Migration during Renaissance Venice: How a Lagoon City Became a Crossroads of Cultures
Flavor of Italy podcast
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....
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"Design Your Italy" travel planner - intimate, unique and authentically local
Flavor of Italy podcast
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....
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The rich, complex, and utterly delicious story of Italian chocolate - Part 2
Flavor of Italy podcast
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...
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The rich, complex, and utterly delicious story of Italian chocolate - Part 1
Flavor of Italy podcast
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,...
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Best Italian Wines for Summer
Flavor of Italy podcast
Best Italian Wines for Summer: a glorious lineup of crisp, zesty, and often under-the-radar Italian wines that are perfect for warm-weather sipping. When the Italian sun is blazing and lunch stretches lazily into the afternoon, you need a wine that refreshes—not one that weighs you down. On the latest episode of the Flavor of Italy podcast, I chatted once again with Italian wine expert Cynthia Chaplin to talk about the best wines for summer—and as always, Cynthia delivered a glorious lineup of crisp, zesty, and often under-the-radar Italian wines that are perfect for warm-weather...
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Leonardo da Vinci - His Winery and the Walter Isaacson Biography (an episode re-release)
Flavor of Italy podcast
The genius of Leonardo da Vinci remains unparalleled and his works of art and scientific knowledge are world renowned. One thing you might not know about him is that he also cultivated a small piece of land – about 8000 m² (a little under two acres) - as a courtyard vineyard. In 1498 the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Il Moro, gave this piece of land to da Vinci in part as a form of payment for The Last Supper painting, but above all it was a way to grant Milan citizenship to da Vinci. In some of his writings Leonardo da Vinci talks about his vineyard. And!... If you haven't yet read Leonardo da...
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The Perfect Fig, a Short Story Collection for Summer Reading
Flavor of Italy podcast
If you’re in search of short story collections to dive into this summer, The Perfect Fig by S.M. Walker should top your list. In this week's episode of the Flavor of Italy podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sharon Walker, the English-born, Italy-based author behind this charming and thoughtful work. With a cover featuring luscious figs—my favorite fruit and one I grow myself—this book caught my attention before I read a single page. It turns out that the stories inside are just as irresistible.
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PIWI Wines and Vines
Flavor of Italy podcast
How Fungus-Resistant Vines Are Shaping the Future of Italian Wine A few decades ago, “PIWI wines” sounded like something out of a laboratory experiment. Today they are front-and-center in sustainable viticulture conversations from Alto Adige to Lake Garda—and for good reason. PIWI is an acronym drawn from the German Pilzwiderstandsfähige, meaning “fungus-resistant” vines. These precision-bred crossings can fend off downy and powdery mildew with far fewer chemical treatments than classic Vitis vinifera varieties, offering a timely solution as climate change makes summers ever hotter...
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Cycling Tours in Italy
Flavor of Italy podcast
Why Italy Feels Made for Cycling Tours Italy’s compact geography offers an unmatched cycling playground: from winding olive-lined lanes to vineyard-cloaked hills, dramatic mountain passes, and coastal stretches with endless views. Unlike the vast and often segregated landscapes of Australia or the United States, Italy’s countryside roads wind directly through life—farmers in the fields, shepherds with their flocks, hill towns clinging to ridge-lines. As A’qto owner Nancy notes, Italian drivers are often courteous and welcoming to cyclists, sometimes even pulling over so riders can take...
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Broken Madonna debut novel & Marian Apparitions
Flavor of Italy podcast
In Atina, in the mountainous heart of Lazio, far from Rome's bustling piazzas and tourist crowds, a young girl claims to have seen the Madonna (a Marian Apparition). Her story, quiet yet profound, forms the core of Broken Madonna, the debut novel by Anna Lucia. The book explores one of the most mysterious and emotionally charged phenomena in Catholic tradition: the Marian apparition. A Marian apparition is said to occur when the Virgin Mary appears to an individual or group, often children, conveying messages of faith, hope, or warning. Some of the most famous include Lourdes in France and...
info_outlineMagical Sulmona: A Hidden Gem in the Heart of Abruzzo
Sulmona is a town that is often overlooked by travelers but is an absolute gem—Sulmona, in the heart of Abruzzo.
Sulmona’s rich history, stunning architecture, culinary delights, and unique traditions—are the things that make this town a must-visit destination. And it's just an hour and a half drive from Rome.
Listen in for all the details on what to see and do, where to eat, the culinary treasures of the town, how to get here and where to stay.
This is what you listeners have been asking for… an off the beaten path hidden gem rich in history and delectable cuisine!