Italian Impact Podcast

This week's guest is the great Samuele Bozzolla.  Samuele is grandson of the late opera singer Ezio Fortunato Pinza, famous for his starring role in the Broadway hit, "South Pacific", and son of the great opera singer and  Claudia Pinza Bozzolla.  In this episode we talk everything from Luciano Pavarotti, his mothers work with various opera singers, to war stories from his father.  Samuele also give talks on the various regions of ...

Wanted to get your Italian citizenship but worried about changes in the law?  Never fear!  This week I was able to interview Marco Permunian.  Marco is an attorney and founder of the Italian Citizenship Assistance group.  In this interview he provides invaluable assistance and clarity on the new laws.  You can also check out his podcast which focuses on citizenship questions here:  https://italiancitizenshipassistance.com/the-itali...

Nobel Prize winner, Louis Ignarro, is my guest this week.  Lou and I discuss how a first generation Italian-American can grow up to win a Nobel Prize!  What a tremendous story.  Learn more about Lou and his research which is literally saving lives here:  https://www.drignarro.com/

I am also very blessed to have Melissa Marinaro, Director, Italian American Program at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Mary Ferro, author of t...

This week's episode has two very special guests.  Lou Bruno, author and proud Italian-America.  His most recent work, The Love of San Demetrio, is an absolutely wonderful story of his experience in connecting the past to the present.  Please check out his book here:  https://www.byloubruno.com/

Lauren Ronayne is a driving force behind the San Rocco Foundation's annual parade.  For 100 years this procession has remained strong and i...

This week I interview Mary Menniti.  Mary enjoyed a close relationship with both her maternal and paternal immigrant grandparents.  As a result, she learned to cherish the memories of gardening!  This week's interview is very powerful as we discuss this dying experience of simple gardening but also how the advent of large corporations has changed everything about farming, even down to the seeds we use.  There are some very importan...

The big 100 and what a guest to have for it!  This week, I interview author, businessman, philanthropist, and basically all around great guy, Nick Vizzoca.  Nick is a Pittsburgh native, first-generation son of Italian immigrants, and survivor of childhood cancer but more importantly, he is a leader and someone who understands people.  Nick and I talk a lot of things but in this episode, we touch on some topics I usually avoid.  Str...

This week I interview the co-host of the "Italian American Stories Podcast", Stephanie Detton.  Stephanie and I have an absolute wonderful time talking about a myriad of things.  When she is not researching stories, she is busy teaching and spending time with friends and family but she absolutely entertains us with some incredible stories from history related to some very interesting Italian characters!  You can listen to her here:...

This week, I interview the great musician Stephen 'Stefano' Pishner of the band AMICI.  Stephen has been doing this for a long time, beginning his exciting musical voyage of artistic discovery at the early age of 9 years old.  Having played to a million listeners, you will definitely appreciate the passion and talent he brings to his work.  To follow AMICI or hear their music, check them out here:  https://www.amiciwv.com/ or follo...

This week I have the great pleasure of interviewing Bill Sunseri, owner of the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. here in the Strip District of Pittsburgh. Penn Mac, as it is known, has a nearly 120 year history here.  In this episode we talk about how losing traditional Italian businesses takes away from the community.  Definitely worth a listen and if you are in the area. stop by and tell Bill I said hello...and remember the secret room i...

This week I interview Domenico Mariani.  This is exactly why I do the show!!!  Domenico's story about his family from the war is incredible.  Never mind the fact that Domenico spent 30 years in law enforcement and has his own incredible memories.  There are just some incredible, incredible stories from his history in this episode...please tune in and use this as a reason to go ask YOUR family members about their distant relatives. ...

This week I have 2 segments with 2 very different, but fantastic, guests.  How lucky can I get!  First, I interview the great Sam Bozzolla.  Sam is the grandson of the famous Italian actor Ezio Pinza.  In this segment we talk Sam's famous roots to the proper way to begin enjoying opera!  This was such a great interview, I will have Sam back soon.  Also, if you want to reach out to Sam directly, feel free to email him at bozzolla59@...

This week, I interview the great Robert Campana!  Robert is the founder of Stop Italian Sounding ® (SIS).  He tells the story of Italian food and beverage products on social media platforms by creating awareness on the differences between real and Italian sounding food & beverage products.  We talk everything from how to pronounce food names to the importance of Italian history.  This is a wonderful conversation that is just fi...

Erica D’Arcangelo is a storyteller, author, and content creator with a passion for weaving narratives that reflect her Italian heritage and cultural roots.  In August 2024, Erica published her debut book, A Story About Pizza, a historical fiction novel that delves into the life of her grandfather, an Italian immigrant and coal miner with dreams of opening a pizzeria. This book is...

Francesco and Chrissy Pircio are a husband-and-wife duo that are passionate about their Italian culture and heritages, striving to create ways to help others who share the same passion.  In this interview we talk Italian citizenship, Italian language, and their thoughts on what it means to be Italian.  They have two projects to help others who are in need of everything from translation to better improving their language skills.  Yo...

This week I interview the great actor/filmmaker Joe Puglisi.  His interest in acting began in earnest in 2012 and he has since appeared in both commercials and films. In 2017 he formed Little Italy Productions, LLC with his business partner and they wrote, acted in and produced their first film entitled "That's Amore" which was released in 2020.  You can view it on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08LZRPJKV/ref...