasso is giving
me a masterclass

and my wife, Felicity,
has even flown in

to make sure we get it right.

We came here two years ago,

the reason we're
in this restaurant,

- right?
- Yeah, we've made it everyday.

Practically everyday, yeah.

- It's a favorite, it's amazing.
- We love this dish.

Everybody always thinks
there's garlic in it or onion,

but it's just the
sweetness of the zucchini.

I know.

- Oh wait, he put it in.
- Oh, we missed it.

-Sorry.-We're so unprofessional.

The chopped zucchini are
fried in sunflower oil,

and that's our first mistake.

We need about three gallons more

than we've been using at home.

It's frustrating to see him
do it like this with ease

when we've been laboriously
frying them in a shallow vessel.

- I know, it's so sad.
- Hours of our lives.

- Literally hours.
- I know.

Once fried, Tomasso leaves
the zucchini overnight

to soften up.

With oil and basil?

No.

I feel like we've been
doing a lot wrong.

All wrong.

Tomasso then heats
up the zucchini.

Aw. Look at that
amazing liquid.

It's beautiful, yeah.

And finally, a whole ingredient
they didn't even tell us about.

See, they put butter.

- So basically...
- I asked your sister

two years ago, I said,
"Do they put butter?"

Where is Antonia?

Yes a little bit of butter.

You didn't tell me that.

-I'm so upset.

No! No!

I won't hold it against you.

- You've moved on.
- It's my mistake.

- Oh, my God.
- Oh, look at that.

OK maybe it wasn't deliberate,

but then why wouldn't you want

to keep a recipe this
good to yourself?

People come here from all
around the world just for that.

- Yeah.
- That's crazy.

- Round of applause.
- It's too exciting.

- Oh, my God, look at that!
- And on an induction hob.

20 minutes of ecstasy.

Mmm! Oh, my God.

Even better than I remember.

Such a simple dish, but
you make it so beautifully.

One of the best things
I've had in my life.

- Thanks for everything.
- Thank you so much.

Antonia, thank you so much.

Oh, look at the wind.

- The sea is almost black.
- Look at it.

We'll just be
inside eating carbs.

This is great.

Any other day this
sun-drenched spot is buzzing

with diners thrilled
to be eating in one

of the most beautiful
places on earth,

but as the storm clouds roll in

for the first time this year,

every single one of the
expected 300 customers

today has canceled.

By evening, Felicity,
the film crew and I

are the only guests.

Rather than allow all
this incredible food

to go to waste,

they're making a feast for all

the brave souls still here.

While the kitchen
team works serenely,

the film crew help
me capture some views

of the famous Amalfi Coast

you won't normally
see on a postcard.

Isn't it so gorgeous?

- Look at this!
- I know.

- Whoa!
- Yeah.

Until nature sends us
all running back inside.

Hail storm.

It was like hail the
size of Amalfi lemons.

It just came down. Holy sh*t!

You know, I've had
dreams about having

this place all to myself,

being brought platters of
beans, mushrooms and olives

from the family farm,

fried squid, zucchini flowers

and mussels au gratin.

But I didn't expect it to be

in quite these circumstances.

Here in Campania,
nature can be cruel

but it can also be
really, very kind indeed.

The storm has passed.

The natural order
has been restored

and It's another heavenly
day here on the Amalfi Coast.

I've traveled along to
the little town of Minori

known for one of the most
beloved desserts in Italy,

a blast of southern sunshine
in a creamy light cake.

It's called Delizia al
Limone, or Lemon Delight,

and to make it, you need
to head for the hills.

Yes, incredible.

Up in the lemon
groves above Minori

I'm meeting the
man who introduced

the unique Amalfi
Lemons to the dessert

and became one of the most

famous pastry chefs
in Italy as a result,

Sal de Riso.

Yeah, no, it's incredible.

These lucky lemons
are an ancient hybrid

of bitter and
sweet citrus fruits

and the locals put them
in everything they can.

Thank you. Cheers.

We head down to Sal's
shop on the shore

where every year
thousands of tourists

take a break from the
natural wonders of the coast

to gasp at some man-made
culinary marvels.

Beautiful!

At a time when Italian desserts

were dominated by northern
and French creations,

Sal put the south of
Italy firmly on the map

by capturing the
essence of this place

in one particular cake,

Lemon Delight.

So, we know where
the lemons come from

but how do you get the delight?

Oh Jesus, alright.

Of course! Cream.

Three creams, in fact.

And for good measure, you
fill the cake with cream.

You just stick it right in.

And when the creams are mixed

you add more cream.

And more cream.
And more cream.

A splash of lemon liqueur.

Oh, my God!

But how does he get that
delicate, smooth coating?

- Wow!
- No!

Really?

I thought you'd do something
incredibly elegant but, yeah...

A little swirl of
cream to finish

and a pinch of
Amalfi lemon zest.

Okay, Okay.

I love lemon, I love
lemon, but that's like...

Look how beautiful
the sea is here.

Well, we've had coffee
and now dessert,

so what better way to end
my journey to Campania

than with a glass
of local limoncello

made with Amalfi Lemons,

of course.

OK.

I'm sure most of us
have had a shot or three

of this with friends,

probably after
gorging on Campania's

other great contribution

to the world, pizza.

Wherever we are, the
food of this place

can't help but
bring us together.

Thanks for everything,
you're amazing.

Thank you.

- Cheers.
- Cheers.

Cheers. Cin, cin.