The Italian American Podcast

An Italian American with Confederates in the famiglia ? The branches of our family trees often contain mysteries and secrets that are lost until future generations decide to investigate them. This is precisely the case with this week's episode as we talk with Joe Elia, one of the delegates to the inaugural Italian American Future Leaders Conference . Joe explains that during his genealogical sleut...

Spring seems to have arrived in many parts of the country, and for countless Italian Americans, these early days of new life mean it's time to get gardening!  In many cases, those Italian American gardens will soon be bursting with fruits and vegetables that have been passed down through generations of seed saving. But for one Italian American in particular, the lessons learned watching Nonno and...

Francesca Costa's name should never have been remembered.  In fact, had it not been for her great-niece's steadfast and unwavering love, any remembrance of Francesca's life would have been lost to time -- and that's exactly how the rest of her family wanted it. Italian American author Karen Tintori joins us this week to discuss her 2007 work, "Unto the Daughters."   This chilling and sobering acco...

As we are about to embark on the solemn celebration of the Easter Triduum, for many Italian Americans, Holy Thursday means a day spent in the kitchen lovingly recreating recipes handed down from generation to generation. This week's guest, Stefano Arturi, knows a thing or two about recreating recipes. The author of the ⁠Italian Home Cooking Blog⁠ , Stefano divides his time between Italy and London...

Louisiana native Charles Marsala has done a lot to promote the history of Italian life in the Bayou State.   From creating hours of documentary videos to a mobile app that provides a free walking tour of over sixty Italian American points of interest in and around the Crescent City , the President of the American Italian Federation of the Southeast never rests in his efforts to promote the immense...

As winter begins to thaw, and the start of spring arrives, a certain segment of the American population usually begins to experience a familiar type of "madness" as the second most popular sporting event of the year hits the airwaves. But did you know that college basketball might not annually grip the nation with "March Madness" had it not been for an Italian American? And chances are his is a na...

Buona festa di San Giuseppe, everyone! This week's episode takes us to New Orleans, where our guest, Sandra Scalise Juneau, introduces us to Louisiana's very special commemoration of one of Italian America's most beloved holidays… St. Joseph's Day! Sandra is the author of " Celebrating with St. Joseph Altars: The History, Recipes, and Symbols of a New Orleans Tradition ," which tells the story of...

Have you ever wondered if your family tree might include a famous name amongst its many branches?  A celebrated figure…a Duke, a King… perhaps even a Pope? This week's guest stumbled upon a "who's who" of Italian nobility when he began researching his family history nearly 20 years ago, and now he's dedicated his life to helping his fellow Italian Americans in their quest to discover their ancesto...

When it comes to Italian American heritage, each one of the fifty nifty United States that make up our union has its own unique Italian American community and culture. Despite this, only two states—Delaware and New Jersey—have official, state-wide Italian American representation, guaranteeing our history and culture will be taught to current and future generations. This week's guests, Robert DiBia...

Happy Valentine's Day, paesani !  We're celebrating the "Day of Amore" with a somewhat unusual episode we hope you enjoy… and that perhaps some of you can even relate to! You see, we here at the Italian American Podcast really are one big famiglia .  The conversations we have on air are only the icing on the cake for a group of cumpari who spend an inordinate amount of time chatting, complaining,...

We're kicking off a new project at the Italian American Podcast as we set out to collect the unique oral histories of the many fascinating Italian Americans from around the nation who we encounter daily. This new initiative, called "Paesani of Interest: Italian American Stories," kicks off this week with Warren Ciabattoni. Born in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, in a community that was decidedly not Ital...

From Rocky Balboa to Botticelli, the City of Brotherly Love is one of America's proudest Italian American locales, and this week's guest is just the person to tell us how it came to be. Andrea Canepari is an Italian diplomat currently serving at the Directorate General for Country Promotion of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rome. He was Ambassador of Italy in the Dominican Republic fr...

When it comes to celebrating our Italian American culture, sometimes you need to capture every moment as it happens. Such is the case for this week's guest, Frank Di Piero. Frank is the host of "Keepin' It Real with Frankie D." at ItalianAmericanLife.com . With more than 100 "Italian American Moments" to his credit, Frank believes in making our culture accessible to all. In this week's episode, we...

For many of us who are active in the Italian American community, there exists a common, existential fear, a constant refrain that can be heard at Lodge meetings and Sunday dinners alike… "The young people aren't interested in being Italian!" But we decided to challenge this terrifying assumption by providing an opportunity for Italian America's most dedicated young leaders to meet, mingle, and con...

Panic has beset the Italian American Community!! Pastina -- the ultimate Italian American comfort food  -- has gone the way of the Dodo!!!  Only… it hasn't! When an Italian American thinks of pastina, especially during these cold winter months, it brings one back to the comforts of childhood, a cozy day in bed, and Nonna's healing touch. But this week, when Ronzoni pasta announced it was discontin...

Close your eyes and try to rate it.  That crunchy, sticky, subtly sweet cloud of confection… The pillowy perfection known as torrone candy… Whether at the holiday table, a wedding or feast, or on the ball top at a summer feast, it's a taste that every Italian American knows. This week's guests are responsible for bringing that taste to paesani near and far, thanks to their unique way of marketing...

Are YOU part of the Struffoli Squad? These beloved Neapolitan confections, deep fried and coated in a sticky sweet sheen of freshly warmed honey, are often considered an essential part of an Italian American Christmas, but for this week's guest, they're special enough to earn the title of "show stopper." Annie Petito is one of the incredibly talented culinarians behind Cook's Illustrated , perhaps...

Music always plays an outsized role in getting us in the "Holiday Spirit," and this year, Christmas in Italian America will have a distinctly Sicilian sound thanks to one very devoted Sicilian American songstress. In this conclusion of our two-part episode with special guest Michela Musolino, we learn more about her new Christmas album, "La Notti Triunfanti"… The Triumphant Night!  Michela tells u...

For many of us, the music of the motherland and the songs that Italian Americans have contributed to the American soundtrack serve as a way to reconnect to our heritage.  But for this week's guest, preserving and sharing that music isn't just a passion; it's a mission she has given her life to. Michela Musolino grew up in a household where Sicilian was spoken so that the children wouldn't be able...

Deep into a successful career in the exhilarating world of auditing, Italian American serial-achiever Michele Di Pietro decided she needed more out of life.  And so, at nearly double the age of most entrants, this life-long lover of the art of "feeding others" decided to head off to culinary school. Today, Michele is an entrepreneur, classically-trained chef, culinary consultant, food writer, cook...

Sometimes in life, we have occasions to pause and take stock of the good we can do in the world around us. For this week's guest, it was two particular occasions (when she received TWO double lung transplants at University of South Florida-Tampa General Hospital) that inspired her to say "Grazie" to both the hospital that saved her life and the ancestral island that gave it its culture! Dr. Rosema...

This week's legendary guest is no stranger to our show, and this week she's here to celebrate the release of her latest book, " Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook! "  and celebrate her 30th season as TV's longest-running cooking show host! Chef, author, and Italian American icon Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the nationally televised PBS series Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito™   an...

Food is Love! The concept might just be one of the few things every Italian on earth can agree on. But, for this week's guest, it's also a mission statement! Alessandra Aiello was born in Vico Equense near Napoli, and was minding her own business raising her three daughters, and focusing on her family when COVID quarantine inspired her to start filming herself as she cooked each day, as a way to p...

Ciao Paesani… and Greetings from the corner of Mulberry and Grand Streets, at the heart of Manhattan's Little Italy, and the future home of the Italian American Podcast! That's right, we're on location in the soon-to-be world-class headquarters for all things Italian American, and before we even break ground on building our dream home, we wanted to kick the tires on life at the heart of New York's...

Italians have been a force in jazz almost since the music was born, and this week's guest is no exception! Vanessa Racci has dedicated her career to being an ambassador not only for her Italian heritage but also for the heritage of jazz music. Vanessa grew up in Westchester County, New York amid an Italian American family that steeped her in Italian song, theater music, and jazz, which allowed her...