Thank you Feedspot for including the Flavor of Italy podcast on your best 10 Italian food podcast list for 2022!
Just a few days ago Feedspot published its top 10 Italian food podcast list for 2022. I'm honored that for the second consecutive year the Flavor of Italy podcast is on the list. Feedspot's best Italian food podcast list is created by a team of over 50 experts whose "goal is to discover, rank and categorize popular podcasts ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority and freshness". Feedspot's experience leads them to believe that a thoughtful combination of both algorithmic and human editing offers the best means of curation. Thank you Feedspot and thank you listeners!
That's not all. The Flavor of Italy podcast is also on Squadcast's list of the 15 interview podcasts you should tune into. Here's what they have to say:
"Ever feel like you’re in a podcast listening rut?
It’s easy to stick to your typical rotation — with “ride or die” shows that have been in our ears for years...Fear not, devoted podcast listener! If you enjoy shows like Armchair Expert and Fresh Air with Terry Gross, we’re here with a mix of interview show suggestions that might grab your eye (or ear). And you probably haven’t heard about them (yet). Several happen to be recorded using SquadCast. Some are not. It’s ok. We love ’em all!
So, if you’re in need of some new interview shows to keep you company on your upcoming summer road trip, your epic return to the gym or even just while you’re cleaning your home, give these 15 interview podcasts a try."
By the way Squadcast is an incredible podcast remote recording platform that I, and many other serious and seasoned podcasters, swear by.
Flavor of Italy podcast milestone - 100 episodes!
The Flavor of Italy podcast reached a major milestone this week and hit 100 episodes! This week's podcast episode is a celebration of that milestone. Michele Di Pietro and I chatted about the past 100 podcast episodes and reflected back on the episodes we've done together - almost 20% of all episodes! Some of the episodes I've done with Michele are my absolute favorites and we talked a lot about these like the Food Memories episode, two Sicilian food episodes, All About Gnocchi and All About Salt. Each and every one of these episodes is fascinating so if you missed them, or want to have a second listen, just follow the links.
Michele and I enjoyed cocktails on this rooftop location overlooking the back of the Pantheon:
Most of the episodes Michele and I have done together were recorded remotely but for lots of the earlier episodes she was here in Rome with me, staying at Flavor of Italy. When we weren't recording we were enjoying the food and sites of Rome, like the lunch we had at the Armando al Pantheon restaurant.
A recap on what the Flavor of Italy podcast is all about
If you follow my blog and subscribe to my newsletter then you know I'm crazy about Italian food and wine. I share a lot of food and wine photos on social media, and lots of Italian recipes on my blog. Many of my Flavor of Italy podcast episodes are about food and wine. I've interviewed lots of Italian food cookbook authors, chatted with guests about quintessentially Italian ingredients like buffalo mozzarella, balsamic vinegar and gnocchi.
And my go to gal on everything wine is the fabulous sommelier Cynthia Chaplin. We often do episodes on wine growing areas in Italy and native Italian grape varietals.
The Flavor of Italy podcast is a lot more than food and wine.
Almost all of my episodes are interview-based. I love to get out and about and chat with anyone who has a fascinating Italian story to tell. Lots of times it's about a unique or off the beaten track travel destination. I do episodes that talk about the best things to do in a town or a region. It might be unusual places to visit or great places to stay like Villa Brunella on Capri Island.
I love to interview authors: cookbook authors and authors who share fabulous Italian stories. Sometimes it's Italians who have accomplished something spectacular on the invention or creativity front, and sometimes it's ordinary Italians who have overcome incredible challenges in life like near starvation during the second world war, or partisans who helped people during the war.
Often I find out about things that people love to do that I've never thought about before. I love to share those stories. A year ago I interviewed someone about the best surf spots in Italy, and just a few months back I chatted with another person about fly fishing destinations in Italy.
Italy is the land of creators and designers and on the fashion front Italy's always trendsetting. I interviewed one of the top Italian shoe designers who's worked for every top design brand in Italy. Design and creation goes beyond fashion into other gorgeous Italian products like hand-painted ceramics. One of my interviews was all about the five best ceramic producing towns in Italy, and another was an interview with a top Deruta ceramics producer.
I mentioned wine before but some of my wine podcast episodes are just as much about history as wine. In one episode Cynthia and I chatted about the descendants of Dante Alighieri who still own and operate the winery that Dante and his son first started when Dante was exiled from Florence. And you may not know that Leonardo da Vinci was given a piece of land to grow vines and produce wine. Da Vinci had a passion for all things food and wine and during the second world war his vineyard was buried in rubble. Just a few years ago it was uncovered and thanks to vine DNA experts the Vineyard was brought back to life and is once again thriving and producing wine.
The Flavor of Italy podcast is shaping and growing into just the kind of podcast I envisioned but it's taken time. Some of my earlier episodes were rough around the edges but I've loved it from the very beginning and I'm happy with the content I've been able to share with listeners. When I look back and reflect on 100 solid weeks of episodes, nonstop, I'm amazed! I have a list a mile long of episodes I can't wait to dig into and record, and then share with listeners.
How I'm celebrating the Flavor of Italy podcast 100th episode
It's the perfect time to take my newsletter to a subscriber-based Flavor of Italy Substack community newsletter platform full of an expanded delicious mix of Italian food, travel and lots of other tales about my life in Italy. If you're already subscribed to my newsletter you'll still receive it twice a month but when you join my Flavor of Italy Substack community you’ll receive additional tasty reads (and listens) and:
* Discounts on any virtual cooking classes, wine tastings and exclusive virtual tours.
Other exclusive bonus material like:
* A quarterly virtual chat with me or one of my podcast guests.
* A quarterly postcard in the mail - from me - with one of my photos and something special….a recipe or an Italy story or tidbit.
* For Founding Members a 10% discount on a three day stay at Flavor of Italy’s accommodation.
What you'll always find in my newsletter:
* Deep dive Italy stories
* Stories about my life in Italy
* What I'm reading plus some great reads from, or about, Italy
* Up-to-date travel information and unique itineraries
* Lots of great recipes with pro tips and tricks
* My Italy photos, and…
* Ramblings and reflections about lots of other interesting stuff.
My newsletter (and podcast) are reader (and listener) supported and I count on you to keep them running. I'm excited to have you join my Flavor of Italy Substack community!
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Grazie,Grazie mille