The Italian Radio Hour

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Today, I have the joy of welcoming someone whose presence is as vibrant as her memories—Mary Ferro. A beloved music teacher, performer, and storyteller at heart, Mary is also the author of the newly published memoir From Calabria to Carnegie, Music for Bread. With deep roots in Pittsburgh’s Italian-American community, Mary’s life has been shaped by song, tradi...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Shy of a few days from opening its fifth location, today, I am joined by a Pittsburgh icon—Sam Patti, founder and owner of La Prima Espresso. For over three decades, La Prima has been more than just a coffee shop—it’s been a cultural hub, a gathering place, and a symbol of Italian heritage in the heart of the Strip District. But Sam’s story goes beyond espress...

Today, I had the privilege of speaking with Stefano Consiglio, the President of Fondazione CON IL SUD, an organization dedicated to fostering social innovation and sustainable development in Southern Italy. Since its establishment in 2006, the foundation has played a crucial role in empowering local communities, supporting social enterprises, and revitalizing underutilized resources, including pro...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour : Fasten your seatbelts! 1000 Miglia Experience Florida and The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) teamed up to bring the iconic car race to the US.Few events capture the essence of Italian excellence, elegance, and innovation quite like the 1000 Miglia. A symbol of style, precision, and sheer automotive passion, this legendary race has transcended bord...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - The 21st edition of the Italian Film Festival Usa is opening soon in selected cities throughout the United States to bring contemporary Italian movies to the public free, in the original language with English subtitles. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Lina Insana, Associate Professor of Italian at the University of Pittsburgh and Chair of the Itali...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Meet Adriana Gandolfi, an esteemed Italian anthropologist whose research has illuminated the cultural heritage of Abruzzo. Through her numerous publications, she has explored the region’s traditions, customs, and material culture, particularly its craftsmanship. Her book "Ori e Argenti d'Abruzzo" delves into the rich artistic history of gold and silverwork, re...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: Honor your Mother and your Grandmother! As we are celebrating International Women's Day on March 8th, we are bringing two Pittsburgh personalities whose work strongly impacts our local communities: Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award nominated journalist Natalie Bencivenga, editor, columnist, and radio host, and Rosa Verdiglione Davis, Executive Director of POWER (Penn...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - How much of the creation of America comes from the Romans? The connections are simply fascinating. And thanks to the the New Jersey Italian Heritage Committee, students can now experience a stimulating curriculum that is both universal and also preserves the worldwide cultural legacy of Italy. By integrating exciting and rich resources, schools now have a soli...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Who doesn't love a fresh, crunchy, not overly sweet sfogliatella? Are you also a big fan of the city of "Napoli"?Well, if you answered "yes" to either or both questions you are going to LOVE THIS EPISODE!Naples isn’t just a place; it’s an experience. It’s the sound of scooters weaving through narrow streets, the sight of laundry hanging between colorful buildi...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: Say "I do" in Italy with style! Valentine's Day is tomorrow and many will be "popping" the question. This week, I had the pleasure to speak with the dynamic duo Nicole Bono, and Tano Mina, founders of Bono Events International. GAETANO (aka) Tano is a seasoned cheese and wine sommelier, Nicole, whose unique upbringing, split between New York City and Florence,...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - What would happen if a landslide suddenly destroyed part of an ancient city and its immense patrimony? Join me in this fascinating conversation is Mark Dietrick Director of Services of Case Technologies. Since 2016, Case Technologies along with Volterra-Detroit Foundation and Autodesk have been working in Volterra, (Tuscany) with experts in 3D reality capture...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: For all the bread makers out there (professional and aspiring), this episode is for you (but also everyone else)!Do you know that in Italy there is a National Association of Bread Testers (INAP - Istituto Nazionale Assaggiatori Pani)?I had the true pleasure to speak at length with its President, Walter Cricri', who recently returned from a very important fo...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Holidays decorations have long been packed up. Daily routines have returned to be frantic but how do we build up and keep the spirit of kindness, gratitude, love, and acceptance all year around? Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Alessandro Grazioli, a passionate storyteller and cultural advocate hailing from Bergamo, Italy. Alessandro is the author o...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - For this first episode of 2025, we want to share a very special story. Meet Gessica Mancini, mother of three from a small town in Tuscany, called Cerreto Guidi. Ten years ago, Gessica was diagnosed with Parkinson. The medications that she was put on, would leave her sleepless at night, wondering what her life and the ones of their children would be with the pr...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - The Italian Americans of Los Angeles represent a very vibrant community of artists, agriculturalists, dreamers and outlaws, pioneers, and powerbrokers who have shaped every single facet of the Southern California megalopolis for two centuries but, still overlooked in both local and Italian American histories. Marianna Gatto, historian and Executive Director of...

Is owning property in Italy in your 2025 New Year Resolutions (or somewhere down the road)?Well, stop dreaming and start planning, as your Italian property journey awaits. In this episode, we catch up with our good friend and property consultant Nikki Taylor of Italy-Property Consulting. Nikki is an Australian-born property consultant transitioned herself from a career in investment banking to emb...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour : Italian American Holiday Traditions with Chris Fennimore from WQED and Laura Magone from The Wedding Cookie Table Community I’m thrilled to have had the the opportunity welcome two extraordinary guests who share a deep love for food, family, and culture to talk about their Holiday traditions. Chris Fennimore is a celebrated television personality, cookbook aut...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - In a shattered post WWII Italy, the Vatican instituted an orphan program that brought thousands of Italian children to the US to be adopted by American Catholics were eager to make the different in the lives of those Italian children coming from a very impoverished country. They thought they were saving orphans. They were wrong. Most of the children were not o...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - This week, after another successful week of Italian Cuisine in the World, we caught up with Roberta Marini del Plano, the New York Delegate of Accademia della Cucina Italiana. From virtual Carnevale dinners to promotion of healthy eating to the youth, to regional publications by the Accademia to Roberta's very own recipe for a tasty Thanksgiving turkey, this e...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - What does “Italian sounding” mean? This week, we discuss with Robert Campana, Founder of "Stop Italian Sounding" the ramifications of using an Italian sounding product name to induce consumers into erroneously associating the local product with the Italian one. This is done through the use of words, colors, images, and geographical references. These products a...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - What do jazz and Italian-American music have in common? Join my conversation with Vanessa Racci, a jazz and cabaret singer who brings a unique fusion of jazz and Italian-American classics to life. During this interview, she shares the story of the interconnection between the history of Italian American and African American communities in New Orleans - where It...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Is our path to success already written in the stars or sometimes we deviate form it, just to find ourselves unable to deny our calling? In this personal interview, world renowned mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti shares her own journey, her world travels, her secret for work-life balance, and confides how the saddest day in her life, turned out to be also the ha...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - In conversation with Marco Rafalà, an accomplished novelist and writer known for his captivating storytelling and deep exploration of cultural identity. His debut novel, "How Fires End", has garnered critical acclaim and was a finalist for the 2020 Connecticut Book Awards, as well as a winner of the 2021 Italian American Studies Association Book Award. Marco i...

Oct 14th-20th was the week dedicated to the Italian language and culture in the world. This week, we take 5mins to share this story by Italian journalist Anna Vitaliani about us, Istituto Mondo Italiano. Anna visited Pittsburgh this past summer and wanted to find, search, and research the Italian community in the "Burgh. She uncovered many stories, among others, the Pittsburgh Italian Scholarship...

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: Cannoli Crawl and Experience Sicily with Allison Scola. Meet Allison Scola, the visionary founder of both the Cannoli Crawl in NY and Experience Sicily. With a deep love for Sicilian culture and cuisine, Allison has created unique experiences that celebrate the rich traditions and flavors of Sicily. Her work not only brings people together to enjoy delicious ca...