The Italian American Podcast

In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, we talk to former Mets pitcher John Franco about his childhood years and the sacrifices that his parents made for him which contributed to his success in his career.  John also discusses his involvement in the Italian American Baseball Foundation. About our Guest John Anthony Franco  (born September 17, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball left-h...

Ciao paisani! Gear up for an all new episode of the Italian American Power Hour with a brand-new segment we're calling Greetings from Italian America!  Let's face it, even though everyone in the Power Hour Team calls New York and New Jersey home, we know that in every inch of this great country of ours, from sea to shining sea, we Italian Americans have created vibrant and distinct communities and...

In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, we welcome back our good friend  Mickela Mallozzi, four-time Emmy® Award-winning Host and Executive Producer of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi , through which she travels around the world and learns the dances of different regions. In this episode, we talk about the importance of DNA testing and heritage travel and how engaging in these endeavors c...

Buon Anno and Happy 2019 to all of our paisani out there!  This first episode of the New Year is the fourth and final part of our four-part Power Hour series on Italian American history.  John, Pat and Dolores reunite to reveal the books behind their knowledge of the Italian American experience. We bet you can't listen to this episode without adding at least one of these amazing works to your home...

In this final episode of 2018 for "The Italian American Podcast," we recap this past year and discuss some of our favorite episode highlights. We also talk about the launching of "The Italian American Power Hour" and some of our favorite posts in our private Facebook Group - "The New Neighborhood - A Place for Italian Americans." In our stories segment, we once again feature Mallorie Vaudoise, a B...

Chingedy ching, hee haw, hee haw! Christmas Eve is right around the corner and there's no better way to kick off the holiday than joining us back at the table for Part Two of the Italian American Power Hour Christmas Eve Spectacular.  As we wind down our incredible fish feast and polish off the last drops of far too much homemade vino, our conversation starts anew as we explore some of the non-cul...

A great big Buon Natale to all of our paisani out there because this is Part One of the Italian American Power Hour Christmas Eve Spectacular!  Join the Fab Five (and some of their spouses) as we sit down for a very special pre-Christmas Eve fish feast and dig into the ins and outs of what makes the Italian American Christmas Eve fish feast so special. We'll talk about our family menus, the histor...

This is the Italian American Podcast, and in this episode, Dolores Alfieri Taranto talks to Dr. Christopher Fasano, who is our co-host Anthony Fasano's brother. We talk about a subject called "blood memory", otherwise known as "genetic memory," and how this influences who we are today. Today' segment features Mallorie Vaudoise, a Brooklyn-based spiritualist and author of the blog, ItalianFolkMagic...

The moment you've all been waiting for is finally here! Part Three of the Power Hour's Four-Part History of the Italian American Experience has arrived.  This week, our entire team reassembles for a boisterous meal at one of our favorite Italian American restaurants to bring you 'Americans of Italian Descent: 1941 – Present'. We will dig into the latest chapter in the Italian American story with t...

In this episode, we're speaking with Italian American comedian Mike Vecchione, who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon , Comedy Central and more. We talk about how his family supported his journey to comedy and how this love and support helped him to become the man he is today. About our Guest Mike Vecchione was born in Youngstown, Ohio and graduated High School in Boca Raton, Flori...

Hot on the heels of Part 1,  Before We Were Italians: 1492 – 1890, of our four-part Power Hour series on Italian American history, join John, Pat, and Dolores as they delve into Part 2 with "Italians in America: 1890-1941." If you enjoyed Part 1, you won't want to miss this next chapter in the Italian American story, covering the Great Migration, the New Orleans lynchings, the Italian American rol...

Put on your history hats paisani, and gear up for the Power Hour's version of Italian American history!  This week, in part one of a four-part series, John, Pat, and Dolores hunker down to disseminate their take on the major moments and movements on the Italian American story. In what is sure to be some of the most scholarly episodes the Power Hour will ever produce, we seek to dig out some lesser...

In this episode , we speak with Val DiFebo, CEO of Deutsch New York. We talk about defying stereotypes, working hard, and putting family first, and how doing so has helped DiFebo bring so much value to her career, as well as her personal life.  Val is known in the business world for her equally honest and endearing demeanor, having a reputation for straight talk with her clients and compassion wit...

In this fourth episode of the Italian American Power Hour, John, Pat, Stephanie and Rossella, discuss the many familiar brands and Italian American products that are intrinsically and uniquely associated with the Italian American experience.  We discuss the roles they played in forming our community's sense of identity, how their development reflected our community's own, and the hold they still h...

In this episode of The Italian American Podcast, we speak with Mark Sullivan, author of 18 novels including Amazon's most sold book, "Beneath a Scarlet Sky,"  which is based on true events. Sullivan talks about what made him decide to tell this wonderful story. The book takes place in Italy during World War II and tells of how an Italian man named Pino Lella saved the lives of many Jews during the...

In this episode, we're speaking with best-selling author, manifesting expert, keynote motivational speaker, and master life coach Sarah Centrella about her book, "Hustle Believe Receive," and how everyone can make their dreams reality when they're not afraid to take action. She also talks about how she was able to take an inspiring trip to Italy with her children, as a single mother, and she outli...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Aileen Riotto Sirey, one of the founders and the first president of the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW). She discusses the role of Italian American women before, during, and after the feminist movement, as well as her own journey straying from then returning to embracing her heritage. In the story segment, Dolores reads a segment from Dr. S...

This is the second episode of the Italian American Power Hour. These episodes will air periodically and will feature Italian Americans talking about the Italian American community today and current cultural topics. In this episode we talk about the long-debated subject around sauce vs. gravy. We discuss the different opinions around this topic and how this relates to who we are as a community, but...

In this episode of The Italian American Podcast, we answer a variety of listeners' questions. We love hearing from our listeners! In fact, we had so many questions come in response to our request, we plan to do more Q&A episodes in the future. We had a great time recording this episode!

In this episode of " The Italian American Podcast,"  which is the second episode of "The Italian American Power Hour," we discuss going back to Italy as Italian Americans. We talk about traveling to Italy, the Italian culture, how Italy has changed, and whether or not people still speak Italian in Italy (hint: we talk about regional languages). At the end of the show, we give you a few tips that y...

This is the Italian American Podcast and, in this episode, we're talking to the very talented singer, dancer, percussionist, director and author, Alessandra Belloni. We talk about really interesting topics focused around some of the Southern Italian tradition of tarantism. "The "bite of the tarantula" was a myth applied to a condition familiar to women through the centuries who experienced abuse,...

This is the first full episode of the Italian American Power Hour. These episodes will air periodically and will feature Italian Americans talking about the Italian American community today and current cultural topics. In this episode we will be dissecting the Italian American wedding today versus years ago. Times have changed dramatically since our parents had their weddings, years ago.  In this...

In this episode of The Italian American Podcast , we talk with two guests who are both listeners of the podcast and who both have a passion for their heritage that they have turned into very special projects focused on keeping Italian American traditions alive . Our first guest is Dominic Condo, author of  A Little of This and Some of That: Recipes and Memoirs from an Italian-American Food Blogger...

In this episode of The Italian American Podcast , we will be introducing a brand new segment of the show called the Italian American Power Hour . The hosts of this segment will be John Viola and Patrick O'Boyle. They are both very passionate and active members of the Italian-American community and will be talking about Italian American related issues based on their perspectives as young Italian Am...

In this episode of The Italian American Podcast , we talk with two Italian American authors about their connection to their heritage and how they are helping to keep the Italian American traditions alive. In the main segment, we speak with Joseph Luzzi, writer and Professor of Comparative Literature at Bard College, where he also teaches in the Italian Studies and Film programs. In the stories seg...