Exploring one's roots can be one of the most meaningful journeys of a lifetime, and for Italian Americans, Italian heritage tours offer a chance to connect with family history, rediscover ancestral towns, and experience the culture of Italy in an intimate way. In my recent Flavor of Italy podcast episode, I spoke with Cherrye Moore, founder of My Bella Vita Travel, who has been helping Italian Americans reconnect with their past for nearly two decades. What makes Italian heritage tours unique is the emotional depth of the experience. Many travelers embark on these journeys in honor of parents or grandparents who never had the chance to return to Italy. Others come to re-create childhood memories of family recipes through cooking classes or to discover how their ancestors' dialects evolved. It's no coincidence that this conversation comes during Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month so be sure to tune in!

Italy has a way of getting under your skin. In this episode of the Flavor of Italy podcast, I chatted with Thea Duncan—the Milan-based American behind Doing Italy—to talk about how to move to Italy in 2025 without losing your sanity (or your savings). If you've been dreaming about starting a new life here, this guide distills the essentials from our conversation into one practical roadmap.

When most people think of Sicily, images of citrus spring to mind: lemons, oranges, mandarins. For centuries these fruits defined the island's agricultural identity. Even Sicilian ceramics that often overflow with lemons and blood oranges. But today, something unexpected is ripening under the Sicilian sun: avocados. This isn't the first time Italy has embraced an outsider and eventually made it feel essential. Tomatoes were once considered poisonous, corn and potatoes were foreign intruders, and citrus itself was introduced to Sicily by the Arabs in the Middle Ages. Over time, all of these became cornerstones of Italian cuisine. Sicilian Avocados may be following the same path. Listen for the details, along with recipes!

Pantelleria has a way of pulling very different lives into the same orbit. This wind-brushed crescent of volcanic rock in the Mediterranean sits closer to Tunisia than to Sicily, and its landscape of black stone terraces, dammusi homes, and low, bowl-trained vines shapes everything from architecture to what ends up on the plate. In this post I'm weaving together two lives that touched Pantelleria—Giorgio Armani and Ugo Ponzi—and the island's essential foods and wines that speak its language of restraint and character.

The menu at Gargiulo's reflects the family's roots in Sorrento, blending classic Neapolitan recipes with Italian American adaptations. Holidays are celebrated with care, and dishes like zeppole, fig cookies, and pasta with sardines take center stage. When you think of Coney Island, images of roller coasters, the boardwalk, and summer fun come to mind. But for generations of Brooklyn families, the real heart of the neighborhood beats inside a legendary dining room: Gargiulo's Restaurant. Founded in 1907, this historic institution is the oldest business still operating in Coney Island. In my recent chat with Matthew Cutolo, pastry chef of Gargiulo's Restaurant, he shared how his family's story intertwines with this iconic Brooklyn landmark.

If you've ever fallen head-over-heels for a story that feels like home, you already understand the magic of Adriana Trigiani. Author, screenwriter, director, podcaster, and tireless champion of craft, Adriana has written more than twenty books—and her newest novel, The View from Lake Como, is a heartfelt exploration of family, reinvention, and the tug of Italy on an Italian-American soul.

If you've ever fallen down the rabbit hole of pasta shapes on Instagram and wondered, "Who dreams this stuff up?"—meet Laurie Boucher. She's a pasta artist, a generous teacher, a fearless tinkerer with tools, and a former attorney who flipped her life to follow flour, water, and imagination. Laurie doesn't just make pasta; she invents pasta shapes and the tools to create them—then shows the rest of us how to do it, too. AND…. One of her pasta shapes was just featured on the award winning series, THE BEAR!

How a Lagoon City Became a Crossroads of Cultures

Venice is often celebrated for its shimmering canals, magnificent architecture, and enduring romance. But during the Renaissance, this improbable city built in a lagoon was more than just a beautiful backdrop—it was one of Europe's most important hubs for commerce, culture, and, above all, migration. And this extended to Venetian cuisine, a direct product of migration....

Design Your Italy is a highly personalized one-woman travel consultation company that helps travelers discover Italy in a way that is intimate, unique, and authentically local. On this episode we chatted about some of Sicily's most evocative destinations—from the hilltop town of Erice to the windswept volcanic islands of Pantelleria and the Aeolian archipelago. If you're looking for the ultimate Italy travel planner to help you explore Sicily, Vanya is a name you should know. Tune in to learn more and explore Italian islands with us - think Sicily, Pantelleria, the Aeolian islands....

More chocolate stories in this delicious Part 2 Episode! A Deep Dive into Italian Chocolate, From Modica to Nutella and Beyond Italy might be most famous for pasta, pizza, and wine, but there's another delicious element of Italian culture that's often overlooked: Italian chocolate. And right now, it's having a major moment in the global spotlight. Why? Because the legendary Italian chocolate and confectionery empire Ferrero—the family-owned company behind Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, and Kinder—has just acquired Kellogg's in a $31 billion deal. This acquisition isn't just a business story—it's the latest chapter in the rich, complex, and utterly delicious story of Italian chocolate.