The Foods That Filled Stanley Tucci's Childhood Summers

Stanley Tucci is an Italian-American actor, writer, and TV host who was born in New York in 1960, per Simon and Schuster. The beloved star's interests don't only lie in Hollywood, as Tucci is also a foodie. He has starred in many films, including the foodie movie "Julie & Julia," which centers around Julia Child. Tucci is also a host of CNN's Emmy-nominated foodie show "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," in which he travels across Italy in order to discover and showcase some of the country's most famous dishes, ingredients, and different regional cuisines. 

Tucci recently partnered with San Pellegrino, announcing on Instagram that his newest S. Pellegrino Summer campaign will give people a chance to "embrace the Italian way of life this summer" with a $10,000 sweepstakes to spend on a month-long vacation in Italy. The prize mimics the Italian tradition of their Ferragosto in August, coming from the Latin term Feriae Augusti (the festivals of the Emperor Augustus), which nowadays marks the peak of Italian summer holiday season, per The Local. But the cash and a month-long holiday are not the only prizes available, as the winners will also receive a huge box of S. Pellegrino and S. Pellegrino Essenza.

As an ambassador of sorts for the Italian summer season, Tucci has opened up about his all-time favorite summer dishes.

In an interview with Parade, Tucci shared that for him, Lake Como is the most beautiful place in Italy, and his favorite summer drink is, of course, San Pellegrino Essenza with a lemon zest flavor. However, he's also fond of wines from the region of Piedmont. And what's the most exciting thing to do during summer in Italy? As Tucci told People, it's going to the store and buying fresh, seasonal produce such as beans, zucchini, or tomatoes. He also suggests adding basil to the combination and making a refreshing summer salad. 

Tucci told People that he ate crabs and corn on the cob when he was a child, and he has fond memories of his mother's pasta dish consisting of quartered tomatoes marinated in olive oil, garlic, and basil. The tomatoes were mixed with pasta and goat cheese, ricotta, or parmesan for a simple and delicious summer meal. A few more additional ingredients, such as stale bread, vinegar, or oregano, and the omission of pasta from the equation, and his mother would've made traditional Italian tomato-and-bread-based salads, such as the Tuscan panzanella, or the tasty Lucanian and Pugliese salad called cialledda. 

All that's left now is to see who will win the S. Pellegrino Summer campaign and possibly try Tucci's favorite dishes while vacationing in beautiful Italy and sipping San Pellegrino.