This week we’re joined by Josephine Paone, a young Melbourne-based Italian Australian with a strong connection to her heritage. Josephine had so many wonderful insights to share — from her journey as a tarantella dancer, to her time living overseas, to her reflections on what it truly means to be Italian Australian.

To find out more about Josephine click the links below:

@josephinepaone THE FOUNDER

https://www.instagram.com/josephinepaone?igsh=Y3hzbXh1dmtxbm00&utm_source=qr

@sudculture_ Cultural Marketing Agency

https://www.instagram.com/sudculture_?igsh=OHB1bWhpY2Z0NWF3

@thebagnarota - Tarantella & Pasta workshops preserving Southern Italian culture

https://www.instagram.com/thebagnarota?igsh=a2QzN2phZHNoemN0

THE COMMUNITY

@theitalianrunclub.au - AUSTRALIA’s FIRST RUN CLUB - DM to become an Ambassador in your city

https://www.instagram.com/theitalianrunclub.au?igsh=NTcwNGtzZWtwOTQ=

@radici.au - Italian meet-ups & curated experiences for the next generation

https://www.instagram.com/radici.au?igsh=MTIzc2Jiem1jYjN1aQ==

WHATSAPP CHANNEL

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBvSODFnSzF3Dht7j2a

This week our guest is Mark D’Angelica from Adelaide. Mark is a proud Italian Australian and is a committee member of Com.It.Es South Australia. Com.It.Es is the Committee for Italians Abroad and work on many initiatives which are focused on celebrating the culture and keeping it strong in Italian communities outside of Italy. For more information click the link below:

https://www.sacomites.com.au/

We were especially excited to record this week’s episode as we are joined by three fantastic guests, Andrew, Joe and Carlo otherwise known as Sooshi Mango.

These three hilarious Italian Australians are famous worldwide for their comedy and we love how they use entertainment and laughter to celebrate our heritage.

We loved chatting with the guys about their Italian heritage, hearing of their passion to keep the culture alive and why being Italian is the best thing ever!

Thanks for listening and a big thanks to our sponsors for this week's episode- Melbourne Arancini. In 2016 husband and wife team Paul and Laura Muscara started Melbourne Arancini, supplying Melbourne and regional Victoria with handmade, delicious arancini made with the freshest ingredients. Arancini flavours range from traditional Bolognese Ragu, Four Cheese Broccolini, Pizzaiola, Arrabiata and fan favourite Chicken, Leek and Mushroom. The Christmas season is here and that means their famous Garlic Prawn Arancini are back and available now for something extra special for your Christmas celebrations! They really are Melbourne's best, made fresh.

Sooshi Mango on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sooshimango?igsh=MThzM3Vrb2o2cmNwZw==

Melbourne Arancini on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/melbournearancini?igsh=NmtjbGFpMmoyd2U5

Melbourne Arancini Website:

https://www.melbournearancini.com.au/

This week we are chatting with Tony Guseli.

Born in Australia to Italian immigrant parents, Tony has discovered a strong passion into family research. He shared with us some of the interesting stories he has uncovered, particularly in relation to his Grandfather’s story of being abandoned at birth in Italy.

Tony also told us some fascinating details about the Snowy Scheme, a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex located in New South Wales. With work on the scheme commencing in 1949, it is the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia. The Snowy Scheme employed hundreds of migrant men from several places, including Italy. Many people don’t know the story of the Snowy Scheme and of its many accidents which claimed the lives of 121 men, 27 of whom were Italian. One of those men was Tony’s uncle Antonio. Tony is on a mission to tell the story of these men and has already spent countless hours on research. It’s a huge task and without Tony’s efforts these stories will not be told.

If you have any details which can be added to Tony’s research he asks that you please reach out, you can do this getting in touch with us or by clicking the links in the show notes.

Tony’s email:

guselitvg@bigpond.com

Italian Australian Podcast email:

italianaustralianpodcast@gmail.com

Our good friend, the one and only Frank Miranda, AKA Mr Accordion Man is back for another episode. We always love chatting with Frank and it was great to hear about all the exciting things he has been getting up to. We were also excited to chat about the Perth Italian Festival 2026 which is happening April 11th, it's going to be an amazing day, and we cannot wait to be a part of it.

Mr Accordion Man on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mr_accordion_man?igsh=aXJvNG1mZW1hZmp6

Previous episodes with Mr Accordion Man:

Episode 30: Everything you need to know about the Perth Italian Festival

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1IifVp460H3Y0GaS49IV1r?si=wUr3-VDaTweMLCPB55PjHQ

Episode 54: The story behind Mr Accordion Man

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3P5zSA4xzIGZ94L6ciWy1z?si=2crJSjOjQAmU-tsN8XD4hw

In this episode we had so much fun chatting with Benita from Due Baci Publishing. Benita is our first ever guest from the Gold Coast and she is a busy mum of 3 young children, we loved hearing her describe her life as having ‘lots of love and chaos!’ Yet somehow Benita has found the time to create several bilingual children’s books born out of finding a gap in the market. We chatted about these books and other practical ways to keep your kids interested in Italian language.

These books are so beautiful and colourful, with Christmas coming up they will make fantastic gifts so be sure to head to the website and get yours!

Due Baci Publishing website:

https://www.duebacipublishing.com.au/

Due Baci Publishing on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/duebaci.publishing?igsh=eXlkajZlcXV4cDJu

The Family of Valletta on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=the+family+of+valletta&crid=16YM9XEAGP2E1&sprefix=the+family+of+%2Caps%2C384&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-pd-dpltr-ww-ranker-t1_2_14

Episode 110:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/53VVNt3OgtBHSBqyQmkb5v?si=8Bb40hJTQ9GoYeeZEGtlyw

This week we were excited to talk to Belinda, or the Artisan Bread Mamma, as she is known on instagram. This was an incredible conversation, Belinda is deeply connected to her Italian heritage and We were interested to hear about what inspired her to bake bread and to hear her advice for people making their own sourdough at home. Bel also told us about her family’s immigration story and we chatted about her recent trip to Italy.

Follow Bel on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/artisanbreadmamma?igsh=MWNyNTlmdmxzYW5reg==

We have another guest from Adelaide this week, we had a delightful time chatting with Laura Di Martino.

Laura was Born in Belgium to Italian parents and immigrated to Australia as a child. She is a retired languages and history teacher and is proud and passionate about her Italian heritage. Laura is actively involved in the Italian community and has a wealth of knowledge and we learned so much during this fascinating conversation, in particular about the history of the glory box in Italy and the experiences of immigrants who were intervened in Australia during World War Two.

Her passion for her heritage inspired her to write 2 novels Cremona house and Working it Out, with her 3rd book coming out in 2026. Her books are available via her website and on Amazon, click the links in the show notes for more details.

Follow Laura on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lauradimartino.author?igsh=MXd6MG5uNzMzZmNobQ==

Laura’s website:

https://lauradimartinoauth.wixsite.com/author-blog

Laura’s linktree:

https://lauradimartinoauth.wixsite.com/author-blog/copy-of-buy-the-book

Italian Glory Boxes of Love:

http://www.italiangloryboxes.com/

Ascolta women on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ascoltawomen?igsh=MnptYTF0d3l3aHFq