GIADA DE LAURENTIIS RETURNS TO HER FAMILY'S HOMELAND AND SHOWCASES THE FOOD AND CULTURE OF FLORENCE IN NEW SEASON OF "GIADA IN ITALY," PREMIERING SUNDAY, APRIL 9TH AT 12PM ET/PT

NEW YORK - March 24, 2017 - Giada De Laurentiis celebrates her family, food and the beauty of Florence in a new season of Giada in Italy, beginning Sunday, April 9th at 12pm ET/PT on Food Network. From going behind-the-scenes with a celebrated Florentine chef and honoring her grandfather Dino De Laurentiis' connection to Florence to visiting local markets and creating memories with her daughter Jade and Nonna V, the series shares Giada's passion for all things Italy - especially the food. Each episode's recipes, including Spinach Branzino Puttanesca, Chianti Affogato and Pappa Al Pomodoro, are inspired by Giada's beloved homeland and family traditions.

Episodes are:

"When in Florence..." Premieres Sunday, April 9th at 12pm (all times ET/PT) Giada and her daughter Jade are in Florence to immerse themselves in the local culture, honor their family heritage and create new memories together. Giada shops at the local market, then heads back to their apartment, where she prepares a hearty and robust "first night" meal for them inspired by the food customs of the area, including One Pot Creamy Orzo, Seared Mushrooms with Wilted Arugula and Open-Faced Fruit Pie.

"Culinary Renaissance" Premieres Sunday, April 16th at 12pm Giada spends several days working in the restaurants of celebrated master Chef Fabio Picchi, where she shares knowledge and, in turn, learns the art of Florentine cuisine. When she gets back to her apartment, she creates an Italian menu with a California spin, making dishes like Prosciutto Broth with Farro and Spinach Branzino Puttanesca.

"Fava Beans and Chianti" Premieres Sunday, April 23rd at 12pm Giada's grandfather Dino De Laurentiis spent a fair amount of time in Florence shooting his movie Hannibal. Giada takes a walk down memory lane visiting some of the filming locations, then returns home to create a meal inspired by Dino and the Florence landscape: Asparagus and Grilled Melon Salad; Sausage, Chianti and Fava Bean Spaghetti and Chianti Affogato.

"Passion for Fashion" Premieres Sunday, April 30th at 12pm Before Milan, Florence was the center of the Italy's fashion world. There are fashion influences all over the city, and since Giada herself is a fashion enthusiast, she hosts a cocktail party on a terrace near Florence's famed Duomo and creates a fashionable menu with Crab Arancini, Avocado White Bean Dip and Grappa Poached Pears with Speck.

"Sweet Masters" Premieres Sunday, May 7th at 12pm Florence is the city of masters: master chefs, master artists, master scientists, and master visionaries. Giada learns the art of cannoli-making from a Southern Italian pastry maker living in Florence, then heads to her home away from home to create a unique filling with Chocolate Amaretto, as well as a few other masterful desserts like Baci Ice Cream Sandwiches and Aperol Spritz Slushies.

"Good Night Florence" Premieres Sunday, May 14th at 12pm One of the best things about visiting Italy is that Giada's daughter Jade gets to spend time with her Nonna V, who lives in Rome. When Nonna V travels to Florence for a visit, Giada creates a lovely dinner to be shared as the sun goes down over the Ponte Vecchio. The menu includes Italian dishes with a twist like Burrata and Strawberry Bruschetta, Grilled Artichokes with Bagna Cauda and Pappa Al Pomodoro.

Viewers inspired by Giada's travels can see photos from the show and try the recipes that celebrate her Italian heritage at FoodNetwork.com/GiadaInItaly. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #GiadaInItaly.

Giada in Italy is produced by Linguine Pictures.

# # #

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is the #2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.9 million readers. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24-hour networks in the United Kingdom, Asia, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Scripps Networks Interactive (NASDAQ: SNI), which also owns and operates Cooking Channel (www,cookingchanneltv.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com) and Great American Country (www.gactv.com), is the manager and general partner.