Italy Inside Out

Paola Messana was a successful international journalist living in many of the world's largest cities.  When she retired, she found her way to a small village in Sardegna where she bought and renovated a house into a B&B.  She then purchased a small farm outside of the town with olive and fruit trees and a view over the Mediterranean Sea.  She has discovered a sense of peacefulness and serenity caring for her farm and recom...

The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) presents Cinema Italian Style every year at this time. This year, because of the pandemic, the festival will be virtual which has brought a whole new set of production challenges for SIFF. During the festival, new films are shown by established film makers and the debut of new film makers. This engaging interview with Beth Barrett, Artistic Director for SIFF, discloses the history of t...

When Sandra Schmidig and her husband, Ulisse, left Switzerland to search for a warm place to produce organic food, they were told to look in the Val d'Orcia area of Tuscany.  In this picturesque area they found a farmer ready to retire who had 200 acres to sell at a price they could afford. With his mentoring and their hard work, the farm grew from one chicken and one sheep into an amazing agricultural endeavor that includes a...

Tony La Stella is a classically trained singer and accomplished musician and entertainer.  He is also one of the hosts of the Northwest Italian Radio Show, bringing entertaining and informative Italian topics to their listeners. Tony tells us about his musical career from  musical theatre and opera to his current stage performances with his band.  Be sure to listen to the end of the episode for a special musical treat!

The...

Marta Cucchia fell in love with the traditional techniques of Umbrian hand weaving and has continued to carry on this historic craft, which three generations of women in her family before her have kept alive. Her great grandmother, Giuditta Brozzetti, started the studio in 1921 in Perugia and now, under Marta's care, it is one of the last in Umbria to practice and promote this age-old craft. Marta describes her techniques, the...

The Podcast host, Andrea Aldrich tells about a special town in Sardegna, Italy. She was introduced to this village by her two guests, Megan Hastings and Adam Cone, who took a leap of faith several years ago and bought a little stone house in the town of Cuglieri without seeing it in person first. They describe the unconventional way they found the house. The three of them share stories and insights about the town, its citizens, the...

Marzia Caputo grew up in the Veneto town of Vicenza. Her mother and father met in Vicenza when her mother left Calabria to begin a business in a less Mafia dominated region. Marzia describes her favorite sites in her town and the surrounding region and shares stories of growing up in Vicenza, meeting an American who became her husband and her transition to life in the USA.

The antique poem Marzia recited:
Veneziani gra...

Chris Zimmerman is well known for his knowledge of Italian wines. In this episode he shares the stories and experiences he gained traversing the Italian peninsula representing wines from many regions of Italy. From Piedmont to Puglia, Friuli to Sardegna and all regions between, Chris knows the grapes grown and the wines produced. We also learn of the history of wine production in Italy and an explanation of the Italian classificati...

Giuseppe Muziarelli tells us about the history of his hometown, Contignano, located in the iconic area of Tuscany, known as the Val d'Orcia. His family has farmed this land for several generations and he and his wife Paola have converted unused farmhouses into lodging in order to turn the property into the lovely agriturismo, La Montalla. Giuseppe traces the history of his town to the middle ages as a stop on the pilgrim'...

Caterina Nardin was born in England but moved back to Venice with her parents because her father missed his hometown. Caterina describes the challenges facing this city built of islands and accessible only by water. From its apex as a maritime and commercial power in the middle ages to the present day, this place has drawn the rich and famous and the creative and adventurous. Because Venice is so beautiful and unique, it draws floc...

Jacqueline Alio, historian, author and guide, returns for a second episode to tell the fascinating and often tragic stories of the women who have influenced the history, myth and religion of Sicily. From the myths of Persephone and Aphrodite, the saints of Agatha and Lucy, the queens of the middle ages and the rebels and heroines of more current history, we hear their stories and learn of the impact they had on the people of Sicily...

Jacqueline Alio, a historian and author, returned to Sicily with her family in the 1980's and found the city of Palermo under the impact of Mafia power. In subsequent years the people protested tirelessly for government intervention and help. The city is now a safe and beautiful place again in which to live and to visit. Jacqueline also describes the periods during the rule of the Arabs and then the Normans in the middle ages ...

Sam Ciapanna is an American with dual citizenship who has recently purchased a home in the region of Abruzzo. He describes the challenges of traveling to Italy during the covid-19 crisis. We learn of the love he has for the hill town of Colonnella where his grandfather was once a beloved tailor and referred to the town as Bella Colonnella. Sam shares with the listeners many of the fascinating places to see in this less traveled reg...

Episode 2. Francesca Raspanti is an Italian guide with a full range of credentials to offer her groups, most importantly, a passion for the land where she lives and the town in which she was born. Francesca joins me from Montepulciano, Italy and discusses many subjects, including how her family, community and country have dealt with the covid-19 crisis, the stringent courses and testing required to become a licensed Italian tourist...

Author and lecturer, Mary Beth Moser, Ph.D., describes her journey of discovery as she searched for her cultural heritage in the extraordinary Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Sud Tirol. Among the many topics that she discusses are the region’s unique history, the languages known as dialects, the traditional foods and wine, the stories of the family connections she made, the Trentino immigrants in America and how she has been ...