The Italian Radio Hour

This week on The Italian Radio Hour, we explore thepower of theatre to cross cultures, languages, and histories.
Our focus is the work of legendary American playwright August Wilson, whose extraordinary cycle of plays chronicles ten decades of African American life in the United States. Wilson’s stories are deeply rooted in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, yet their themes—family, identity, migration,struggle, and resilience—speak to audiences everywhere.
One of Wilson’s most celebrated plays, Jitney, hasrecently been brought to the Italian stage through an internationalcollaboration known as The Wilson Project.
And now, in a remarkable cultural exchange, this Italianproduction is traveling to Pittsburgh, where it will be performed May 8 through 10.
What happens when a uniquely American story is reimaginedthrough an Italian theatrical lens?
How do you translate not only the language, but also the rhythm, humor, and emotional depth of Wilson’s characters?
To explore these questions, I’m joined by two extraordinaryguests.
Professor Lina Insana from the University of Pittsburgh, whose work explores migration, cultural translation, and Italian studies.
And Italian director Renzo Carbonera, who is bringingJitney to the stage with a cast that reflects the multiculturalrealities of contemporary Italian society.
Together we’ll talk about storytelling, translation,migration, and why August Wilson’s voice continues to resonate across cultures and across continents.

Listen to the full interview to find out how to access discounted tickets to the play.

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This week on The Italian Radio Hour - In Italy, cookies are more than sweets—they’re stories. They carry the fragrance of toasted almonds, the warmth of olive oil, and the quiet rhythm of hands shaping dough in kitchens where traditions have been passed down for generations.Today, on The Italian Radio Hour, we travel across Italy through its cookies with cookbook author and food writer Domenica Marchetti, whose work celebrates the people, places, and traditions that make Italian cooking so special.Born in New York to a family with deep roots in Abruzzo, Domenica spent her childhood summers in Italy learning recipes and traditions from her mother and aunts. After earning a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and working as a newspaper reporter, she turned her storytelling skills toward food.Today she is the author of nine cookbooks dedicated to Italian cuisine—from pasta and vegetables to preserving traditional flavors. Her newest book, Italian Cookies: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region, takes readers on a delicious journey across Italy’s twenty regions, discovering the stories and traditions behind some of the country’s most beloved sweets.The book Italian Cookies is currently available on pre-order. Great Mother's Gift! https://a.co/d/03PeJzZe

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - What happens when Renaissance epic poetry leaves the page and begins to sing?What if the knights of Charlemagne had never left us — but simply changed stages?In this episode of The Italian Radio Hour, we travel from Renaissance courts to Sicilian puppet theaters, from the Apennine mountains to immigrant New York, guided by the luminous scholarship of Jo Ann Cavallo of Columbia University.Through the poetry of Matteo Maria Boiardo, Ludovico Ariosto, and Torquato Tasso, we discover how epic stories of love, madness, betrayal, and redemption still live — not as relics, but as voices carried by maggerini and pupari.From the handwritten scripts of Sicilian puppeteer Agrippino Manteo in early 20th-century New York to the vibrant Maggio performances of today, this conversation reminds us that culture survives through passion, community, and storytelling.Epic is not past.It is memory in motion.It is tradition that breathes.And it is still alive.#JoAnnCavallo#OperaDeiPupi#EpicMaggio#ItalianRenaissance#ItalianCulture#ItalianStudies#OrlandoFurioso#OrlandoInnamorato#RenaissanceLiterature#ChivalricEpic#TorquatoTasso#ItalianAmerican#CulturalHeritage#ItalianDiaspora#FolkTraditions#PodcastInterview#LiteraturePodcast#CulturalPodcast#TheItalianRadioHour

In Nazi-occupied Italy, carrying a loaf of bread could mean carrying a message. Riding a bicycle could mean transporting a bomb. And being underestimated could save your life.Today, we uncover a hidden chapter of Italian history — the women of the Resistance who fought Fascism and Nazi occupation from within everyday life itself.My guest is Suzanne Cope, scholar and narrative journalist, and author of Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis. Through meticulous research and gripping storytelling, she brings us the stories of women who carried messages, transported weapons, organized strikes, and committed acts of extraordinary courage — often because they were overlooked.This is a conversation about resistance, moral complexity, and why these women’s stories still matter today.https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747060/women-of-war-by-suzanne-cope/#WomenOfWar#ItalianResistance#HiddenHistory#WomenInWWII#Resistenza#ItalianWomen#FeministHistory#WWIIStories#HistoryMatters#TheItalianRadioHour#WomenInHistory#WorldWarII#Resistance#Fascism#HiddenHistory#WomenWhoLead#EuropeanHistory#HistoryPodcast#ItalianRadioHour

Most of us think we know Pinocchio.
We think it’s a story about lying.
But the original novel begins withhunger.
Before the nose grows, before the fairyappears, before the moral lessons — there is poverty, injustice, and a childwho cannot learn because he cannot eat.
Tonight, we’re stepping beyond theDisney myth and returning to 19th-century Italy — to a book that is far morepolitical, unsettling, and modern than we’ve been led to believe.
And there is no better guide for thatjourney than Anna Kraczyna.
Born and raised in Florence, bilingualand bicultural, with American and Italian roots and a background that spansinternational fashion, literature, and translation, Anna brings both livedcultural fluency and scholarly depth to this story. She is co-translator of thenew annotated Penguin Classics edition of The Adventures of Pinocchio, aversion that restores the novel’s sharp satire and social urgency.