The Italian Radio Hour

🍝❤️ Come for the pasta, stay for the Grannies!
What started as one woman's mission to preserve a disappearing culinary tradition has become a worldwide phenomenon, capturing the hearts—and appetites—of millions! 🇮🇹✨
🎙️ On this special episode of The Italian Radio Hour, Viviana Altieri welcomes back Vicky Bennison, the brilliant creator of Pasta Grannies, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, and passionate storyteller behind some of Italy's most beloved home cooks.
For over a decade, Vicky has traveled through Italy, stepping into the kitchens of extraordinary grandmothers, documenting not just their recipes, but their stories, wisdom, resilience, and the magic of traditions passed down through generations.
❤️ But Pasta Grannies is about so much more than pasta. Some of the remarkable women Vicky filmed are no longer with us, yet their voices, laughter, and flour-dusted hands continue to inspire people around the world. What an extraordinary legacy!
📖 We also celebrate Vicky's delicious third cookbook, ** Eat Everything **, a wonderful collection of home-cooked recipes that reminds us that Italian cuisine is rooted in simplicity, resourcefulness, and the joy of sharing a meal.
🍅 In this engaging conversation, we explore:
✨ The incredible journey of Pasta Grannies and what still inspires Vicky after ten years.
👵 The remarkable women whose stories and culinary traditions deserve to be remembered.
❤️ The importance of preserving family recipes and passing knowledge from one generation to the next.
📚 Eat Everything, Vicky's latest cookbook, and her U.S. book tour.
🍝 The evolution of Pasta Grannies, surprising culinary discoveries, and whether Vicky's own pasta-making skills have finally reached Nonna standards!
Expect heartwarming stories, delicious discoveries, a sprinkle of British humor, and plenty of Italian amore! ❤️
Because the greatest recipes don't just nourish our bodies. They connect generations, preserve memories, and keep our cultural heritage alive.
🔗 Discover Pasta Grannies: www.pastagrannies.com
🎧 Subscribe to The Italian Radio Hour for more inspiring conversations celebrating Italian culture, traditions, and extraordinary people making a difference around the world.
🇮🇹 Buon ascolto e… buon appetito! 🍝❤️
#PastaGrannies #EatEverything #VickyBennison #TheItalianRadioHour #ItalianGrandmothers #ItalianCooking #ItalianFood #ItalianCuisine #ItalianTraditions #CulinaryHeritage #NonnaKnowsBest #ItalianCulture #TraditionalRecipes #HomeCooking #FoodAndMemory #ItalianFoodLovers #PreservingTraditions

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - What happens when a musical language born on the streets of New York crosses the Atlantic, finds a new voice in Italy, and then returns to the very place where it all began?And what if that language could do more than entertain? What if it could challenge stereotypes, reclaim identities, and give a voice to those who have too often been unheard?Today on The Italian Radio Hour, we're exploring a side of Italian culture that might surprise you.My guests are Amir Issaa, an award-winning Italian rapper, writer, and educator who grew up in Tor Pignattara, a multicultural neighborhood of Rome, the son of an Italian mother and an Egyptian father and Prof. Clarissa Clo, Chair of Comparative International Studies at San Diego State University.From the graffiti-covered streets of Rome to international universities, from recording studios to classrooms and prisons, Amir has made rap a powerful instrument for expression, education, and social change.And now, he's bringing Italian rap to New York as the creator and artistic director of The Language of Rap, a groundbreaking festival connecting Italian and American hip-hop during the Week of the Italian Language in the World.Music, language, identity, and a remarkable cultural homecoming.#TheItalianRadioHour #AmirIssaa #TheLanguageOfRap #ItalianRap #ItalianHipHop #HipHopCulture #JosephSciorra #ItalianAmericanCulture #RapEducation #PowerOfWords #ItalianCulturalInstitute #NewYorkHipHop #ItalianMusic #CulturalIdentity #ThisIsWhatILiveFor #RapInClasse #FromRomeToNewYork #ItalianLanguageWeekAmir Issaa: https://open.spotify.com/artist/70KwF5p6fS97rw3rQxPht5?si=e21bdaf45cd54442

This week on the Italian Radio Hour - Do you have a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent whowas born in Italy?
Have you ever wondered whether that family connection couldmake you eligible for Italian citizenship — and whether the recent changes tothe law have affected your chances?
For millions of Americans, reconnecting with the land of aparent, a grandparent, or even a great-grandparent is deeply personal. Italiancitizenship can be part of that journey — a way to reclaim a connection to yourfamily history, your culture, and the country your ancestors once called home.
But Italian citizenship can also open importantopportunities for you and, in some cases, for your children: the ability tolive, work, and study throughout the European Union, access educationalopportunities, and, when applicable, benefit from services such as Italy’shealthcare system.
In recent years, however, the rules surrounding Italiancitizenship by descent have changed significantly, leaving many ItalianAmericans asking the same question: Do I still qualify?
Today, we are going to try to bring some clarity to what hasbecome a very complicated subject.
My guest is attorney Maria Costanza Barducci, whose lawpractice operates on both sides of the Atlantic, with offices in the UnitedStates and in Italy, giving her a unique perspective on the Italian citizenshipprocess from both sides of the ocean.
If Italian citizenship is something you have beenconsidering—or if you thought you qualified and are now wondering whether thenew rules have changed everything—this is an episode you do not want to miss.
#ItalianCitizenship #DualCitizenship #ItalianAmerican #JureSanguinis #ItalianCitizenshipByDescent #ItalianHeritage #ItalianRoots #ItalianAncestry #ItalianPassport #CitizenshipByDescent #ItalyUSA #ItalianLaw #ItalianImmigrationLaw #ItalianAmericans #ItalianCulture #ItalianIdentity #ReconnectWithItaly #BarducciLaw #TheItalianRadioHour #IstitutoMondoItaliano

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - “My mom left Italy for America. I headed for Sicily and built my own culture.”“In Italy, I learned about my American self.”“Is my daughter Italian-American?”Three sentences. Three questions about identity, belonging, and what happens to us when cultures cross borders and generations.Who are we when we belong to more than one culture?Are we defined by where we were born? By our parents? By the language we speak? By the traditions we keep? Or by the identity we create for ourselves along the way?My two guests is that, in many ways, they have crossed the Atlantic in opposite directions.Anna grew up here in Pittsburgh with Italian roots and eventually moved to Sicily.Cristina grew up in Italy and built her adult life in New York.One went toward Italy.The other went toward America.And somewhere along the way, both began asking new questions about who they are.If you have ever felt caught between two cultures — or lucky enough to belong to both — you don’t want to miss this conversation.For this episode, we really would like to hear your comments on what "identity" means for you!
Ready Anna's story at: https://www.publicsource.org/palermo-fulbright-sicilian-american-identity-pittsburgh/
Read Cristina's story at: https://www.cartolinedacristina.com/perche-anno-sabbatico.html

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - What happens when a love story becomes a journey into the heart of Italy?In this episode of The Italian Radio Hour, I’m joined by Emmy-nominated, award-winning filmmakers Marylou and Jerome Bongiorno, the husband-and-wife creative team behind Amore nel Sannio, a 35-minute fiction-documentary premiering nationwide on PBS beginning October 1 in celebration of Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month.Together, we travel to Sannio, accompanied also by Maria Nuzzolillo and Dan Stemmer, founders of Vita Villaggi , and actress Isabella Chiantone Mustilli (Cantine Mustilli) to discover a beautiful and often overlooked corner of Campania, where a story inspired by love and marriage unfolds against a landscape of vineyards, ancient traditions, food, family, and deeply rooted connections.Marylou and Jerome take us behind the scenes of the film—how the idea was born, why Sannio became such an important character in the story, and what they discovered about this remarkable part of Italy along the way.It’s a conversation about love, heritage, filmmaking, Italian-American identity, and the unexpected stories waiting to be discovered beyond Italy’s most traveled roads.🎙️ The Italian Radio Hour — Food, Culture & Lifestyle of Italy#TheItalianRadioHour #AmoreNelSannio #Sannio #Campania #DiscoverItaly #ItalianCulture #ItalianAmerican #ItalianHeritage #ItalianCinema #PBS #HiddenItaly #ItalyBeyondThePostcard