The Italian Radio Hour

From Farmers to Nobles: The Incredible Stories Hidden in Every Italian Family

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Every family has stories.Some are passed down around the dinner table.Others disappear forever...unless someone decides to go looking for them.Today's guest has spent years helping thousands of people reconnect with their Italian roots, but his own story may be one of the most fascinating of all.His own research began with nothing more than a calling card brought from Italy by his grandmother. That single artifact eventually led him from humble farming families in Puglia to an astonishing noble lineage connected to dukes, princesses, European royalty—and even a pope. Bob Sorrentino is the creator of the internationally followed Italian Roots & Genealogy Podcast, founder of the Italian Genealogy Blog, and author of Farmers & Nobles.Before becoming immersed in genealogy, Bob had an accomplished career as a banker. Today, instead of managing people's money, he's helping people reconnect with something equally important: their real wealth, aka their identity.To learn more about Italian Genealogy, visit: https://italiangenealogy.blog/

Joe Avati: Comedy, Calabria & the Family Stories That Made Him Famous 🇮🇹🎙️

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Our guest has spent the last 30 years doing something remarkable: making Italians around the world laugh at themselves.Whether you're in Sydney, Toronto, London, New York, or right here in Pittsburgh, somehow Joe Avati knows your father, your mother, your uncle, your nonna, and that one relative who still won't talk to the family because of something that happened in 1987.Born in Australia to Calabrian parents, Joe has become one of the most successful ethnic comedians in the world, selling out theaters across multiple continents while proving that Italians everywhere share the same stories.And recently, after decades of talking about Calabria on stage, he traveled there to retrace his family's roots in an emotional journey that connected him to the villages his family left behind.Joe Avati will be performing live in Pittsburgh on Sunday, July 26 at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. If you've ever had an Italian parent, an Italian grandparent, an Italian aunt, or even an Italian neighbor who thought they were your parent, this is a show you won't want to miss.TICKETS: https://kelly-strayhorn.org/events/joeavati/#JoeAvatiLive #ItalianComedy #ItalianDiaspora #PittsburghEvents #Calabrese #ItalianCulture #ItalianCommunity #TheItalianRadioHour

Sagre, Santi e Cannoli - Discovering authentic Italy

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Today we're traveling through Italy in a way that most tourists never do—not through famous landmarks or crowded attractions, but through the heart and soul of local communities: Italy's sagre, festivals, historic celebrations, religious processions, and food traditions.Our guest is Katerina Ferrara, travel writer, podcaster, and author of the acclaimed Ultimate Festival and Travel Guide series. For more than twenty-five years, Katerina has explored Italy one festival at a time, documenting everything from centuries-old religious celebrations and medieval reenactments to truffle fairs, wine festivals, and village sagre that preserve traditions passed down through generations. Through her books, podcast, and travels, Katerina helps visitors experience an Italy that exists far beyond Rome, Venice, and Florence—an Italy where entire towns come alive to celebrate their history, their food, their saints, and their identity. #TheItalianRadioHour #KaterinaFerrara #ItalyTravel #ItalianFestivals #Sagre #TravelItaly #ItalianCulture #VisitItaly #HiddenItaly #AuthenticItaly #ItalianTraditions #FoodFestivals #ItalianFood #ItalyPodcast #SlowTravel #CulturalTravel #DiscoverItaly #ItalyLovers #ItalianHeritage #festivaltravel To learn more about Katerina's giudes, visit: https://katerinaferrara.com/

Places of Origin: Wines of Southern Italy: Campania, Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia

What do Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, and Puglia have in common?Volcanoes. Ancient vines. Greek history. Rugged landscapes. And some of the most extraordinary wines in Italy — wines that, for far too long, have remained overlooked outside their own territories.While much of the wine world continues to focus on Tuscany and Piedmont, Southern Italy has quietly preserved something deeply authentic: indigenous grapes, ancient farming traditions, dramatic volcanic terroir, and a profound connection between wine, culture, and identity.Our guest today has dedicated more than twenty years to documenting that world.Maria Christina Liotta is the author of the newly published Places of Origin: Wines of Southern Italy — Campania, Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia, an extraordinary journey through the vineyards, villages, volcanic slopes, and hidden wine territories of Italy’s South.Through years of travel, hundreds of producer interviews, and visits to all 65 protected wine appellations of Southern Italy, Maria has created one of the most comprehensive explorations ever written on the wines and cultures of the Italian South. Today we’ll explore not only wine, but also the deeper meaning of place, heritage, resilience, and what Southern Italy can still teach us about authenticity in a rapidly globalizing world.#MariaChristinaLiotta#PlacesOfOrigin#WinesOfSouthernItaly#ItalianWine#SouthernItaly#CampaniaWine#CalabriaWine#BasilicataWine#PugliaWine#ItalianCulture#WineStories#ItalianHeritage#Terroir#IndigenousGrapes#VolcanicWine#WineTravel#TheItalianRadioHour#MadeInItaly#ItalianWineCulture#DiscoverSouthernItaly

Bridging Italy and America: A Conversation with Consul General Nico Frandi

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - It is my great pleasure to welcome the Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia, Nico Frandi.Since beginning his mandate in the fall of 2025, Consul General Frandi has focused on strengthening the ties between Italy and the Italian-American communities throughout the region, promoting Italian culture and language, supporting business and academic collaborations, and highlighting the enduring friendship between Italy and the United States.With a diplomatic career that has taken him from multilateral economic negotiations to public diplomacy here in the United States, he brings a global perspective — but also a deep appreciation for local communities and cultural connections.🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations celebrating Italian culture, heritage, food, language, travel, and community.#TheItalianRadioHour #NicoFrandi #ItalianAmerican #italianculture #ItalianAmerican #ItalianHeritage #ItalyUSA #ItalianLanguage #MadeInItaly #RootsTourism #Diplomacy #ItalianIdentity #Philadelphia #Pittsburgh #ItalianCommunity #culturaldiplomacy