We Learned Real Tuscan Cooking From Italian Grandmothers Secret Recipes

Buongiorno! Come va? Felicità! Tutto bene? Avete manciato bene? Tutto saporito? Vi auguro buon pranzo! Andiamo? Vai! Ciao! We're back. This time in Tuscany. A region that doesn't need an introduction, but I'll give one anyways. Rolling hills, iconic cities, and vineyards that seem to stretch forever. A place where the food is tied just as closely to the land as it is to the people. Simple ingredients and deep tradition. Like always, we're here for the real thing. To meet the noni who've been cooking this way their entire lives. And to spend time with the locals who still preserve the culinary heritage of this region. We're sharing the most authentic taste of Tuscany that we can bite off with you. So, let's eat. We're on the road. Our grill keeps us well nourished. We got the matz. We got the prosciutto cotto. Some basil that looks a little bit old, but it still tastes good. Andiamo. Let's go. Let's rock and roll. Let's ride. Don't forget to share the water. Alright, that's the last gas station meal of this trip. At least, the last one that we show on camera. But let's fast forward a few hours and kickstart our journey in Tuscany here. Welcome to Lucca. A city that you don't rush through. You wander. Bikes roll past and church bells cut the quiet. Every street feels like someone actually lives here. Because they do. Lucca doesn't put on a show. It just keeps moving at its own pace. But just beyond this city's iconic renaissance walls sits the quaint farmhouse that's the reason why we're here. To meet Nona Anto and her husband Piero. They've lived here on this small property just outside of town for decades. Hosting locals and travelers alike. Teaching them the food that they grew up with. The way it's always been taught. And we're here to learn the same way. And this is the famous Antonietta. Nice to meet you. I love Lucca. It's beautiful. So beautiful. Yes. First, you let yourself be taken by the business. Because we could do two cooking classes a day for seven days. With 10-15 people. But then it becomes a routine. You don't give them your eggs anymore. Because the cats can't do it. You don't give them your oil anymore. You don't give them your wine anymore. Because they start thinking only about money. And then you lose authenticity. Everyone tells me, first you sleep with your heart and then with your hands. And then, little by little, many tell me the same thing. And now I see it. Because everyone tells me the same thing. They say, let's get out of here. Let's leave a piece of heart. And let's know that we have new friends in Lucca. What Anton and Piero have built here feels immediately like home. Just honest hospitality. They simply welcome people in to an unfiltered glimpse and taste of their lifestyle. In Tuscan cooking, nothing good happens fast. And the ingredients are everything. We'll simply step outside to gather the eggs and herbs needed to make today's dish. Tacconi Lucchese. A shape of handmade pasta local to the area. And Sugo Estivo. A summer sauce that I really wish you could smell through the screen. Nonna Anton's love language is food. And spending time here, it's impossible not to feel it. Her dishes were incredible. And hearing how they've shared their recipes with people from all over the world is truly inspiring. It was the warmest welcome I've ever had. The warmest welcome to Tuscany that we could have ever asked for. With that, we say our goodbyes to Lucca and get back on the road. We're headed south through Tuscany. Florence slips by the window and we take in the views, but we don't stay long. Mostly because we couldn't find any noni to film here. If your grandparents live in Florence, hit us up. We'll come back. But beyond the city, the pace changes. The road narrows, the hills roll out, and the vines start to take over. This is the iconic image of Tuscany that most people picture. We're taking in the perfect view from here. Fattoria di Corsignano. An agriturismo and winery just north of Siena. It's run by Elena Gallo and her husband Mario. This is a family business. And they were kind enough to host us, educate us, and walk us through what goes into authentic Chianti Classico. Today they produce roughly 40,000 bottles of organic Chianti Classico every year. Keeping both the Gallo Nero and organic certifications means sticking to what's always mattered here. Sangiovese grapes, making up at least 80% of every bottle and growing those grapes naturally without any chemicals. Even as they've increased output, they haven't lost this connection to their roots. Because here, wine isn't a commodity. It's something that you live with. And it's treated with the same respect as everything else that comes from the land. It was part of the meal. It wasn't a drink, like it is today. But it was part of the meal and the conviviality. A glass of wine was first offered to the visitor. Come on, let's have a glass of wine. Wine has remained in our culture of eating and drinking. I think it's a good way of living. If the doctors don't stop you, it's okay. It's hard to argue with that logic. So, cheers to that. The perspective that Mario and Elena share comes only from doing something your whole life. They learned it from those before them. And now their kids are learning it the same way. Not through lessons, but through living it. Grateful for the glimpse into their life, we'll sit back, enjoy the sunset, and end this day doing as the locals do. Morning comes, and on this new day, we're waking up here, in Siena. This city is one of one. It hasn't been reshaped or modernized. What you see here is the same structure that's guided daily life for centuries. And that history isn't just in the architecture. It lives in how the city is organized. Siena is divided into Contrare, 17 neighborhoods that function like extended families and define identity here. Each one has its own history, traditions, and rivalries, passed down generation to generation. We're here in late June, right as the city starts to come alive. The banners are going up, and the conversations are getting louder. Because everyone knows what's coming. The Palio. A horse race that's held in the central plaza that has defined this city for over 400 years. Months of buildup collapsing to 90 seconds of chaos. It's a lot to unpack. And to make sense of all of this, we did what you're supposed to do when you're in Italy. Called family. Meet Zio Stefano. Teo's uncle and Siena local. I am of Lupa. And the enemy of Lupa is Istrice. And my wife is of Istrice. All the people of Siena is one of this Contrada. For all the life. You're baptized in the church of the Contrada. And when you die, you have the last moment in the church of this Contrada. When you tour a city with a local, it's impossible to move fast. Every few steps turns into a conversation or a quick catch-up. But in a few hours, you still learn more than any guidebook could ever teach. We are the History Channel, so we'll save the details, thank Zio Stefano, and get back to what we know best. Cooking with grandmas. Meet Nona Nora and her daughter Cristiana. Two more Siena locals who invited us into their kitchen and garden. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown just steps away from where she cooks them. An intimacy with the ingredients that now feels almost expected here in Tuscany. It's food that moves straight from the ground to the table without interruption. Some of which is going into her panzanella. Ripe tomatoes, herbs, and whatever else the garden is giving used to bring stale bread back to life. And then, today's main dish. Puppete. Tuscan meatballs, pan fried until golden, served without sauce and without pasta. Because when they're done right, they don't need anything else. Instead, if one has been taught well as a child, the food is good because there is the teaching of the people who have known how to do it. I like to maintain this habit, this habit, you could say, because by learning from the grandmas, they remember it and they also make these recipes, which are very good for them. And for us. Then you pass it in the flour. You turn it a little more. Come on. It's beautiful. Good, good. I'm learning from all the grandmas. Little by little. Beautiful. Good? Wow, I understand. The word is international. If we tried to describe how good these recipes are, we'd end up doing them a disservice. You'll just have to go make them yourself. But we clean our plates as the day fades and leave feeling full in more ways than one. Sleep it off and wake up excited because there's one last place in Siena that we couldn't skip. This is one of the oldest salumerias in the world. And despite the sign saying no cameras allowed, Teo works some magic. And we're meeting with the owner, Antonio. He resonated with Ananá and agreed to tell us more about his story and give us the full experience of cured meats and cheeses that have been prepared here for generations. It's a pig that feeds on everything it finds free. So, from snakes, mice, bark, mushrooms, everything. Tartufo. Tuscan. Now, let's combine this with a piece of roast or fresh cheese. Olives from my tree in my house. Last night I was cutting the grass underneath. When I bought it, with the certificate, it was seven centuries old. Before the discovery of America, but without offending anyone. And now it's been 18 years. So, 718 years to this plant with the certificate. Here we are. This way or that way? This way. All right. Very good. Enjoy your meal. So good. Every ingredient here is curated with intention. It's the type of food that slows you down. And we took our time savoring every bite. It was only after making sure that we ate good that Antonio was willing to open up more about his story. Anyway, I've been here for 40 years. The one before me, after so many years, who was a man with a big belly, who was hungry just by looking at him. Then, having two younger sons, they didn't want to carry on the same job, the same father's job. So, this shop was for sale. I came to say hello and he said to me, look, from tomorrow on, this shop will be for sale. I've been here for 40 years. I've been here since 1985. The steps that go back and forth, I've changed 5 of them. Because they get used up. All of a sudden, they become more and more basic. This is our corridor. Back and forth. I'd like to thank you for your time today. Everything was great. It's a pleasure. I hope you were happy and satisfied. Very happy. I'd like to thank you, the operators, and I hope that we were of your help in our little shop. Thank you very much. Goodbye. Antonio had a shop to run and it was our time to get out of his way. But experiencing his Salumeria was a perfect bow on Siena. Now, we're back on the road, headed to our last stop. Right on the border of Tuscany and Umbria you'll find a small town that's easy to miss. But there's no other place that we could end this journey. This is Sansepolcro. And waiting for us here is someone you might already recognize. A Nona whose cooking has traveled far beyond this town. But we're meeting her here, where it all started. This is Nona Natalina. Miss Natalina was recently awarded in Florence as an ambassador for Italian and Tuscan traditions around the world. She's garnered 40 million views on social media with typical Tuscan recipes that she's cooked all her life. They brought me to this point, this Nona Natalina. She seems to be famous to me, absolutely. Let's put it simply, there aren't many complicated things. In our time, we learned to do a bit of everything. Pasta, ravioli, all these things, these normal countryside things. They'll make them everywhere, but our Tuscany is really attached to our things, to the things at home. Ah, this is the book? Yes, yes. I saw it, congratulations! You saw it? I saw it, I saw it on social media. I hadn't seen the book yet, but I saw that you sent it live. And how many recipes are there? 100, 200 recipes. We were lucky enough to film two of Nona Natalina's famous recipes, her spinach and ricotta ravioli and her fig crostata, both representative of why she's become an icon of Italian home cooking. But along with the two recipes, she was sending us off with her new cookbook with over 100 more recipes inside. That's the thing about this work, you step into a kitchen and you realize you're only scratching the surface. Every Nona holds a lifetime of knowledge that we could spend years documenting. It's an almost impossible task, but at this point, we're fully committed to it. Tuscany didn't announce itself to us, it revealed itself slowly. We came here on the move, road to road, town to town, and everywhere we stopped, the same thing kept happening. People made time. Meals stretched longer than planned and stories came out while hands stayed busy. From farmhouse tables to city streets, from local kitchens to ones the whole world seems to watch. Tuscany reminded us that tradition doesn't survive by standing still. It survives because the people keep showing up. Day after day, generation after generation. Our glimpse into this world-famous region was brief, but every part of it was real. Moments, meals, and people that will stay with us long after we leave. Thank you for the hospitality, Tuscany. I have a feeling we'll be back very soon. If you want, we can put you in the video. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm a cool guy. I ate nine meatballs, and that's all I've got to say about that. One and done. Thank you.