Latest Episodes

For Episode 100 of Italian American Stories, author Chris Massari shares the heartbreaking true story of his great-aunt, Augustina Massari, and how her family's history inspired his upcoming graphic novel, The Mafia vs. The Klan. A conversation about Italian American heritage, genealogy, resilience, and preserving our ancestors' stories.

What started as a search for family history became a life-changing journey. Kris Rini shares how researching his Italian roots led to finding relatives in Calabria, restoring his family's original surname, and ultimately earning Italian citizenship.

At 14 years old, Marcella Flanagan left New York and returned to post-war Bari, Italy. In Episode 98, Marcella and her niece, Phyllis Orlowski, share an extraordinary story of family, resilience, and living between two cultures.

In 1911, Sicilian immigrant Concetto Formica was murdered while working as a musician with a traveling carnival in North Carolina. What happened next is one of the strangest stories we've ever researched. His embalmed body remained in a funeral home's garage for 61 years, where generations of locals came to know him as "The Italian Mummy." Join Stephanie and Sandy as they revisit this remarkable true story with new research and fresh conversation.

After years of dreaming about it, we finally made the journey to Italy. Join us as we travel through Rome, Matera, Potenza, the Amalfi Coast, and Pompeii while exploring our family's roots in Basilicata. Along the way, we share unforgettable moments, incredible food, local festivals, and the emotional discovery of the Smaldone family tomb in Potenza.

In Episode 95 of Italian American Stories, we tell the tragic and often overlooked story of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca — the forgotten victims of the Manson murders. We explore their Italian American roots, the horrifying events inside their Los Angeles home, and the strange details that still haunt this case today.

A mysterious fire in Denver… and a strange Ouija house in California. In this episode, we uncover two bizarre Italian American stories filled with unanswered questions, obsession, and events that still don’t make sense.

A DNA test in her 50s revealed a life-changing truth—Christine McBurney was half Italian. What followed was a powerful journey into family secrets, identity, and the discovery of a father she never knew.

In 1906 Denver, a young Italian immigrant named Carmelina Fiorino shot and killed her husband—but was it murder or self-defense? This shocking case of love, control, and survival captivated the city and still raises questions today.

A powerful Italian immigrant story of resilience, hardship, and the American Dream—following Joseph Benvenuti who started working at just six years old and built a life that shaped generations.