The Italian Radio Hour

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Venice, the city of water. For centuries Venice has been made famous by the material that most profoundly represents its enchanting history and fluid terrain, glass. As early as the nineteen eighties, Stephano and Daniele Attombri caught much attention and acclaim with their unique design that seems to move amid the fertile terrain of both fashion and fine art. The Attombri brothers work within a particular contemporary key. A skillful balance has been struck between the materials of old and new and the blend of both traditional Venetian technique and innovation. Venetian antiquity merges with ethnic patterning, mythology and avant-garde style. The surprising selection of materials such as copper, silver and Murano glass beads of old intertwine to render a look that is timeless.

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Ready to pack your bags and head to Venice? This week, we connected with Monica Cesarato, food blogger, guide extraordinaire, podcaster, and much more to talk about "Andar per bacari"...aka, how and where to go to try authentic Venetian "finger foods" (cichetti). Her tours and also book with the same title, will be a great (and delicious) way to discover Venice in a more authentic way.

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: "Tracing threads and weaving stories" with Luci Callipari-Marcuzzo Of Calabrian origin, Luci Callipari-Marcuzzo is a multi-disciplinary artist, mother, researcher, arts worker, curator, and writer, based near Mildura in Northwest Victoria, Australia. Via a variety of disciplines, Luci makes artifacts utilizing traditional women’s modes of making: sewing, embroidery, and crochet, reinventing these notions through her practice, reclaiming these practices through memory and intention. The work is a manifestation of the hopes, dreams, and desires of migrant women, and also, their lived realities. It strives to honor their voices which were often silenced by the dominant gender roles within the Italian Calabrian diaspora.

"POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS" - Directed by Zac Baliva (Executive Producer John Tuturro), this full lengthy documentary gives voice to the untold stories of families what were victims of the Proclamations by President Roosevelt which authorized the United States to detain allegedly potentially dangerous enemy aliens. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies arrested thousands of suspected enemy aliens, mostly individuals of German, Italian, or Japanese ancestry, living throughout the United States.

WINNER - 2021 Russo Bros. Italian American Film Forum

BEST DOCUMENTARY - 2022 Ferrara Film Festival

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Let's cook with best selling author Frances Mayes, who returns to The Italian Radio Hour to talk about her new cookbook: PASTA VELOCE - Under the Tuscan Sun inspired recipes easy to make in a cinch! During our conversation, we will talk about the making of Under the Tuscan Sun and her residence Bramasole, her life in Cortona (Italy), and a special appearance by Frances' husband Ed to talk about Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: TINA, MAFIA SOLDIER. In conversation with Sicilian writer Maria Rosa Cutrufelli and Robin Pickering-Iazzi, Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and translator of the book. Sicily, 1980s: When she was just eight years old, Tina watched as her father, a member of Cosa Nostra, was murdered in cold blood. Now a teenager, she terrorizes her hometown of Gela, having made it her mission to join the mafia, an organization traditionally forbidden to women as made members. Nicknamed ’a masculidda, or “the tomboy,” Tina has taken charge of her own clan, and is notorious for her cruelty and reckless disregard for societal expectations. When a news article is published about Tina’s latest crimes, a teacher living in Rome feels compelled to write a novel about her—even though it means returning to her native Sicily to gather material. She and Tina circle around each other in a dangerous dance of obsession and violence until their first, and last, explosive meeting. This groundbreaking exploration of gender identity and clear-eyed presentation of an unseen side of the mafia is a landmark literary achievement by one of Italy’s feminist icons. Subscribe for FREE to the Italian Radio Hour on YouTube Channel and get automatically notified about new content! https://www.youtube.com/@theitalianradiohour Maria Rosa Cutrufelli Robin Pickering-Iazzi Italian-Program UW-Milwaukee Istituto Mondo Italiano - Centro di cultura italiana The Italian Radio Hour

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - A conversation with Marina Marchese, Italian trained honey sensory expert and author of The Honey Connoisseur, a conversation that will span from her passion that started with Italian bees, honey tasting and bee keeping! An interesting conversation not to be missed! #italianbees #honey #beekeeping #queenbee

From Calabria to Sharpsburg, the story of Pete's father, Pietro Ferraro and his mission to bring recorded messages of hope and joy to the United States as an immigrant in 1966. In doing so, he unknowingly immortalizes a generation of Italians through rare audio recordings and more than 50 years later we see its impact on the next generation living in the U.S.

How does USA made pasta hold up to their Italian counterparts? Meet Sfoglini pasta! Sfoglini combines the very best of Italian technique and American ingredients: traditional bronze dies and plates, beautiful pasta shapes, great porosity! Pasta is also slow-dry to preserve both flavor and nutrients. Sfoglini sources fifteen organic durum semolina pastas from the best in North American organic grains and local and small farms to produce various seasonal pastas throughout each year. While interviewing Sfoglini’s Co-Founder Scott Ketchum, we cooked their cascatelli in a cream, pancetta, and coffee grinds (yes, you heard me!) for a real time test and the result was simply delicious. The pasta held not only its beautiful "waterfall" shape but the sauce and a nice al dente bite! Try to believe!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: REMEMBERING THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE. As the City of New York is preparing to commemorate the 112th anniversary of the Triangle Factory Fire where 146 mainly young immigrant women lost their lives, trapped in the building, we caught up with Mary Anne Trasciatti, President of the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, and a Professor of Rhetoric and Director of the Labor Studies program at Hofstra University in Long Island. Mary Anne talks about the impact this tragedy had on current safety and labor laws, what the commemoration will look like THIS FRIDAY, the construction of the Memorial that will unveiled later in the year and the impact this event had on the collective through the essays contained in "TALKING TO THE GIRLS". To learn more: https://rememberthetrianglefire.org/commemoration/ ABOUT THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was the site of one of the worst workplace tragedies in American history. On March 25, 1911, fire broke out at the factory, which occupied the top three floors of the ten-story Asch Building, in Greenwich Village, New York City. At the time, there were over 500 employees—most were young women; most were recent immigrants. The fire began on the 8th floor; most workers on the eighth and tenth floors were able to escape. However, those on the 9th floor, where the rear door was locked to prevent theft, were trapped. The locked exit, the collapse of the fire escape, and the inability of the fire truck ladders to reach above the sixth floor, resulted in the death of 146 workers, mostly young women. Many of the victims jumped to their death, rather than remain in the burning building. ABOUT Mary Anne Trasciatti She is co-editor Talking to the Girls: Intimate and Political Essays on the Triangle Fire (New Village Press, 2022), with Edi Giunta. She is also a co-editor of Where Are the Workers?: Labor’s Stories at Museums and Historic Sites (University of Illinois Press, 2022). Trasciatti is the daughter and granddaughter of garment workers, and has devoted more than a decade to advocating for the creation of a Triangle Fire Memorial. In her work, she is inspired by the discipline of rhetoric as a tool for knowledge creation, community building, and social advocacy. ABOUT Talking to the Girls: Intimate & Political Essays on the Triangle Fire A powerful collection of diverse voices, Talking to the Girls: Intimate and Political Essays on the Triangle Fire brings together stories from writers, artists, activists, scholars, and family members of the Triangle workers. Nineteen contributors from across the globe speak of a singular event with remarkable impact. One hundred and eleven years after the tragic incident, Talking to the Girls articulates a story of contemporary global relevance and stands as an act of collective testimony: a written memorial to the Triangle victims. Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition: https://rememberthetrianglefire.org/

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - BONUS INTERVIEW on The Italian Radio Hour: We continue our conversation on Remember the Triangle Fire with Alessia Crucitelli, the Director of the short "Leaving the Factory" , winner at Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum and film leading actress Roberta Sparta. With "Leaving the Factory," the filmmakers have created a story that humanizes the historical tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911, which caused the death of more than 120 women and girls who were trapped inside the facilities. A major focus of Alessia's film is to change how Americans view the early history of feminism and worker rights by examining the important contributions that Italian textile worker women made on behalf of the movement".

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: In conversation with Larry Richert (Producer of the documentary) and Bruno's son Darryl Sammartino.  

Not only Bruno's achievements as an athlete with unprecedented sold out matches at Madison Square Garden as a headliner but also how his story on how he and his family escape from the tragedies of WWII, have made Bruno Sammartino a great inspirational figure for people all over the world.  

Bruno was the son of Italian immigrant parents, who looked out at that world of privileged fame with the eyes of a boy whose family fled the Nazi invasion of their home in Italy, feared for their lives at the hands of Hitler’s SS Troop’s, were nearly machine gunned to death execution style and suffered malnutrition and near-fatal illness only to arrive in a country where his inability to speak the language and his poor physical health as a 13 year old 75 pound that made him a focus of ethnic ridicule and an easy target of schoolyard bullies.  ​ 

Throughout his life, Bruno faced his own moments of challenge both in and out of the wrestling ring. This documentary provides an in-depth look at the man who holds honor above fame and dignity above fortune. It provides Bruno the opportunity to share the truth behind the speculation and allows others intimately involved with his life to share their experiences about the man behind the titles.  Historic images and films plus recreations supplement the interviews and provide a chronological thread for detailing Bruno’s improbable rise to become the strongest man in the world. 

Additionally, Arnold Schwarzenegger flew from a movie set in California to Madison Square Garden just to induct Bruno into the WWE Hall-Of-Fame in 2013.

Watch the video interview at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MofPhnAKDgQ

www.istitutomondoitaliano.org

This week on The Italian Radio Hour:   A conversation with The Gladiator Guide" aka Alexander Mariotti aka "The GLADIATOR GUIDE. Alexander is an award-winning Roman Historical Consultant and a leading speaker on gladiatorial life, combat, and weaponry.  We will learn interesting and less known facts about Gladiators, as well as when to see Gladiators parading downtown Rome, and much more! 

Watch the video interview and Subscribe to:  The Italian Radio Hour YouTube Channel to be notified on new episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@theitalianradiohour/ 

Also, you can listen to your favorite interviews on several Podcast platforms:  

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mYlqNsak97BEEXpwtdaod Alexander Mariotti #thegladiatorguide

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - A wonderful conversation with Susan Everett Gravely, Founder and Creative Director of Vietri, and internationally acclaimed author Frances Mayes as they share stories about Italy, Food, and Friendship to accompany the publication of Susan's new memoir and cookbook "Italy on a Plate". Foreword by Francis Mayes.

Want to watch the video interview? Head to: https://youtu.be/3XWMRgdoSjI

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Grazia D'Annunzio joins us to talk about Italian Fashion through her recent production "Italian Fashion from A to Z" available for free on YouTube. Each week, Grazia presents a different designer in a concise, informative and engaging way providing enough information to want to rewatch each episode twice or...watch a few more at the time!  

Watch our video interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UuiFgHOqLt4

For more information: Istituto Mondo Italiano: www.istitutomondoitaliano.org Italian Fashion from A to Z: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJwMxUCxY04akTxv8a8dY4Q

This week on The Italian Radio Hour  in Conversation with Laura Caparrotti, Director and Writer of "Tutti in Scena", the first documentary about the history of the beginning of the Italian Theater in NYC told by today's Italian Theater Company in NY, Kairos Italy Theater.  

Thru the work of Malzone, Maiori, Farfariello, Cordiferro, Antonietta Pisanielli, Ria Rosa and many others, Laura documents the development of the first amateur and professional theaters in NYC as well as the role that theater had in the immigrant community, family life and social conscience of those times.   

About Laura Caparrotti: 

Laura is the Founding Artistic Director of the main Italian Theater Company in NY Kairos Italy Theater and of In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY, the first Italian Theater Festival to take place in all 5 NY Boroughs. In 2019 Laura inaugurated On Stage! the first American Theater Festival in Rome as a associate director.  Among Laura's many characters, one of our favorite is  Miss Margherita, a despotic teacher-diva, who has a unique method for teaching Italian through the ABCs of what everyone knows about Italy: “A” equals “amore,” “B” equals “buono,” “C” equals “citta,” and so on.  After Miss Margherita finishes reciting Dante’s poetry and scenes from Italian plays, singing old and new Italian songs, comparing regional differences, and demonstrating her impeccably correct pronunciation, everyone will know absolutely everything they ever need to know about the Italian language,” the library states.  

Video interview available on The Italian Radio Hour YouTube Channel:

For more information: Tutti in scena : https://tuttiinscena.com/ KIT Theater: https://kitheater.com/profile/laura-caparrotti/

Today’s conversation topic is Hollywood’s Italian American Filmmakers: Capra, Scorsese, Savoca, Coppola, and Tarantino, a wonderful publication written by Jonathan Cavallero.  Jonathan is an Associate Professor and Chair of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies at Bates College and the Founding Director of the Bates Film Festival.  In his book, Jonathan explores the different ways in which Italian American directors from the 1920s to the present  have responded to their ethnicity. While some directors have used film to declare their ethnic roots and create an Italian American "imagined community," others have ignored or even denied their background.

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Prof Edvige Giunta On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Asch Building in Greenwich Village, New York. The top three floors housed the Triangle Waist Company, a factory where approximately 500 workers, mostly young immigrant women and girls, labored to produce fashionable cotton blouses, known as “waists.”  The fire killed 146 workers in a mere 15 minutes but pierced the perpetual conscience of citizens everywhere. The Asch Building had been considered a modern fireproof structure, but inadequate fire safety regulations left the workers inside unprotected. The tragedy of the fire, and the resulting movements for change, were pivotal in shaping workers' rights and unions.  A powerful collection of diverse voices, Talking to the Girls: Intimate and Political Essays on the Triangle Fire brings together stories from writers, artists, activists, scholars, and family members of the Triangle workers. Nineteen contributors from across the globe speak of a singular event with remarkable impact. One hundred and eleven years after the tragic incident, Talking to the Girls articulates a story of contemporary global relevance and stands as an act of collective testimony: a written memorial to the Triangle victims.

Experience Italy in an action-packed ALL-EXPENSES paid journey exploring UNESCO sites, local hotspots and breath-taking landscapes. With NIAF's Voyage of Discovery, you will travel with Italian American peers while being introduced to the vibrant culture, mouth-watering cuisine, and fascinating history that puts one's Italian American heritage into a life-changing context that was never realized before. 

ELIGIBILITY: - Must be a full-time college student at a college or university for the semester preceding the trip; - Between the ages of 18-23 at the time of travel; - Of Italian heritage; - Never previously visited Italy;  - A United States citizen or permanent resident alien; - Must be a member of NIAF IMPORTANT DATES: Trip dates: June 2023 Deadline to apply: January 31st, 2023 For more information, visit: https://www.niaf.org/programs/voyage-of-discovery/

Watch our Video interview on The Italian Radio Hour YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/upglhq85oM8

In 1985, Antonio Ratti created in Como the non-profit foundation that bears his name, with the desire to share his passion for art and textiles and to preserve his textile collection.  Over the past 30 years, Fondazione Antonio Ratti (FAR) has been supporting and promoting research and experimentation in culture and the arts, including scholars, established and emerging artists in a lively and open environment.  The Foundation, headed by Annie Ratti since 2002, is located in Villa Sucota, an historic building on Lake Como. Here we find Antonio Ratti’s extraordinary collection of antique textiles preserved – with more than 30.000 pieces from across the globe – and a library open to the public with more than 7800 volumes specialized in textiles, fashion, visual arts and crafts.  Every year the program Artists' Research Laboratory (CSAV) is held in this location. It was conceived by Annie Ratti in 1995, with the intention of allowing young international artists to deepen their practices and research through experimentation and dialogue with major figures on the contemporary art scene.  FAR organizes also a wide range of activities, courses, lectures and seminars dedicated to different subjects, from history of textile to theory of art, from cineforum to permaculture.  In addition, FAR proposes exhibitions in which antique textiles from the collection dialogue with contemporary works of art, activating unexpected connections between the two souls of the Foundation.  The spaces of the villa and the surrounding garden – that host site-specific artworks made by a selection of artists who have collaborated with the Foundation – become thus places of encounter and debate platforms where visitors, scholars, entrepreneurs and experts from different fields have the chance to meet and gather in order to expand and deepen their research and influence each other in the process.  Fondazione Antonio Ratti is therefore internationally renowned and is part of a larger network of institutions which exchange and develop ideas together. The location of Villa Sucota – where FAR moved in 2010 becoming part of the Kilometer of Knowledge project – places the Foundation in a wider cultural context in terms of its architecture and location, thus acting as a cultural reference point for the city of Como.

Watch the video interview on our YouTubeChannel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsJJrBERZV8&t=83s

A massive enterprise to build the bigger movable Befana "puppet" that has made her "royal" entrance today in Padova in Prato della Valle.  A team consisting of various artists, gymnasts, and creative minds conquered the challenge to even transport the huge Befana in pieces and reconstruct it for the enjoyment of "grandi e piccini". Bravi tutti! Today, we were joined by Sara Celeghin and Giovanna Bracco right after all the festivities and the tear down was completed, full of excitement for the "mission accomplished".  Befane on stilts, Befane on bicycles, Fire fighters as part of the show, Prato della Valle today was filled with smiles.  L'evento è a cura di Teatro Invisibile in collaborazione con il Comune di Padova.  La Befana marionetta è un'idea di Giorgio Gabrielli che l'ha progettata e realizzata con la collaborazione di Giovanna Bacco- Crispy, Samuel Silvestrin e l'aiuto indispensabile di Olmo Gabrielli ed Elena Testa.

Watch the video interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Pdp-li6vo&t=789s

In this episode, we caught up with artist Teresa Astorino who has been making nativity sets, aka Presepi from a very young age with a variety of different materials. Her work has been features at the Vatican's exhibit of "100 Presepi" which features 100 nativity sets from all over the world. She joined us from Ciro, in provide of Crotone (Calabria).  The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italian culture from all over the world. Celebrate your Italian-ness by subscribing to The Italian Radio Hour.

This Thursday on The Italian Radio Hour: Have you ever wondered how Italian food became American?

Join us for a conversation with Ian MacAllen, author of "Red Sauce, How Italian Food Became American", an interesting journey into the history and the development of some dishes that might have had Italian origins but took an "American twist" over time.

We all love CHEESE but there is one someone that really knows A LOT about Cheese.

Join The Italian Radio Hour this Thursday as we chat with Eleonora Baldwin, the creator of ABCheese, a TV program that kept people curious, entertained and informed about all the different types of Italian cheeses.

Additionally, Eleonora will share a little bit about growing up as a "figlia" and "nipote" d'arte. Yes, Baldwin like Peter Baldwin, and De Sica, like in Vittorio De Sica!!!!

Welcome to The Italian Radio Hour, news from Italy, about Italy and Italians all over the world. Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu! This Thursday on The Italian Radio Hour:  On your next trip to Italy, how about a little treasure hunt around Florence to find those lovely wine doors that were featured in the news as examples of "contactless" distribution of wine? Join us as we chat with photographer Robbin Gheesling, who patiently documented over 170 of these little wine doors in her book "Wine Doors of Florence". (Addresses included to complete your hunt!) Tune in on Thursday at 5:05pm on 620AM (Pittsburgh) or stream us online at: https://www.radio.net/s/wkhbOrder your book here:  https://www.robbingheesling.com/.../wine-doors-of-florenceI love both the tote and we will reconstruct the puzzle over the holidays! Robbin Gheesling Photography Robbin Gheesling

The Italian Radio Hour airs every Thursday at 5:00pm (EST) on 620AM and streams online at: https://www.radio.net/s/wkhb Every episode will have interviews (in Italian and in English) with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu! This week on The Italian Radio Hour: In conversation with the amazing, the one and only Katie Parla, a Rome-based New York Times bestselling cookbook author, food and beverage journalist, culinary guide, educator, and Emmy-nominated television host.  Katie has written, edited, or contributed to more than 35 books and when not writing cookbooks or filing articles for publications like Saveur, Food & Wine, The New York Times (and more!), you’ll find Katie leading culinary walking tours of Rome and appearing on television programs like “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” on CNN and “Chef’s Table” on Netflix. Her latest book: “ Food of the Italian Islands” promises to be equally extraordinary as Katie dives into the culture, history, and traditions of two amazing regions of Italy 🇮🇹, Sicilia and Sardegna. Pre-order your signed copy: https://katieparla.online/products/food-of-the-italian-islands-cookbook

The Italian Radio Hour airs every Thursday at 5:00pm (EST) on 620AM and streams online at: https://www.radio.net/s/wkhb Every episode will have interviews (in Italian and in English) with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu! Recently, we came across a beautiful story about a PenPal friend and we thought it would be a great story to share with our listeners and viewers as it is a celebration of friendship across the ocean. Written by: Sharon Waldrop Published in the MAY 19, 2022 of: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a38199320/my-pen-pal-died-before-we-could-meet/

Enjoy our conversation with Valentina Gritti on tonight's episode of The Italian Radio Hour: SLOW FOOD YOUTH NETWORK!

Fresh of the radio!

Valentina Gritti, Global community and project manager at Slow Food Youth Network.

The Slow Food Youth Network is celebrating food culture and local tastes and reducing food waste while championing sustainability and biodiversity in their communities and around the world.

The Marriage of Figaro with Samuele Bozzolla.

Ready to catch the ongoing production of The Marriage of Figaro at Pittsburgh Opera?

Our friend and opera connoiseur Samuele Bozzolla returns to The Italian Radio Hour to give us interesting fun facts about on of Mozart's masterpiece.

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: The faces of NEW IMMIGRATION. Now, we are called "Professionals living Overseas" but America is still providing professional oppurtunities to grow and start your own business that continue to appeal to many young Italians. Meet Valentina Scholar, Founder of Bike the Burgh Tours and Bea Spolidoro, Principal at Fisher Architecture as they both share how they came to Pittsburgh, initial challenges and biggest accomplishments while also providing some advise for the new comers.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: As the world mourned a Queen, we caught up with the King of the smallest kingdom in the world: Tonino Bartoleoni, King of the small island of Tavolara, off the Sardinian coast. We will learn how his ancestors gained the title and whether there is a heir lined up for when Tonino retires. Also, NEW our Travel Section where we will share tips, topics, and recommendations to make your next trip to Italy, a memorable one! 

Want to watch the video interview? Head to: https://youtu.be/8F5riNEmAPY

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this episode, we will travel thru the sounds of the centennial violin making tradition of the city of Cremona through Maestro Stefano Trabucchi who will illustrate elements that contribute to reaching the "perfect sound" in a violin, the same way that Maestro Antonio Stradivari did 500 years ago.

Want to watch the video interview? Head to: https://youtu.be/wpyrbOVg7NE

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

On this week's episode: GOT BEER? Did you know that Italy is one of the top producers of....CRAFT BEER? Join the conversation with Kevin Raub as we talk about some of the latest trends in craft beers production and some of his favorites breweries in Italy.

Want to see the video interview? Head to: https://youtu.be/A7c93h0WyRc

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on THE ITALIAN RADIO HOUR: 

Have you ever baked bread? 

Have you ever baked bread like the Romans did? 

Tune in for an interesting conversation with experimental archeologist Farrell Monaco as we talk about how the Romans ate, from the findings from Pompeii and her own recreation of the 2,000 year old bread "Panis Quadratus".

Want to watch the video interview? Head to: https://youtu.be/O_2NWj5GnnQ

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: A Tribute to Italian POW Aldo Arrighi and Italian American identity during WWII.  Join us for a very special episode of with our two guests: Andrea Franzoni, a young man from Italy who will soon embark on a 3200km cycling expedition called “TRAIN LONG GONE - For Aldo”, that will trace back the various camps throughout the US where his “nonno” Aldo Arrighi was an Italian POW; 🚴  Joining Andrea, is Michael DiLauro, a celebrated director and producers of documentaries and television programs, who, with his documentary “Prisoners Among US” on Italian American identity and WWII was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the New York International Film Festival, and Montreal Film Festival. 🎥

Want to see the video interview? Head to: https://youtu.be/w2zQWSb9J7o

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In the second segment, we will continue our journey into the Fashion industry, by talking to Prof. Salvatore Giardina, from the Fashion Institute of Technology who recently returned from a Study Abroad program in Italy where FIT students visited some very important mills in Northern Italy and got to see first hand the production of amazing fabrics.

Want to see the video interview? Head to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKpts2fCHCk

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this episode: The HOUSE OF GUCCI -  In Conversation with the author, Sara Gay Forden. Sara was living in Milan and reporting already on the fashion industry from a business perspective when Maurizio Gucci was assassinated. Following also the developments of the trial, Sara, in her book, provides an authentic recollection of the rise, and the almost fall and the resurrection of the GUCCI brand.

Want to see the VIDEO INTERVIEW? Head to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQr6w5GHZ0A

The Italian Radio Hour brings the best of Italy very Thrusday. In each episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu! 

This week, we talked to Italian food and travel expert Sophie Minchilli about her book, the Sweetness of Doing Nothing, and how we can incorporate the beloved Italian philosophy of Dolce Far Niente into our own lives, no matter where we live!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Pittsburgh Steeler legend Franco Harris. Franco was born in Fort Dix, NJ, the son of an American soldier from Mississippi stationed in Italy during WW2 and an Italian mother from Pisa, and graduated from Penn State with a degree in hotel, hospitality and food. He was selected by the Steelers in the first round and in his first NFL season, he became only the fourth rookie in NFL history to rush for more than 1000 yards. Franco is most remembered for probably THE most famous play in football, his amazing catch of the “Immaculate Reception” pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw that gave the Steelers a 13 to 7 win over the Oakland Raiders in the Steelers’ first-ever playoff victory. He was named to nine Pro Bowls, played in five AFC championships and has four Super Bowl rings. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 1990.

Since this interview was recorded, Franco Harris has left us. This might be one of his last live recollections of the Immaculate Reception.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Meet Anna Harsh, the Artistic Director and Founder of Allegro Dance Company, and author of "La Danza, Conflict, Passion, and Healing". Anna has channeled her love for her Italian heritage through dance. Starting with a college thesis project, Anna has researched and brought to the public thru Allegro Dance authentic folk  dances from Italy (North and South). This could not but lead her to an unforgettable journey that she will share with us!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this episode,  we spoke with Director Michela Smith and Sandi Grasso about Michela's latest projects is “Heirloom'', a short documentary about her mother Sandi and her own quest to discover why Italian Americans still love to garden. The film has been featured at numerous film festivals, including tha Arizona International Film Festival, New Jersey’s Golden Door International Film Festival, and its premiere at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival. It will have its first showing in Italy this summer at the Andaras Film Festival in Sardinia. The documentary is produced by NOIAFT founder Taylor Taglianetti.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this episode: we will be discussing the importance of the family vegetable garden in the Italian tradition. Instead of our usual two-guest format, we will be talking to four individuals about their personal experiences of maintaining a vegetable garden and its importance in the Italian tradition and the  Italian American identity. In the first half of the show we will speak with Mary Menniti, Founder of the Italian Garden Project, and Rosetta Costantino, author of the cookbooks, “My Calabria” and “Southern Italian Desserts” who has an extensive Calabrese style garden, and later we will speak Michela Smith, the director of the short documentary film,“Heirloom”, and her mother, Sandi Grosso (aka ZiaBeddainthegarden on Instagram). The film focuses on a mother and daughter who set out to discover why Italian Americans love to garden. .

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Pierette Domenica Simpson, a native of Pranzalito, near Torino, is a survivor of the shipwreck of the Andrea Doria, the Italian luxury liner that sank on July 25, 1956 when it was struck by the Swedish liner Stockholm. Pierette is also the author of the books: “Alive on the Andrea Doria! The greatest Sea Rescue in History, and “I was Shipwrecked on the Andrea Doria! The Titanic of the 1950s”. In 2016, Simpson wrote and produced the Documentary “Andrea Doria: Are the Passengers Saved?”, directed by Luca Guardabascio.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this episode, we interview Cristina Bowerman.  Cristina is the chef of Glass Hostaria in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome and the only female chef in Rome who has been awarded a Michelin star. In the second part of our program, we will speak with Pierette Simpson, a native of Pranzalito, near Torino. She is a survivor of the shipwreck of the Andrea Doria, the luxury liner that sank on July 25, 1956 when it was struck by the Swedish ship Stockholm.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Tonight, we will explore the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and specifically Trieste with travel writer Michael Paul, a regular contributor to Dream of Italy TV Show & Travel Magazine with Kathy McCabe, and also the creator of the "Italian Food Decor" App.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

“Out of Rushmore’s Shadow" with Lou Del Bianco, grandson of Luigi Del Bianco, the true chisel-genius from Friuli behind the carving of Mount Rushmore.  How is it possible that for decades there had been absolutely no recognition to the man whose expert craftsmanship carved the life-like eyes of Lincoln?  Thru Lou's childhood recollections and accurate research, we will follow his journey that eventually led the correct side of the story being told and a plaque installed at the Mt. Rushmore Visitor Center giving Luigi the well deserved credit.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Tonight on The Italian Radio Hour: A comparison between the Italian Immigration on the West Coast and the East Coast. Join me for an insightful conversation with Marianna Gatto, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, and Melissa Marinaro, Director of the Italian American Program at the Senator John Heinz History Center. We will also discuss programs, collections and artifacts currently offered by their respective Museums, and many other curiosities that only "Museum people" might know about!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour Show: Director Tommaso Santi and writer Silvia Gambi, on “STRACCI” - a compelling documentary on the recycling of used clothes that starts from the Prato textile district (In Tuscany) and goes around the world. We highly recommend watching STRACCI on Amazon Prime. National Geographic has also dedicated an article on Circular Economy and Prato (Tuscany) in March 2020.  Kovelab The Italian Radio Hour Solo Moda Sostenibile

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Goethe once said" See Naples and die".  But American born Katherine Wilson saw Naples and started to live. Katherine is fresh out of college when she arrives in Naples to intern at the US Consulate. There she meets handsome, studious Salvatore, and finds herself enveloped by his family - in particular by his elegant mother, Raffaella, who begins her real education: never eat the crust of a pizza first, always stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones, and remember that mealtimes are sacred, and "O purpo s’adda cocere cu’ l’acqua soja".

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Second segment: Have you ever wondered why there is a "Cookie Table" in all weddings in Western Pennsylvania? Join our conversation with Laura Magone, Founder of The Wedding Cookie Table Community as we discovered the origin of this tradition and some of the must-haves for your cookie table. Did we also mentioned that Laura and group hold a GUINESS WORLD RECORD for the biggest Cookie Table?

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour:  How Pasta and Poetry joint efforts to build a better future!  Join me as we’ll hear from Rina Poletti, the Queen of Tagliatelle, and Antonella Iaschi, author of “Fiabe per un Noi” a series of children’s stories, talking about their friendship, pasta, and poetry…with a mission!

The Italian Radio Hour airs every Thursday at 5:00pm (EST) on 620AM and streams online at: https://www.radio.net/s/wkhb Every episode will have interviews (in Italian and in English) with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu! This week: Sicilian American Folk singer Michela Musolino shares how Sicilian Folk music captivated her from a very young age and became her life passion.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on The Italian Radio Hour: IN MEMORIAM of Giovanni Falcone, Anti-Mafia Magistrate killed in a car bombing on May 23rd, 1992 in Capaci (Sicily), recounted by one of the Founding Members of Addio Pizzo,  Dario Riccobono. As a second guest, Sicilian American Folk singer Michela Musolino will share how Sicilian Folk music captivated her from a very young age and became her life passion

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Can you claim to have met Luciano Pavarotti in person? Maybe at a concert or maybe you were lucky enough to get his autograph.  In this episode, we will talk to someone (Samuele Bozzolla) who can claim to have shared the table with "Il Maestro" more times that he can remember!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This Thursday on The Italian Radio Hour: What if one day a relative tells you: - What are you going to do about the story?” - What story? - Your grandfather..THE MOB! Join us for a conversation with NYT best-selling author, Russell Shorto’s on his new book ‘Smalltime,’ A Story of My Family and the Mob, as we explore the social, cultural, and economic factors that led to the rise of smalltown mob intertwined with his own family dynamics.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This THURSDAY on The Italian Radio Hour, our second guest (Minute: 31): Alessandra Rellini tells us all about Agricola Farm in Vermont, Monti Verdi Salumeria and their beautiful communal dinner experience.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This THURSDAY on The Italian Radio Hour: Producer and Editor Nadia Fugazza, shares her podcast "Murder Italian Style" with our listeners.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week, we have a lovely chat Michelle Damiani, a clinical psychologist, author and lover of Italy, who with her husband moved their family to the town of Spello for an entire year in 2012. While in Spello, she wrote a blog about their experiences, entitled “Il Bel Centro”. Once returned to the USA, she transformed the blog into a book, which was listed by Huffington Post as one of the “Top 10 Fascinating Books about Living in a Foreign Country”. She has also written a series of four novels that take place in a fictional town of Santa Lucia, loosely based on her beloved Spello. She has also written “The Road Taken: How to Dream, Plan, and Live Your Family Adventure Abroad.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This THURSDAY on The Italian Radio Hour: Elena Ferrante's Naples with Danielle Oteri. Join us for another interesting conversation with writer and art historian Danielle Oteri. Danielle has worked at New York City’s  Metropolitan Museum of Art for 15 years and has taught art history at Seton Hall University. She is an expert in Naples and the Cilento region in Southern Italy. With her tour company, Feast Travel, Danielle has developed a tour based on Elena Ferrante’s novels recently adapted into the HBO miniseries, “My Brilliant Friend”.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this week's episode, we talked to Karina Moyer-Nocchi, food history and author of "Chewing the Fat: An Oral History of Italian Foodways - From Fascism to Dolce Vita", and "he Eternal Table – A Cultural History of Food in Rome " about the stories represented in "Chewing the Fat" and foods in Italy during fascism and the myths around "cucina povera" and the "pizza effect".

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this week's episode, dedicated to Rome, Cookbook author and Broadcasting Celebrity Chris Fennimore tells us all about this life, when in Rome, from the Testaccio Market, to Casa Manco, to his entire family visit.

The Italian Radio Hour airs every Thursday at 5:00pm (EST) on 620AM and streams online at: www.khbradio.com Every episode will have interviews (in Italian The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this week episode, Angelo Carotenuto, Owner and Operator of LivTours, showcases Rome from the perspective of influencial Roman Women, not always talked about in "regular tours". You'll find this conversation fascinating!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Have you ever wondered what happens before, during, and after the Palio of Siena? Join us as we chat with Anna Piperato, Ph.D art historian about the world renowned Palio horse race. Anna is also a member of the Lupa contrada, a privilege reserved to few!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In this episode, food historian Francine Segan shares her story, and food traditions of the Emilia Romagna region.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

In the second segment of our episode, Roberto Giantomassi, Citizenship Officer at the Italian Consulate of Philadelphia clearly explains the process to apply for dual citizenship via bloodline and thru marriage. If you are applying for dual citizenship thru marriage and need to take the language exam, Istituto Mondo Italiano in Pittsburgh is an official test center. Visit: www.istitutomondoitaliano.org for more details.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!  

Always dreamed about buying property in Italy but not sure where or where to start? Join our conversation with Nikki Taylor, an Australian expat turned real estate guru, living "the Italian dream" in Puglia since 2014 where she coaches buyers on how to confidently buy property in Italy.

The Italian Radio Hour airs every Thursday at 5:00pm (EST) on 620AM and streams online at: www.khbradio.com Every episode will have interviews (in Italian and in English) with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!  This Thursday on The Italian Radio Hour - An interview with Lindsay Gabbard and Alessandro Pepe from Rimessa Roscioli in Rome. From casual wine drinkers to collectors and connoisseurs - this is a conversation you don't want to miss! Learn about sustainable wine producers to the Roscioli Wine Club....and much, much more! Rimessa Roscioli, a place that the very Anthony Bourdain loved in Rome!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Back in 2017, Istituto Mondo Italiano had the pleasure and honor to organize the Pittsburgh Premiere of: "Mona Lisa Is Missing", the award-winning documentary about the man who stole the Monalisa (La Gioconda).  Why did Vincenzo Peruggia decide to steal the famous paining that more than 8 million people who pass through the Louvre barely manage to get a glimpse of and kept the Monalisa all for himself? This Thursday, at The Italian Radio Hour, we will have the very producers of the documentary Joe Medeiros and Justine Mestichelli Medeiros telling us all about their quest to find out the truth!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on the Italian Radio Hour: The Italian Radio Hour Episode #8: A Conversation with award winning author Karen Haid. Karen Haid. We explored hidden treasures of Calabria, a multifaced region that boosts over 500km of beautiful coastline, the famous Bronzi di Riace, Greek, Roman, Albanian, and even French settlements in addition to the production of silk, ceramics, liquorice, cipolle di Tropea and anything peperoncino!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

What a plesaure to have Tony Marotta from Radio Italia Cleveland and Anthony Taddeo, from ALLA BOARA talking about Italian music. What a wealth of knowledge! ALLA BOARA will be playing at Istituto Mondo Italiano, Saturday March 19th at 7pm. Tickets on sale now! (link below). This is a performance you don't want to miss as Alla Boara seeks to bring recognition and new life to Italy's diverse history of regional folk music. Their modern arrangements of near-extinct folk songs are variously surprising, playful, mournful, tender, and bewitching. Alla Boara’s dynamic work aims to inspire audiences of all ethnic heritages to treasure their musical roots and consider historical songs’ contemporary cultural relevance.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Are you ready for this episode of The Italian Radio Hour?  Close your eyes, and dream about the coastline of Le Marche.  Add a truffle hunting trip and some olive ascolane. Wash them down with a nice glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and voila', magic is done! Do you I have to say more? Join me as Giovanni & Chantelle from TheItalianonTour will take us all on a virtual trip of this beautiful region....and experience it like a local.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week on the Italian Radio Hour: "ALL THE ROADS LEAD TO....PITTSBURGH", a conversation with four young men about their journey to Pittsburgh. Then, we will tell you all about an amazing place in Homestead, an indoor obstacle course/zip line facility and the idea behind it!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Robert Fragasso, Chairman and CEO of the Fragasso Financial Advisors and Antonio Sergio from Piccola Piazza, Gelato on Demand promise to be a very interesting episode.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

SAM PATTI, from La Prima Espresso! Come and learn all about coffee and Sam's involvement with the Foundation for Italian Diaspora Studies - a nonprofit organization geared toward keeping Italian heritage alive.

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

Former Honorary Consul of Italy Joseph D'Andrea will share stories about his the Italian community in Pittsburgh during his mandate,  the ins&outs about applying for Dual Citizenship, and his beautiful region of Molise!

The Italian Radio Hour brings you the best of Italy every Thursday! Every episode will have interviews with guests and people like you who love Italy. Ascoltaci anche tu!

This week:  - Cornelia Pop, Founder of Italian Women USA, a FB Community - whose goal is to support Italian women new to the US.

Jan 6th - Italy celebrates the Epiphany and kids love LA BEFANA. She decided to come and pay a visit to Pittsburgh at The Italian Radio Hour.