IAP 213: What Makes A House an Italian American Home?

Picture an Italian American family... Where are they gathered?  Are they around the table with a pot of coffee?  Or are they in the kitchen preparing a Sunday meal?  Perhaps they are in the basement pressing grapes or jarring tomatoes?  For most of us, scenes of the famiglia are also scenes of the home.  You've got to wonder... what is it exactly that makes a house an Italian American home, and what do these shared domestic traditions tell us about our community, our culture, and ourselves? For Italian American Podcast co-host Dolores Alfieri-Taranto, those types of questions are at the heart of the second season of her new hit podcast "Bella Figura- The Tradition of Living Beautifully." So in this week's episode, we're all joining in the conversation, and eschewing the fashionable concept of "Green Building Certification" in favor of a designation a little closer to home, and asking what it takes for a home to qualify as Red-White-and-Green Certified? Just what are the must-haves of an Italian American home, and what do those commonalities of the Italian American domicile tell us about our community's history?  What does the formal, and for many decades plastic-covered, living space that never gets lived in reveal about our socio-economic history? Why is a well-stocked pantry more about our shared values than our modern shopping habits, and why are there images of saints in many homes where the family might have very little commitment to organized religion? These questions, and many more, are at the heart of an episode that explores the essence of what makes our homes, and our families, certifiably Italian American! To listen to Dolores's podcast, visit www.bellafigurapodcast.com. This episode is sponsored by Mediaset Italia.