The Italian American Podcast

What does a 127-year-old street organ have to tell us about Italian-American history? More than you might imagine! In this fascinating episode of the Italian American Podcast, we welcome Tony Gangi, proprietor of the Great American Street Organ, who is bringing an almost-forgotten Italian-American tradition back to life. Tony joins us to share the incredible story of the Italian immigrant organ grinders who once filled the streets of America with music, entertaining passersby and making a living through this unique form of street performance. At the heart of the conversation is a remarkable 1899 C. Maserati street organ, originally brought to Boston by Italian immigrant Marino Persichini. This extraordinary instrument helped support a family for generations and has now been restored by Tony so future generations can experience its music and history. We explore the history of Italian immigration, the struggles and discrimination faced by Italian Americans, and the controversial 1935 ban on street organs imposed by New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.   🎬 IN THIS EPISODE: What exactly is a street organ, and how does an organ grinder operate? The story behind Tony Gangi's incredible 1899 street organ. How Italian immigrants made a living playing music on America's streets. The 1935 New York City ban on street organs and its connection to anti-Italian prejudice. The history of the organ grinder's famous monkey. The restoration of a historic mechanical musical instrument. The fascinating mechanics of musical barrels and how they produce melodies. Preserving Italian-American traditions for future generations. Why schools, libraries, festivals, and Italian-American organizations should experience this living piece of history.  Website: https://greatamericanstreetorgan.com  Email: [email protected]  Instagram: @NorthEndOrganGrinder

In this episode of The Italian American Podcast, hosts John, Pat, and Marcella welcome guests Joe Nasello and Anthony Marucci to discuss the launch of Insieme, a new youth initiative by UNICO, the nation's largest Italian American service organization. Amid declining membership in Italian American organizations, the conversation explores how partnerships with high schools, student clubs, and local communities can cultivate a new generation of leaders dedicated to their cultural heritage. The discussion also examines UNICO's founding in 1922, when Italian Americans faced discrimination and exclusion from established civic organizations, and its longstanding commitment to charitable service and cultural preservation. The conversation emphasizes the importance of cooperation among educational institutions, the Italian government, and organizations such as the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) and the Order Sons of Italy in America. Through cultural activities, community service, and educational events, Insieme aims to complement classroom instruction while fostering a stronger sense of identity and belonging among young Italian Americans. The participants also address the challenges facing Italian language programs in American schools, stressing the need for continued advocacy and recognizing language education as a vital link to Italy's cultural and historical legacy. The episode concludes with an invitation to the inaugural Insieme Congress and a call for greater unity and participation throughout the Italian American community. Above all, the conversation highlights the responsibility of each generation to pass on its heritage, ensuring that the traditions, values, and institutions of Italian America endure and flourish. To learn more about UNICO visit: https://www.unico.org/ HOSTED BY: Patrick O'Boyle John Viola Marchella Martin SPECIAL GUESTS: Joe Nasello Anthony Marucci PRODUCED BY: Nicholas Calvello-Macchia

In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, hosts John, Pat, and Marianna welcome memoirist Julianna Forlano for a lively conversation about Italian American heritage, family traditions, and cultural identity. From treasured seeds brought from Italy to the familiar practice of reusing ricotta containers and glass bottles, they explore the resourcefulness and customs passed down through generations.  Julianna Forlano reflects on her return to Sicily and the experience of reconnecting with her ancestral homeland. The conversation explores assimilation, working-class roots, social mobility, and the complicated relationship between cultural pride and the pressures of fitting into American society. As firsthand memories of the immigrant experience begin to fade, the hosts emphasize the importance of preserving family histories through storytelling and literature. Highlighting the Italian American Writers Association, they encourage listeners to reclaim their heritage and ensure that the stories of earlier generations are not forgotten.   HER SOCIALS: Instagram: @juliannaforlano Youtube:  @JuliannaForlano   HER PODCAST: https://oliveontheappletree.com/ HOSTED BY: John Viola Patrick O'Boyle Marianna Gatto SPECIAL GUEST:  Julianna Forlando   PRODUCED BY: Nicholas Calvello-Macchia

In this part 2 of podcast episode 436,  Dr. Marcella Martin shares how Mount Etna's eruption forced her family to reroute their travel plans through Rome and Pompeii before finally reaching Sicily with three young children. The group also talks about the extreme summer heat and crowds, with temperatures in Rome climbing above 100 degrees and destinations like Taormina beginning to lose their local feel. Still, there were plenty of memorable moments, from hunting down portable air conditioners to finding authentic arancini and honey cookies in local markets. The conversation then turns to how overtourism, globalization, and climate change are transforming Italy. John Viola explains how the line between tourist destinations and local communities is disappearing. The group considers whether tourism's economic benefits are worth the rising prices, crowded towns, strained infrastructure, and loss of local character. They also discuss the growing American influence on Italian life, including packaged foods, larger portions, air conditioning, and changing eating habits. Despite the travel problems, the episode is ultimately about the resilience and sense of community that make Italy so special. Stories about volcanoes, wildfires, and frightening car rides are balanced by family reunions, shared meals, and emotional returns to ancestral towns. Whether neighbors are calmly drinking coffee while fires burn nearby or Italian American friends are organizing a "Paisan Express" rescue mission, every disaster somehow becomes a story that will be told for years.   HOSTED BY: John Viola Patrick O'Boyle Marcella Martin  SPECIAL GUEST:  Matthew Cutolo PRODUCED BY: Nicholas Calvello-Macchia  

In this lively episode with, John Viola, Dr. Marcella Martin, and Patrick O'Boyle recount the highs and lows of spending summer in Italy, weaving personal anecdotes with broader observations about Italian culture and the evolving travel experience. The conversation begins lightheartedly with tales of dramatic near misses and concludes with reflections on the deeper meaning of returning to ancestral roots. Their summers were marked by challenges: Dr. Marcella Martin had to reroute her family through Rome due to an eruption of Etna and later survived a wildfire in Sicily, while one of their companions endured both a norovirus and a terrifying allergic reaction in Calabria, underscoring the unpredictability of travel. Despite these adversities, the group highlights how Italy's communal spirit often emerges during times of crisis, turning even emergencies into collective affairs involving neighbors, restaurant owners, and, sometimes, entire towns.  A significant topic of discussion is the impact of intensifying tourism, with the group lamenting how once-sleepy villages like Latoyanni have become overrun, sometimes straining infrastructure to breaking points as evidenced by overwhelmed sewer systems and the displacement of local culture by global trends. They debate tourism's economic benefits against the loss of authentic local life, observing how places like Florence and Venice risk becoming shells of themselves as mom-and-pop shops disappear, replaced by businesses catering solely to tourists. Simultaneously, they notice the creeping Americanization of Italy—from air conditioning to portion sizes and prepackaged foods in supermarkets, even to American-style donuts at local festivals—while still celebrating the distinctiveness that lingers in specific regional products like Calabria's bergamot soda and honey cookies.  Amidst these changes, the hosts underscore the unchanging magic of Italian communal life, family connections, and spiritual traditions, sharing stories of late-night feasts, local festivals, and moments of profound personal meaning found in unexpected reunions with old family friends or spiritual pilgrimages. Ultimately, they see both the chaos and the charm of contemporary Italian summers as formative, especially for their children, reaffirming the privilege of maintaining a living connection to their heritage and the resilience that ties them to the ever evolving Italian landscape. HOSTED BY: John Viola Patrick O'Boyle Marcella Martin  SPECIAL GUEST:  Matthew Cutolo PRODUCED BY: Nicholas Calvello-Macchia