The famous Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci, known for his passion for food, has found himself at the centre of a heated debate following the broadcast of his latest TV series “Tucci in Italy”, dedicated to food and wine tourism in Italy. The enormous visibility the show has given to certain city locations is said to have triggered an uncontrolled and often disrespectful wave of gastronomic tourism.

In Florence, for example, this phenomenon risks having a serious impact on the city’s historic “buchette del vino” — the small wine windows once used to sell wine directly to the public. A recent article in Drink Business reported how the increase in tourist numbers has led to behaviour that shows little respect for these local symbols, with crowds gathering to take photos or drink near the buchette, creating disturbance for residents and businesses.