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Brandon Ficara thinks we Italian Americans have a special relationship with humor. Born in Philadelphia, and raised in Ocean City, NJ, this proud Italian American used humor to combat the tribulations of life at an early age. Born with Sprangles Deformity, a condition that required major back surgery when he was three years old, Brandon turned to h...

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When you spend as much time as we do examining and analyzing the Italian American experience, sometimes you just have to laugh. There are those little quirks that make us unique which are often at the source of so much of the “Italian American comedy” that speaks to each of us every time we encounter it. But what makes “Italian American comedy” gen...

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Every September for the past ninety-seven years, thousands upon thousands descend on Mulberry Street in Manhattan’s venerable Little Italy for “a festa ‘e tutte ‘e feste”—“The Feast of All Feasts”… the eleven-day celebration that is the Feast of San Gennaro! This year, the Italian American Podcast is celebrating the Patron Saint of Napoli- and one...

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Get ready for a throwback to the old “Italian American Power Hour” days, as you join four friends at the kitchen table for a breakneck conversation about something we all love… being Italian American! When Rossella, Pat, and John are brought together with some of their favorite out-of-town Paesani for the 46th Biennial National Convention of the It...

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For years we’ve been searching for an idyllic Italian American village where we might find the perfect spot to recreate the Italian American neighborhood life we all long for, and this week, we’ve literally hit the Big Time! In this week’s episode, we discuss our recent trip to Pennsylvania’s Slate Belt borough of Roseto, a historically Italian Ame...

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In an Italian American family, every dish tells a story. For two young Italian American bloggers, the stories of so many of their family dishes have become wildly popular with readers worldwide. In this week’s episode, we’re discussing how our Italian American foodways have helped our guests Kate Famiglietti of The Two Bananas and Maria Del Russo o...

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Next time you grab a mouthwatering chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano, before you take that first wonderful bite you might want to make sure you’re eating exactly the type of cheese you think it is! This week’s guest, Robert Campana, the founder of “Stop Italian Sounding,” has made it his mission to educate people about the deceptively labeled “Italian S...

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Our language is a reflection of ourselves, and this week’s guest has made it her mission to present both Italians and Italian Americans with a unique mirror in which to see that reflection… the fascinating and distinct Italian American language! What is the “Italian American language,” you ask? To answer that question, we’re joined this week by Fed...

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Sometimes we have conversations that veer off into so many wonderful topics that they seem to make a concise introduction nearly impossible. When this week’s guest, author and “recovering lawyer,” Leigh Esposito, joined us to discuss her debut novel, the conversation quickly turned into one you won’t want to miss! Her new book, “The Godmother,” was...

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Italians have a long history in Texas. The earliest Italians arrived during the years of Spanish exploration. 300 years before ports opened up along the Texas coast. Although they did not settle, these explorers arrived in Texas with Spaniard Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541. Italian settlers first arrived in the late 1700s as merchants. Settl...

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