The Italian American Podcast

New Year's Eve is almost here and we at the Italian American Podcast thought we should bring in a special guest to help us point you in the direction of Italy's best "bubblies" so that when the Ball drops, and you pop the cork you could know exactly which Italian sparkling wine should be in your glass! But, Christian Galliani, Founder of 'Wine for the 99' (not to mention the co-founder of "Arthur...

Buon Natale Everybody! It's the most wonderful time of the year, a time for friends, food, famiglia... and the free-flowing conversations bound to come up when Dolores and Anthony get back on the mic at the Italian American Podcast. The duo that started it all have been pretty swamped these past few months, but in the days before Christmas they reunite with John and Pat and set out to record anoth...

Hoboken, NJ is considered a Mecca of Italian American Pastry, with something for everyone, from world-famous brands to the most authentic family-owned Pasticceria you could ask for! At Giorgio's Pasticceria Italiana, second generation pastry chef Mary Grace Castiello follows in the footsteps of her late father, the Pastry Shop's namesake Giorgio, in making sure that no matter how long the lines ge...

Why is Arthur Avenue, the Little Italy in the Bronx, NY, so unique amongst America's Italian enclaves? After a day of filming the newest episode of Greetings From Italian America, Rossella, Pat, and John sit down for a plate of fresh-made pasta with Danielle Oteri, the co-founder of 'Feast on History' and the 'Arthur Avenue Food Tours' to discuss just what makes this neighborhood so unique. They'l...

This week, in a special pre-recorded announcement, John and Pat will take a break from their Thanksgiving Eve preparations to sit down for a call to discuss the newest project from the Italian American Podcast... "Greetings From Italian America" a brand new web-series produced in conjunction with the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) in which your favorite Italian American podcasters wi...

As we approach Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas Season, John and Pat are spending an afternoon with one of their favorite Italian American friends, the award-winning singer, actress, and opera star Cristina Fontanelli, who brings her captivating personality into the IAP studio for an episode that's full of love and laughter from the very first moments... as Cristina tries to prevent Pat...

Rocco Deserto isn't blaming his mother for making him nuts... he's just revealing the humor behind his first generation Italian American upbringing! This week, Rossella and John are joined by the man known to the world as Rocco the Comic, and this triumvirate of Brooklyn Italians is setting out to understand why it feels so good when we Italian Americans can laugh at ourselves. They'll discuss the...

The United States population is equivalent to 4.27% of the total world population, yet we consume 90% of the opioids on earth.  Every single day we lose 150 Americans to opioid related deaths.  It's an epidemic that is ravishing our nation, and one that is little understood. This week, moderator John M. Viola sits down with longtime friend Dr. John Rosa, the founder of ' Overdose Free America ', a...

On this episode of the Italian American Podcast, we'll sit down with Filmmaker Antony Osso to discuss his award winning documentary  PIZZA SHOP: An Italian-American Dream - an intimate portrait of his family and the pizzeria and restaurant they have run for over forty years. Osso's film introduces us to his father Charlie and uncle Fred, poor immigrants from post-war Calabria, whose lives have rev...

Italian American Heritage Month is drawing to a close, and for our final episode of October, we're inviting in a few outside voices to join us as we try to untangle the often-in-the-news topic of Christopher Columbus, his legacy, the holiday that bears his name, and his meaning for the modern Italian American. As the "Columbus Question" continues to evolve within America's popular dialogue, many A...

This week we are coming at you from Cleveland, Ohio, one of America's most passionate Italian communities! In celebration of Italian American Heritage Month, our favorite moderator John M. Viola has been invited to speak to the Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation ( NOIA Foundation ) about the history of Southern Italy and its impact on the Italian American story. Recorded from a live present...

Happy Columbus Day everyone!  Or is it "Happy Indigenous Peoples Day"?  Or "Happy Italian American Heritage Day"? In recent years, a holiday that was celebrated for centuries without controversy (save for some of the garish green-white-and-red outfits it inspired) has become a hot-button issue that hits at the heart of Italian identity in America. As some communities opt to re-examine the legacy o...

For over one hundred episodes, we've talked, complained, gossiped, and wondered about the "Italian American Way", and now it's time to set pen to paper and see if we can't figure out exactly what that means in 21st Century America. As 'Italian American Heritage Month' kicks into full swing, John presents Pat with a project he's long sought to bring to fruition... an 'Italian American Identity Audi...

New Jersey native Cara Di Falco is a woman who knows that success is born of passion.  In just three short years, she's made her online series  ' Cara's Cucina' YouTube's first and ONLY Emmy Nominated cooking show! Di Falco's distinguished career on TV and radio (at News 12 NJ, Good Day NY on Fox5, and 1010 WINS radio) set the table for her expertly produced and highly entertaining foray into the...

Linda R. Carlozzi is known to many for her stellar legal career (she's even included on Crain's NY's list of 100 Leading Women Lawyers in New York City). But, to those of us in the Italian American community, her ubiquitous presence amongst the leadership of countless Italian American organizations might make one wonder exactly how this "Wonder Woman" finds the time for anything but being Italian....

It's mid-September in The Big Apple, and the air is filled with the smell of sausage and peppers and fresh frying zeppole, because 'a festa 'e tutte 'e feste'—'The Festival of All Festivals' has arrived! For eleven days each September, thousands descend on Mulberry Street in Manhattan's Little Italy for the Feast of San Gennaro, and this week, Rossella and John are invited to share a unique view i...

As the summer draws to a close, and the school year begins anew, co-hosts Rossella Rago and John Viola take their first crack at sharing hosting duties by welcoming Italo-Canadian MC, comedian, and social media superstar Giuseppe the MC to the show! If you haven't seen Toronto's #1 Paesan yet, you'll get a rundown of some of our favorite videos that made Giuseppe Meleca famous- his hilarious imper...

Labor Day is here, and with it comes not just the end of summer, but also the close of the "Italian American Feast Season", so join co-hosts John Viola and Pat O'Boyle as they decamp for the Sicilian American enclave of Lodi, New Jersey to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker and to discuss the Italian American contributions to the US Labor Movement. What begins as a thoughtful reflection...

On August 20, 2019, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned from his office, bringing to an end the strange fourteen-month experiment that was Europe's first "Populist Government".  So, on this week's Italian American Podcast, co-hosts John Viola and Pat O'Boyle attempt to tackle the timeless challenge of explaining Italian politics for the uninitiated. They'll discuss how Italy's "Second R...

ATTENTION FELLOW ITALIAN AMERICANS!  This week marks the first emergency broadcast for the Italian American Podcast.  Although the team was planning to take a week of rest and relaxation to celebrate the ultimate Italian vacation of Ferragosto, the wider world just wouldn't let us rest because during the week leading up to the holiday the Italian American community was in the news for a host of re...

On this week's episode of the Italian American Podcast, host John Viola sits down for an intimate one-on-one with filmmaker Robert Bruzio to discuss his much-talked-about new independent film "Bottom of the Ninth"- a very personal tale of an Italian American ball player taking a last shot at redemption, both on the diamond and in the old neighborhood. Bruzio's film- his feature-length writing debu...

Amore  is in the air on this week's episode of the Italian American Podcast, as our panel of co-hosts are joined by a special guest to explore the ins-and-outs of Italian American courtship! Rachel Russo- Dating and Relationship Expert, Professional Matchmaker, Relationship Coach, and proud Italian American- is the author of  The FabJob Guide to Become a Matchmaker  and  How to Get Over Your Ex: A...

On this week's episode of the Italian American Podcast, when one of the co-hosts makes a special announcement, the rest of the gang ponder what it would take to raise a "certifiably Italian American" child in the wild world of 21st century America.  Listen in on the secretly recorded telephone calls revealing the big news, then get down to the important questions, like whether or not to name a chi...

The one-and-only, often imitated never duplicated, original Italian American Podcast presents: the Centenario Spettacolore - 100th Episode Supershow! The Italian American Podcast is celebrating 100 episodes of Italian Pride, as Dolores, Rossella, Pat, and John gather around the table to share a few memories, a lot of laughs, and a sneak-peek at the ALL NEW Italian American Podcast coming your way!...

In our 99th episode of The Italian American Podcast we highlight some of our favorite clips from our first 98 episodes. We also discuss some of the new and exciting developments which have been going on with The Italian American Podcast. It's an episode full of fun, laughter, and heartwarming reflections that you should definitely check out. We both picked a few clips from some of our favorite epi...