st
# 77 MARCH 21 , 2016
ne.
Whereas, if you have short
roots, chances are you’ll
be toppled by the hurricane”; it is with this understanding that The Italian
American Podcast strives
to help Italian Americans
cultivate those deep roots
through the richness of
our culture and ancestry,
so that we as individuals,
and as a people, feel
strong, grounded, and
whole. Only four months
into production, the show
is playing a growing role
in the Italian-American
community.
I agreed to join my host,
Anthony Fasano, without
hesitation when he asked
me to co-host The Italian
American Podcast. There
are times in life when we
step into something we
feel is cut to fit our frame
exactly; this was one of
those moments for me.
Raised by Italian immigrants who came to New
York in the late 1960s, my
upbringing was steeped
in Southern Italian culture,
language, traditions, and
codes of conduct. Living
my Italian heritage was
something I simply absor-
bed throughout childhood; it is, and has always
been, central to my identity – what I am, who I am,
and how I live in this world.
In contrast, Anthony’s vision for the podcast originated from his realization,
late in his 30s, that he possessed this rich cultural
heritage, yet knew very
little about it. Anthony
began The Italian American Podcast as a heartfelt
idea to simply have conversations with his 90-year
old grandmother and to
record the stories she
told him. He wanted to
preserve those stories for
his own children, nieces,
and nephews. This idea
expanded to become a
high-caliber, large-scale,
professionally recorded
and produced Internet
show that explores and
celebrates Italian-American heritage.
The two of us together
embody and present both
sides of the Italian-American experience: Anthony,
a third-generation Italian
American, seeking to connect with that lineage,
and me, a first-generation
American, seeking to honor the Italians who raised me and preserve the
culture and traditions they
raised me with.
On our podcast, we interview prominent Italian
Americans like Bastianich; bestselling author and
filmmaker Adriana Trigiani,
author of the blockbuster
novel “The Shoemaker’s
Wife”; and Mary Tedesco,
host of PBS’ “Genealogy
Roadshow,” among many
others, including an upcoming show with Gay Talese, one of the most prominent names in the literary
world.
But our show, which airs
live on iTunes every other
Sunday (an important day
for the Italian American!),
also features a focus on
the ordinary, every day
experience of being Italian
American. Our Christmas
episode, “Sounds of an
Italian-American Kitchen
at Christmas Time,” captures the love, laughter, and
warmth of an Italian-American family preparing for
Natale. My mother, aunts,
nieces, nephews, as well
as Anthony and his