It’s hard to get something about Sicily past me without me recognizing it right away, so when watching CNN the past couple of days (for obvious reasons/I usually avoid TV news), when I saw the promotional spot for Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy show that premiers in February, I said, “Wait, that’s the Mother Church in Bagheria!”
It is on screen for two seconds, but because my grandmother was born in Bagheria and my cousin was married in the church… And I’ve walked down the Corso Umberto countless times, it was an easy call. Here I am doing just that! (Photo by my cousin Filippo Buttitta.)
My guess is, Tucci visited town to taste its outstanding sfincione (maybe at Panificio Ragusa) and perhaps visit Villa Palagonia. We’ll find out! And although I did ride in the same subway car on the 1 train in New York City with Tucci once (Like most New Yorkers, I smiled at him from across the isle and left it at that.), if I’d seen him in Bagheria, I would have loved to chat him up!
