Rome’s Jewish Ghetto is an often overlooked treasure of Rome. This neighborhood is rich in archaeological and cultural heritage, delicious traditional Roman cuisine and religious history that dates back many centuries. Rome’s Jewish community is probably the oldest in the world outside of the Middle East, dating back to around 161 BC. No one knows the Jewish Ghetto better than Micaela Pavoncello. Listen to my fascinating chat with Micaela as she recounts some of her amazing & personal stories about her Jewish Ghetto neighborhood.

Although Italy is a bit late to the rosé wine party it's producing some spectacular rosé wines that you have to try!  First of all a good rosé wine is just plain delicious! The younger generation of sophisticated wine drinkers understand this and rosé wine is what they're buying and drinking. France has been producing lovely rosés for awhile, particularly in the Provence region, and Loire. BUT: What France doesn't have is the indigenous year-round grapes that make wonderful rosé wine. Italian rosés are better with all foods - even spicier foods that are generally hard to pair. Check out these 12 rosé wines you have to drink this summer – and quite frankly, year-round!

Are you wondering what you should read this summer? If you love Italy I've got you covered with this great selection of books!  Brand new author C. d'Angelo and I talked about her two books: The Difference released in 2021, and The Visitor a brand new June 2022 release. We also talked about our top choice best summer reads with an Italian flair. Have a listen to our chat about her books and our top choice reads for this summer 2022.

The Joy of Gianduia Chocolate from Torino was born from necessity centuries ago: a brilliant creation, with a luscious texture and flavor profile of a hazelnut and chocolate combination. It was an instant success! The new chocolate creation was first marketed during Carnival so chocolatiers decided to name it gianduia after Turin's archetypal Carnival mask character, Gianduia. To this day gianduia chocolates are the pride of Turin and one of Italy's premiere chocolate products. Why hazelnuts and chocolate? Find out why when you listen to this episode - an interview with première Torinese chocolatier Guido Castagna.

Find out how Armando and friends slaughtered and broke down a pig and made all kinds of pork delicacies over the span of one morning in his mother's garage. The delicious pork products they made included luscious sausages, head cheese and Lardo colonnata. The lardo Armando made was equally delicious but not IGP certified so couldn't carry the IGP name lardo colonnata. Nothing was left to go to waste and the final step was to cook up the remaining pork bones. The pork bones are typically served with another local Lunigiana dish, chestnut polenta. Mortadella lunigianese is another delicious local product they made, but quite different from the famous mortadella from Bologna. Nothing goes to waste! This episode is a re-release of the original; it's the most listened to Flavor of Italy podcast episode by far!

The Trevi Fountain is on everyone's Rome bucket list, BUT there are six surprising facts about the Trevi Fountain you’ve never heard before. Tune in to find out! Head to the Flavor of Italy website for all the details, show notes, photos and links!

Note: This is an updated re-release of an earlier episode.

Some vibrant food memories from childhood and the science behind them. And some favorite Italian recipes like pasta alla carbonara and why some cooks like to modify classic recipes and others are diehards and stick strictly to the original. So much of it relates back to our food memories and our vision of what recipes should be. This episode was originally released over two years ago as Episode 3. Head to the Flavor of Italy website and share your favorite food memories; I'd like to include them in the show notes!

Are you visiting Rome this summer and wondering what to do? If you'd like a unique, truly Roman experience then head to one of Rome's theaters for opera & music performances. In June don't miss the Rome Chamber Music Festival! Also lots of performances outdoors including the historic Roman Baths location at Caracalla. Tune in for all the details, plus other great things to do in Rome this summer! Lots of links and photos in the show notes on the Flavor of Italy website.

Your carbon footprint and some surprising things you probably don't know but should be aware of. For example: *Should you replace old appliances & cars with newer energy efficient ones? Probably not. *Is wax paper preferable to plastic wrap? Nope. Tune in to this week's episode to get the lowdown on your carbon footprint and simple changes you can make in your life that will help the environment, the planet...and you. And don't forget to head to the flavorofitaly website for this week's show notes, useful links and photos.

4 Summer Recipes to check out for 2022: easy Italian recipes that make the most of great summer ingredients. And that's not all: There's a round-up of more easy summer recipes, Summer pasta recipes to check out, and Great summer desserts. AND stay tuned for my Top 10 Summer Recipe e-book for 2022 – free only for my newsletter subscribers! Head to the Flavor of Italy website for all the details!