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.

Nick Guardione, professional strongman and Arnold Strongman Classic competitor, shares his journey from his Italian roots in Sicily to competing on one of the biggest stages in strength sports.

In this episode, we dive into the mindset, discipline, and family values that shaped his path—from everyday beginnings to performing in front of thousands alongside the world’s strongest athletes.

Nick recently competed in the Arnold Strongman Classic, one of the most elite competitions in the world, and shares what it’s like to step onto that stage alongside legends of the sport. From the pressure of performing in front of thousands to hitting personal records, he gives us an inside look at the life of a professional strongman.

But this story goes far beyond competition.

Nick opens up about his Italian heritage, his family’s journey from Italy to the United States, and the deep influence of his father—whose legacy continues to drive him every time he steps onto the competition floor. What began as a way to cope with loss turned into a passion, and ultimately, a career.

We also dive into:

• His journey from cross country runner to elite strongman

• The mindset required to compete at the highest level

• The culture and camaraderie within the strongman world

• His connection to Italy, including family vineyards and summers abroad

This is a story about strength—but also about identity, purpose, and carrying your family name with pride.

In this episode of the Italian American Stories Podcast, Stephanie welcomes writer and historian Brian D’Ambrosio, author of the book Italian-Americana: Explorers, Entertainers, and Eccentrics.

Brian’s book highlights more than forty fascinating individuals whose lives helped shape the Italian American experience across centuries—from early explorers and Revolutionary War patriots to entertainers, athletes, and unforgettable personalities.

During the conversation, Brian discusses several figures featured in the book, including legendary bodybuilder Charles Atlas, football player Brian Piccolo, and other notable Italian Americans whose stories reflect the wide range of accomplishments, struggles, and contributions within the Italian American community.

Rather than focusing only on immigration through Ellis Island, Brian’s work explores a much broader timeline, revealing how Italian heritage has been woven into the fabric of American history long before and long after the great waves of immigration.

If you enjoy discovering lesser-known stories and unique personalities from Italian American history, this episode offers a brief look into the many remarkable individuals featured in Italian-Americana.

You can find Brian’s book Italian-Americana: Explorers, Entertainers, and Eccentrics through major booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

A Wednesday in Boston’s Little Italy.
January 15th, 1919 began like any other day in the North End.

Children walked home from school.
Delivery drivers made their usual rounds.
Families went about their daily routines.

But by the afternoon… everything would change.

Episode 88 of the Italian American Stories Podcast is now available.

Before there was a restaurant, there were coal mines.

In the early 1900s, Italian immigrants from southern Italy and Sicily settled in southeastern Oklahoma, building a tight-knit community rooted in family, food, faith — and hard work. In the small town of Krebs, Oklahoma, one young immigrant named Pietro Piegare followed his father into the mines at just eleven years old.

But a mining accident would change his life forever.

After crushing his leg in a cave-in, Pete reinvented himself — first by brewing a unique wheat beer inspired by the Choctaw people, and then by cooking heaping plates of spaghetti and ravioli for his fellow miners. What began as friends stopping by for “some of that stringy stuff” and a cold Choc beer would eventually become one of Oklahoma’s most beloved Italian restaurants: Pete’s Place.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Italian coal mining communities of Krebs and Pittsburg, Oklahoma

• Oklahoma’s 52-year prohibition era

• Basement brewing and jail time

• A 1950s automatic spaghetti fork invention (yes, really)

• The Italian ambassador’s visit to Krebs

• Two sons who served in WWII — one wounded in Italy and awarded a Purple Heart

• And the lasting legacy of a red sauce joint that still thrives nearly 100 years later

From Campania, Italy to Little Italy of Oklahoma, this is the story of Pete Prichard, Choc Beer, and the rambling old house hidden by trees that became a cornerstone of Italian American life in Krebs.

At 17 years old, Rick Futia’s life changed in an instant.

What began as a summer day at the lake ended in a devastating accident that left him paralyzed. But that is only the beginning of this story.

In Episode 86, we sit down with Rick and his nephew, Jag Jefferson — author of Rickicello — to talk about survival, reinvention, and what it truly means to live boldly after everything changes. From Rick’s bodybuilding days and teenage confidence… to the shocking accident that altered his future… to the unexpected “rockstar” comeback that followed, this episode is filled with honesty, humor, and heart.

We also dive deep into Rick’s Italian American roots — from Calabria to upstate New York to San Jose — and the remarkable story of his grandmother, who left her family behind in Italy and crossed an ocean alone, pregnant and unable to speak English, to build a new life in America.

This is a story about:
• Family loyalty
• Immigrant sacrifice
• Reinvention after tragedy
• Confidence, charisma, and resilience
• And a life that refused to be defined by one moment

If you’d like to read the full story, Rick’s biography Rickicello is available at rickbio.com, where you can purchase the book, audiobook, and special editions directly.

Some stories fade with time. Others demand to be told.

This is one of them.

🎧 Listen now to Episode 86 of the Italian American Stories Podcast.

In April of 1923, eight-year-old Josephine Bruno disappeared just steps from her Brooklyn home. By the next morning, she was found brutally murdered in the shared cellar of her apartment building — and despite an intense investigation, her killer was never identified.

Josephine was born in Lombardi, Italy, and came to America with her family as a small child. On a rainy spring night, her mother left her waiting briefly while she went back inside to retrieve an umbrella. Josephine vanished in those few minutes, setting off frantic searches by her family, neighbors, and eventually the police.

In this episode, I tell Josephine’s story through contemporary newspaper accounts, tracing the night she disappeared, the devastating discovery made by a neighbor the following morning, and the investigation that followed. We look at suspicious arrests that went nowhere, the heartbreaking funeral attended by thousands, and the troubling questions raised by journalists months later — including whether critical mistakes in the early hours cost the case its chance at justice.

More than a true crime story, this is a quiet remembrance of a little girl whose life was cut short and whose name slowly faded from the headlines. By revisiting her story over a century later, we honor Josephine Bruno, her family, and the truth that her life — and her death — mattered.

🎙️ Italian American Stories Podcast 📸 Follow along on social media to see historical photos from the case 🌐 Visit us at italianamericanstories.com

In this sixth installment of Tales from the Archives, we uncover three unforgettable — and unsettling — stories pulled straight from old newspapers that reveal the complex, often dark realities of Italian American history.

We begin with Rosa DeCicco, an Italian immigrant whose obsession with reclaiming her children led to repeated arrests, courtroom drama, and violent confrontations that shocked early-1900s Portland. Her story raises difficult questions about motherhood, custody, and mental health at a time when women had few protections.

Next, we travel to Castle Garden in 1878, where immigration officials uncovered a disturbing case involving a young Italian girl allegedly sold by her own father and brought to America under suspicious circumstances — a chilling glimpse into the exploitation and trafficking that haunted many immigrant families.

We close with the remarkable life of Michael Bochino, a deeply devout Italian immigrant in Baltimore whose backyard shrine to the Virgin Mary became a place of pilgrimage for decades. Revered by many yet plagued by personal controversy, Bino’s life reveals the complicated intersection of faith, temper, devotion, and legacy.

These stories remind us that Italian American history is not just one of triumph — but also of struggle, sacrifice, and survival.

In this episode of Tales from the Archives, we uncover three haunting, unfinished stories pulled from early 20th-century newspapers—stories where Italian immigrants made headlines, only to be forgotten by history.

We begin in 1911 Southern Colorado, where a young Italian rancher is found murdered on a lonely road near Aguilar. A former business partner is arrested, witnesses come forward, and a search posse forms—but the case quietly fades from the press, leaving unanswered questions behind.

Next, we examine a shocking automobile accident involving the son of William Howard Taft. After an Italian laborer is struck and left with a fractured skull, newspaper coverage centers almost entirely on the president’s distress and his son’s remorse—while the injured immigrant’s identity is misspelled, obscured, and ultimately lost.

Finally, we travel to Pueblo’s Italian community in 1925, where a groom disappears just days before his long-awaited church wedding. Headlines scream kidnapping, jealousy, and scandal, but conflicting reports and misspelled names make it impossible to determine what really happened—or where the groom went.

These stories explore not only crime and mystery, but who history chooses to remember—and who it leaves behind.

If you enjoy historical true crime, forgotten headlines, Italian American history, and archival mysteries, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now
📜 Italian American Stories Podcast

This episode is a rerelease from our archives, originally published on New Year’s Eve, and shared again as we ring in the new year.

On December 31, 1915, in Douglas, Alaska, a shocking murder took place in broad daylight—one that newspapers at the time described as “one of the most cold-blooded murders to ever occur in the North.” The victim was Mike Defino, an Italian immigrant whose life ended outside a saloon after a bitter dispute over money turned deadly.

In this archival episode of Italian American Stories Podcast, we revisit the tragic story of Defino’s murder, the dramatic manhunt that followed through the snow, and the disturbing details revealed during a rare early-20th-century autopsy. The case ultimately took a strange turn when the accused killer was declared mentally unfit to stand trial, leaving justice unresolved.

This episode explores:

• The New Year’s Eve murder of Mike Defino in 1915

• Italian immigrants working in Alaska’s mining communities

• Early territorial laws, arrests, and life in remote Alaska

• Graphic autopsy reporting from historical newspapers

• A murder case that ended without a trial

This rerelease is part of our effort to bring important stories from the archives back into focus—stories that remind us how much history can be hidden in a single headline.

📰 Found in print. Remembered in story.

🎙️ Italian American Stories Podcast
Hosted by Stephanie & Sandy

Every Christmas, Denver’s Civic Center glows with thousands of lights — a tradition generations have grown up with. But few people know the name of the man behind it.

In this special Christmas Day episode, Stephanie and Sandy tell the remarkable story of John Malpiede, an Italian American electrician whose creativity, perseverance, and love for his city transformed Denver into a national symbol of holiday magic. Born to immigrants from Potenza, Italy, John spent nearly four decades as Denver’s city electrician, quietly shaping the city’s skyline — from Union Station chandeliers to the Civic Center Christmas lights that drew crowds from across the country.

Through the Great Depression, World War II, devastating fires, tight budgets, and even a shocking wiretapping scandal that briefly put his career and reputation on the line, John never stopped finding ways to bring beauty and joy to Denver. His work reflected not just technical skill, but heart — salvaging materials, inventing solutions, and believing that even in hard times, a city deserved light.

This episode explores John’s family roots, his rise as Denver’s “Christmas lights man,” the controversy that nearly derailed his career, and the legacy he ultimately left behind — one that still shines every holiday season.

A story of resilience, community, and quiet craftsmanship, Episode 81 is a reminder that history is often shaped by people working behind the scenes… flipping switches, climbing ladders, and lighting the way.

In this episode of Italian American Stories, host Stephanie Detton is joined by Dina Gregory, creator of La Befana’s Table, for a deeply thoughtful conversation about folklore, belonging, creativity, and the power of gathering.

Born from Dina’s real-life experience animating a puppet of La Befana—Italy’s legendary gift-giver—in the streets of New York City during the isolation of the pandemic, La Befana’s Table began as an unexpected act of connection. What started with a puppet taken “out of the box” grew into a gathering space rooted in Italian folklore, storytelling, and community.

Dina shares how puppeteering La Befana helped her navigate grief, loneliness, and identity, and how those experiences eventually led her to create La Befana’s Table: a Substack, podcast, and evolving creative project centered on curiosity, wonder, and the sacred beauty of everyday life. Together, Stephanie and Dina explore Italian American identity, ancestral memory, storytelling traditions, and what it means to create spaces where people can show up as their full selves.

This episode is an origin story—not just of a project, but of a calling—and an invitation to pull up a chair, slow down, and reconnect with something ancient, meaningful, and deeply human.