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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, Pennsy...

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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 wa...

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EPISODE 250. The trio get together for a milestone of a podcast. They talk about the difference from Episode 1 until now, recap the weekend in Florida for the first ever Italian American Future Leaders Conference, and sit down with many special guests from the conference who helped achieve in what hopes to be a historic weekend in Italian-American...

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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 cult...

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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 mos...

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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 wee...

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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...

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Christmastime in Italy (and, of course, in Italian America) wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of the Presepio, the lovingly crafted Nativity Scene. And for centuries, generations of artisans in the city of Napoli have been heralded for creating the world’s finest Presepi. But, in the heart of Brooklyn’s famed Dyker Heights neighborhood, th...

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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 talent...

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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 T...

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