Italian American Stories Podcast

What happens when researching your family history uncovers an entirely new branch of your family—and inspires a historical novel?

In Episode 110 of Italian American Stories, Stephanie welcomes author Cheryl A. Ossola, a second-generation Italian American whose family roots inspired her novel, How Long a Shadow.

Set in 1903 in Barre, Vermont, the novel explores the lives of Italian immigrant stonecutters, the dangers of the granite industry, labor struggles, and a young woman's determination to forge her own path.

Cheryl shares her family's journey from northern Italy to Vermont, the surprising genealogical discovery that helped shape her novel, and the extensive research she conducted in both Italy and the United States.

We also explore the devastating occupational disease known as mal d'America, the political divisions within Italian immigrant communities, and the challenges faced by women at the turn of the twentieth century.

Now living in Perugia, Italy, Cheryl also reflects on her Italian American identity and why moving to Italy made her realize just how different Italian and Italian American cultures can be.

Join us for a fascinating conversation about immigration, family secrets, forgotten history, and the stories that connect us to our ancestors.

About the Book:

How Long a Shadow will be released November 17, 2026, and is available for preorder.

Learn more about Cheryl and her work:

Website: https://www.cherylaossola.com/

Italian American Stories Podcast

Bringing our ancestors' stories to life.

#ItalianAmericanStories #ItalianAmericanHistory #ItalianImmigration #FamilyHistory #HistoricalFiction

In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Brooklyn-born photographer, graphic designer, and author Daniel Paterna to discuss his beautiful book, Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn Italian’s Recipes Celebrating Food and Family.

Daniel shares the story of growing up in the Bensonhurst home his grandfather built and the powerful influence of his grandmother Luigia, who connected him to her Italian culture through food, stories, music, and memories of Vico Equense.

We also explore how Daniel turned family recipe cards, photographs, and generations of memories into a visual archive of Italian American life. He recalls documenting the neighborhood bakeries, fish markets, record stores, and other family-run shops that helped preserve a connection to the Old World—and what it means when those places disappear.

From making struffoli before Christmas to offering stuffed calamari as an expression of gratitude, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that food is never simply food. It can be a language of love, an emotional connection, and a way of preserving the people and places that shaped us.

Learn more about Daniel and his work:
https://danielpaterna.com/

Follow Daniel on Instagram:
@danielpaternaauthor

Explore GenealogyBank and support Italian American Stories:
https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/all?utm_source=1032377&utm_medium=gbhp_text&utm_campaign=affil&kbid=1032377&m=3

What happens when the stories of your Italian-American family become the inspiration for a musical?

In Episode 108, Stephanie sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Turner, author and composer of Ciao Bambino, a musical and novella inspired in part by her family's journey from Northern Italy to America. Set in 1945, the story follows Elisabetta, a young woman who leaves Italy for New York City in search of a new beginning. 

Elizabeth shares how the experiences of her great-grandparents, grandmother, and even her own life helped shape Ciao Bambino—from the hard work and faith of earlier generations to the Italian phrases and traditions she remembers growing up with. 

We also talk about Elizabeth's years performing in Italy, how Ciao Bambino grew from a collection of songs into a stage production and novella, and the decade-long journey of developing the show for new audiences. Today, Elizabeth hopes to bring the musical to schools, community theaters, colleges, and eventually even the screen. 

At its heart, Ciao Bambino is a story about family, courage, faith, hard work, and starting over—and about how the sacrifices of one generation can create opportunities for the generations that follow. 

🇮🇹 Learn more about Ciao Bambino, find the book, music, and social media at ciaobambinothemusical.com. 

Listen now to Episode 108 of Italian American Stories Podcast.

When Mario Gemello’s father left Piedmont, Italy, for California in 1912, he carried a dream of opening his own winery. But before that dream could become a reality, Prohibition forced him to find another way to support his family.

In Episode 107, Stephanie is joined by writer, journalist, and family historian Kevin Ferguson to explore the story of Gemello Winery in Mountain View, California. Kevin shares how an old cassette recording helped preserve his family’s immigration story, how the Gemellos built their winery during Prohibition and the Great Depression, and how a forgotten bottle of 1970 Gemello Cabernet became the surprise winner of a blind tasting held for the 25th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris.

Kevin is currently working on his forthcoming book, Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge, a memoir about health, aging, and winemaking.

Follow Kevin’s work:

Substack: https://gemello.substack.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemellowinery

New episodes of Italian American Stories are available wherever you listen to podcasts.

On April 20, 1914, striking coal miners and their families came under attack at the Ludlow tent colony in southern Colorado. Among them was 24-year-old Italian American mother Mary Petrucci.

Only weeks after losing her oldest son, Mary took her three remaining children—Joe, Lucy, and six-month-old Frank—into a cellar beneath a tent as gunfire swept across the colony. When the tents began to burn, Mary survived, but her children did not.

In this episode, Stephanie and Sandy share the story of the Petrucci family, the dangerous conditions that drove Colorado miners to strike, and the tragedy that became known as the Ludlow Massacre. You’ll also hear Mary’s own powerful words about her children, her grief, and why she found the courage to travel across the country and tell the world what happened.

Mary Petrucci’s story is one of unimaginable loss—but also courage, sacrifice, and an Italian American mother’s determination to help create a better world for other families.

Support Italian American Stories and explore historical newspapers through GenealogyBank: https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/all?utm_source=1032377&utm_medium=gbhp_text&utm_campaign=affil&kbid=1032377&m=3

Follow Italian American Stories for photographs of Mary, her family, and the Ludlow monument.

What begins as a granddaughter’s search for the grandfather she never knew becomes the discovery of a remarkable—and nearly forgotten—chapter of Italian American history.

In Episode 105, I sit down with author and journalist Lara Brenckle Malmont, whose search for her grandfather, Filippo Arturo Venezia—later known as Philip Leo Brenckle—uncovered a childhood shaped by loss, immigration, Allegheny County’s early foster-care system, and the controversial practice of “farming out” children for labor.

Lara shares how a childhood promise to her grandmother eventually led her through old newspapers, family records, photographs, letters, and years of research to uncover Grandpa Phil’s story—including a devastating 1922 fire and the events that followed.

That journey ultimately inspired Lara’s historical novel, Three Rivers Home, based on her grandfather’s childhood and set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Pittsburgh.

It’s a conversation about family history, Italian American identity, immigration, resilience, and the stories waiting to be rediscovered when someone decides to keep looking.

🇮🇹 LINKS & RESOURCES

🎙️ Italian American Stories Podcast
ItalianAmericanStories.com

📚 Lara Brenckle Malmont
LaraBrenckleMalmont.com

🔎 Finding Grandpa Phil
FindingPhil.com

🌳 Research Your Family History with GenealogyBank
https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/all?utm_source=1032377&utm_medium=gbhp_text&utm_campaign=affil&kbid=1032377&m=3

🎙️ Italian American Stories Podcast — Bringing our ancestors’ stories to life.

George Noce spent decades making Denver’s Civic Center a more beautiful place—one flower at a time.

Known as “The Tulip Man,” George carefully ordered thousands of tulip bulbs from Holland and transformed the Civic Center grounds into colorful gardens admired throughout the city. But his kindness extended far beyond the flower beds. Alongside his sister Lillian, George delivered flowers—and occasionally goldfish—to sick children, hoping to bring a little happiness into their homes and hospital rooms.

In this episode, Stephanie and Sandy revisit the story of this remarkable Italian American, the son of Angelo Noce—the man remembered as the “Father of Columbus Day”—and uncover the surprising moment when George’s work at the Civic Center took a dangerous turn.

Join us as we remember a kindhearted Denver gardener whose flowers left a lasting impression on his city.

Support Italian American Stories Podcast at no additional cost by using our Booking.com link before planning your next trip:
https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-101809443-14398479

Visit us at ItalianAmericanStories.com.

Maria Marasco left behind her home, her mother, and everything familiar in Italy to reunite her family in America. But the life waiting for her was far from easy.

After arriving in a small Utah mining town, Maria and her children faced poverty, prejudice, and heartbreaking cruelty. Hoping for a better life, the family eventually moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, where a growing Italian immigrant community welcomed them with wine, olive oil, homemade food—and the enormous peaches of the Grand Valley.

Through financial hardship, devastating loss, and years of sacrifice, Maria continued finding ways to support her family. She baked bread in a backyard brick oven, peeled tomatoes at a local canning factory, tended gardens, raised children, and helped make it possible for her son Ferdinando to attend medical school.

This is the remarkable story of a resilient Italian immigrant woman, the community that embraced her, and the family that built its American dream from the ground up.

Learn more about Italian American Stories Podcast at italianamericanstories.com.

Did you know that more than 1,200 Italian nationals were also held at an internment camp in western Montana?

In this episode of Italian American Stories Podcast, Stephanie and Sandy tell the remarkable true story of the Italians who arrived at Fort Missoula during World War II. Looking out over the mountains, they renamed the camp Bella Vista—Italian for Beautiful View.

What followed is one of the most unexpected chapters in Italian American history.

Discover how the men built their own community, organized elections, played bocce ball, fought forest fires, staged theatrical performances, made homemade wine, and even sparked a riot... over olive oil.

It's a story filled with hardship, resilience, humor, and humanity—one that deserves to be remembered.

Support Italian American Stories Podcast at no extra cost to you by booking your next vacation through my Booking.com affiliate link:

Booking.com:
https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-101809443-14398479

Whether you're traveling to Italy, across the United States, or anywhere else in the world, using my link helps support the podcast.

Italian American Stories Resources:
https://www.italianamericanstories.com/resources

Learn more about Fort Missoula Museum:
https://fortmissoulamuseum.org/

🎙️ Italian American Stories Podcast is dedicated to bringing our ancestors' stories to life through fascinating tales of Italian American history, genealogy, immigration, and the people who helped shape America.

🌍 Planning a Trip?📚 Resources

Long before Grand Junction became the city we know today, an Italian immigrant named Nunzio Grasso helped shape its future—one stone at a time.

In this episode, Stephanie and her mom revisit one of the podcast's early stories and explore the remarkable life of Nunzio Grasso, an Italian stonemason who immigrated from Molise, Italy, and left an enduring mark on Western Colorado. From the historic Schwarzwald Building and Sacred Heart Catholic Church to the Million Dollar Highway and countless other landmarks, Nunzio's craftsmanship can still be seen more than a century later.

Along the way, they discuss his family's journey to America, the Italian community that grew in Grand Junction, the traditions that kept their heritage alive, and why pioneers like Nunzio deserve greater recognition for the communities they helped build.

Planning your own journey to Italy?

This summer, I traveled back to Italy to visit the towns my ancestors once called home, and I actually booked the trip through Booking.com before they ever became a partner of the podcast.

If you're planning your own trip to Italy—whether you're researching your family history or simply experiencing everything Italy has to offer—you can book your stay using my affiliate link below. It helps support Italian American Stories at no additional cost to you.

🏨 Book your stay:
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