The Italian Australian Podcast

We were so excited to have our friend, Perth’s favourite real estate agent Justin Merendino back on the Italian Australian Podcast. We loved hearing about what Justin has been up to since his last episode with us including his time meeting Sooshi Mango and being a guest on their podcast. To listen to that episode and our previous episodes with Justin click the links in the show notes. Justin on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/justin_merendino_raywhite?obrf=N3h4czk4bXhrODUwJustin on Sooshi Mango Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/remember-the-name-folks-justin-merendinos-not-far-away/id1690507159?i=1000776505073https://open.spotify.com/episode/40HEbt4C3YYXVbS58NRkEX?si=xH6Z759xTV6KsaCE02uOQA&utm_source=copy-linkItalian Australian Podcast Episode 99: Remember the name Justin Merendino https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OQXJvn9KddEx9a845DynP?si=7BIEHLZ9QY2Jq2DpOAkmvg&utm_source=copy-linkItalian Australian Podcast Episode 109: Massimo meets Merendino:https://open.spotify.com/episode/0cynRgKcdrEzjiKqOEv0f7?si=Xbn84J_jTgyjtL7tbzeTvQ&utm_source=copy-link

We chatted with singer, songwriter, producer and jingle queen Gisella Cozzo. Gisella was born in Melbourne and has been based in Milan for many years where her successful career bridges continents, cultures and decades of music excellence. We were thrilled for the opportunity to chat with her while she was back in Australia to be a part of the Melbourne Italian Festa and the Segmento Tarantella Festival. Follow the links below for more on Gisella.Gisella on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gisellacozzoofficial?vrfl=YjhzYjR0MHI0OHN5Gisella on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/19aowpsyEg/?mibextid=wwXIfrGisella on YouTube:https://www.facebook.com/share/19aowpsyEg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

In this episode we are talking about the iconic film, Looking for Alibrandi. Starring Pia Miranda and many other well known actors, the film is based on the novel by Melina Marchetta. Looking for Alibrandi is an Australian film about Josie, an Italian-Australian teenager navigating family expectations, her identity, first love and the challenges of finding her place in the world. This is one of our all time favourite films, being released in the year 2000 it’s a film we grew up with and we know many others in our generation can relate! Now- spoiler alert- we do give away much of the storyline in this episode. If this has left you feeling nostalgic and you need to watch it again- or if you have never seen it- do yourself a favour and watch it tonight! It is available on Netflix and other platforms.

This week we have a wonderful guest, John Minutillo, who told us all about a very special tradition, the Blessing of the Fleet. John is the President of the Fishing Fleet Festival Association and we were fascinated to hear his knowledge and passion for this amazing event. Originating in Molfetta hundreds of years ago, it is dedicated to blessing fishing boats to bring prosperity and keep the fishermen safe. Nowadays this tradition continues in Molfetta and in many other parts of the world where Molfettese have immigrated, including our very own Fremantle where the event is happening this Sunday the 25th of October. There will be so much happening in Fremantle on this day including the procession of La Madonna, food, entertainment, fireworks and more. This is an event not to be missed. For more information listen to the episode and click on the links in the shownotes.Fremantle Blessing of the Fleet on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/14uJw89hJoG/?mibextid=wwXIfrFremantle Blessing of the Fleet on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fremantleblessingofthefleet?rpxt=dXNoemJwN294ZGFvDetails on City of Fremantle website:https://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/arts-and-culture/whats-on/blessing-of-the-fleet-little-italy-festival/

In this episode we are joined by one of our favourite return guests, Melbourne based comedian, performer, MC and radio presenter James Liotta is back! We always love catching up with James for a chat about what he has been up to and what he has coming up. James is involved with many Italian festivals around Australia, and we can’t wait until he is back in Perth as the MC of the 2027 Perth Italian Festival. We also heard about James’ current show ‘Nonna and Yiayia which he performs alongside George Kapiniaris.Click on the links in the below to listen to our previous episodes with James and to find out more about the ‘Nonna and Yiayia’ show.Follow James on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jamesliottaentertainer?mdxt=YmZzaXIydXE3cWllFollow James on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/1CQKW9aocV/?mibextid=wwXIfrNonna and Yiayia tickets:https://mailchi.mp/86fcd7334150/nonna-and-yiayia-live?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bioPrevious episodes with James:https://open.spotify.com/episode/5XEA4iSiE1xIAIoU6jUYHr?si=i1iXy2jUSFC09oorDpfGHw&utm_source=copy-linkhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/4JxOYloLji1oSXpgvTZMAd?si=HoCDLn-rSnWrrIJeVrkiCg&utm_source=copy-linkhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/0At6zSUzutLvM8GH3ziTtl?si=YalrK6ECQ9mYlJbF7rsCcw&utm_source=copy-linkhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/7iStMoVvrxrizbx6msLCVG?si=sOTz3DC5QK-_l530q3DJtg&utm_source=copy-link