There are certain ingredients I simply can't imagine my kitchen in Italy without, and lemons are high on that list. Cooking with lemons is such a natural part of my everyday life in Italy that I hardly stop to think about how often I use them. So when I sat down in Rome with Joanna Palmer, author of La Limone Kitchen Cookbook, we had quite a lot to talk about. As the name suggests, Joanna's cookbook revolves around lemons, but our conversation quickly became about much more than recipes. We talked about family food traditions, learning to cook without rigid rules, choosing and storing lemons, the best way to zest them, and the small kitchen habits we inherit from the people around us. And, inevitably, we talked about cooking with lemons, because once you start paying attention to how often you reach for a lemon in the kitchen, you realize just how versatile this one ingredient can be.

If the first part of this story made you want to explore The Odyssey connections for yourself, you can follow them along a surprisingly compact stretch of the Lazio coast. Begin in Sperlonga, continue south to Gaeta and Formia, and, if you have time, head north to Monte Circeo. Some of these connections are archaeological, while others stem from ancient, longstanding local traditions, but together they explain why this beautiful coastline is known as the Riviera di Ulisse.

Here's where to stay in:

Sperlonga https://booking.stay22.com/flavorofitaly/NYu4bd2MDg

Gaeta https://booking.stay22.com/flavorofitaly/xl7GbToVSz

Formia https://booking.stay22.com/flavorofitaly/1Lj0JkPxNL

Monte Circeo https://booking.stay22.com/flavorofitaly/cvfVyrm06-

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Sperlonga and The Odyssey have been intertwined for nearly two thousand years, and now Sperlonga is having an unexpected new moment in the spotlight thanks to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. The connection couldn't be more appropriate. Long before Hollywood turned its attention to the epic adventures of Odysseus, a Roman emperor created an astonishing celebration of those same adventures in a vast seaside grotto here in Sperlonga.

If Sperlonga has already captured your attention and you'd like to visit, here's where you can stay.

For this episode's show notes and photos find them here.

What happens when filmmakers from around the world gather in an Italian city to tell stories about food? At the Bergamo Food Film Festival, the answer turns out to be about much more than beautiful dishes on a screen. Food becomes a way to talk about memory, place, health, agriculture, family, cultural identity and, perhaps most importantly, human connection.

What do you get when two 22-year-olds with almost no money decide that the canals of Southern California need gondolas? In the case of David F. Black and his friend Mike O'Toole, you get a leaky Pakistani fishing boat, an old lifeguard dory, plenty of people convinced the idea will never work, and eventually one of the most unusual Italian-inspired businesses in America. More than four decades later, gondolas are still gliding through the canals of Naples Island in Long Beach, California.

What happens when the doorbell rings and suddenly you have people to feed? Maybe your husband is bringing colleagues home, relatives appear unexpectedly, or friends are coming over and you'd really like the evening to feel special. You start wondering what you can possibly put on the table, which bottle of wine to open, whether you have the right glasses, and how you're going to pull everything together without spending hours in the kitchen.

This is exactly when Megan Recce wants you to call your food and wine big sister.

That's how Megan describes the role she hopes to play for anyone who has questions about food and wine entertaining. No question is too basic, and there's no requirement that you know the difference between Gamay and Sangiovese or own twelve different kinds of wine glasses. Her approach is practical, knowledgeable and, above all, reassuring: food and wine are supposed to bring people together, not make us anxious about whether we're doing everything correctly.

That philosophy was at the heart of my recent Flavor of Italy podcast conversation with Megan. We talked about everything from opening a bottle of wine and choosing the right glass to assembling a last-minute cheese board, making a simple pasta impressive, setting a beautiful table, choosing wine for a sweltering summer evening, and why you should actually say yes when a dinner guest asks, "What can I bring?"

There comes a point when you're learning Italian when knowing the translation of a word simply isn't enough. Understanding Italian language and culture means going beyond the dictionary. You can know that tavola means table. You can learn that magari sometimes means maybe. You can be told that pronto means ready. And you can dutifully memorize that in bocca al lupo is what Italians say when they want to wish someone good luck. But none of that necessarily tells you what those words actually mean when you hear Italians use them. BUT:

Margherita Berti, language teacher and creator of Italian Matters, has a BRAND NEW book that just came out TODAY August 11: Italian History & Culture Through Language that takes you deeper and explores 200 Italian words and expressions that look at the culture, history, habits, and ways of thinking behind them.

Join the episode today to find out all the details through our fun and engaging Italian language chat! AND be the first to grab the book: link in the show notes that accompany this episode.

Karen Phillips, founder of Andiamo Trips, has developed a deep appreciation for the places, wines, food, and stories that many visitors never discover. Rather than offering conventional tours, she creates memorable experiences that invite travelers to slow down, engage with local culture, and see southern Italy from a completely different perspective. If you're looking for authentic Naples travel experiences, look no further! For example: Sea & Sip - the experience begins aboard a boat exploring beautiful parts of the Bay of Naples, including islands such as Ischia or Procida. Guests have time to swim, relax, and enjoy the spectacular scenery before settling in for something quite unexpected: a guided tasting of Campania's wines while surrounded by the landscape that produces them!

Taylor Swift may have made Sancerre the world's hottest white wine, but what makes it so special? Discover the fascinating French region behind this iconic Sauvignon Blanc, why wine lovers have treasured it for decades, and why it's perfect for summer. PLUS: these are the wines that deserve a place on your table next…

When we think about California wine, names like Napa Valley, Mondavi, and the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris often come to mind. Yet behind the success of California's wine industry are countless immigrant families whose stories are every bit as remarkable, even if they've been largely forgotten.

One such story is that of Gemello Winery, an Italian American winery founded by immigrants from Piedmont who arrived in California with little more than determination, a knowledge of viticulture, and a willingness to work incredibly hard.

In my recent conversation with author Kevin Ferguson, I discovered that his forthcoming book, Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge, is about much more than a family business. It's a fascinating story of immigration, innovation, perseverance, and five generations of one Italian American family whose legacy continues to inspire today.