ITALIAN, FOR SURE | Conversations with Italians in Italy About Italian Culture

From the high-paced streets of Milan to the high-speed-train-less tracks of Sicily, we are navigating through Italy and its regional differences. In this episode of ITALIAN, FOR SURE, we also tackle Italy's hilarious relationship with Hollywood, from the elite world of Italian voice dubbers to why nobody can pronounce Matthew McConaughey, and the wildest movie title translations you've ever heard.
We also chat about the ultimate Sicilian food debate (Arancino vs. Arancina), unpack the difference between Northern and Southern Italy (such as hospitality), before wrapping up with a fun look at why phonetic Italian is so straightforward to learn compared to the rule-breaking nightmare of the English language.
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Sicilian Turin resident Samuele Brusca - Content Creator, Co-Founder of Samuele Brusca Academy and TEDx Speaker - and host Catrin Skaperdas bring you an entertaining and educational episode about Italian culture inclusive of:
Why Catrin thinks Milan is a good landing spot for someone from Long Island moving to Italy
What differentiates a regional language from a dialect
If people in Italy speak English, how well, and why that might be
Dubbing culture in Italy
Different Italian regional accents accents
How Italians pronounce famous foreign actors names wrong
The pronunciation of Italian letters
Films that have their names “translated” from English to something in Italian
Is it an arancino or arancina?
Difference between kindness and familiar-ness in the north vs south of Italy
How Sicily doesn’t have high speed trains
Sicilians are prideful about being from Sicily

Chapters
1:09 Intro
3:50 differences between Milan and Turin
6:58 how Sicilian and Neapolitan is an actual a regional language, not a dialect
10:32 Italians speaking English in Italy
13:49 Movie dubbing in Italy
15:03 Regional accents across Italy
18:55 How foreign actors names are pronounced in Italy
23:51 Funny movie title translations
28:01 Arancino or arancina debate
33:10 North vs South of Italy
38:02 Sicilian pride
42:00 Outro
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Unlocking the real world of elite Italian drinking culture requires moving past the "lighter fluid" stereotypes to explore the rigorous science, hidden history, and strict family dynamics behind crafting authentic, single-varietal grappa - and don't forget about the lethal production testing required to keep consumers alive.
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Francesca Nonino, sixth generation of the Nonino family, and host Catrin Skaperdas have an entertaining and informative conversation about Italian culture inclusive of:
What is grappa
What makes grappa authentic
How grappa was discovered
Catrin's first experience with grappa
What grappa not to drink
The test that grappa producers need to do in order to ensure it won’t kill you
How Grappa fits into Italian culture
Why you need to read the label when you buy/drink grappa
The process of making grappa
How the first single variety grappa was born
Running a woman-run business Italy
Being a woman in the grappa industry in Italy
Pros and cons of running a family owned business in Italy
Francesca Nonino’s journey and passion for her family and her company
The Nonino family story
The story of the first female master distiller in Italy
History of grappa
Drinking culture in the U.S. vs Italy
The biggest mistake you can make when drinking grappa
Francesca’s thoughts on Made in Italy

Chapters
2:15 Intro
4:20 What is Grappa
6:54 Catrin’s first experience with Grappa
9:41 How Grappa is part of Italian culture
12:15 Why it’s important to read the Grappa label
16:40 The process of making grappa
21:44 Francesca Nonino’s memory with her Nonno
23:24 The birth of the single variety grappa
26:38 Running a woman-run business in Italy
29:29 The story of the first female master distiller in Italy
31:10 Dynamics of running a family run business in Italy
38:08 Marketing Grappa in the United States
44:18 Drinking culture in the Us and Italy
47:18 The biggest mistake you can make when drinking grappa
49:21 The truth about made in Italy
51:37 Outro

More about Francesca Nonino:
Francesca Bardelli Nonino, sixth generation of the Nonino family, is Head of Web Communication and co-responsible for the U.S. market alongside her aunt Elisabetta at Nonino Distillatori.
After earning a Master’s degree in Economics and Business Management — enriched by a semester at Yonsei University in Seoul and an internship at illycaffè — she joined the company as a Brand Ambassador. Alongside her professional role, she further developed her expertise through two master’s programs in Social Media Communication and User Experience, a certified bartender course, the AIS sommelier certification, and the WSET Level 3 qualification.
In February 2021, she was selected by LinkedIn to officially join its global LinkedIn Influencer program, a network of leading entrepreneurs, academics, and managers. In May of the same year, she was recognized as “The Grappa Influencer.”
In 2022, she received the America Award for promoting an iconic Made in Italy product overseas. In June 2023, she won the “Digital Night – Talents Transforming the Digital World” award for modernizing the communication of a historic product, followed in October by the “Impact Marketing Award.”
In August 2024, she was included in Wine Enthusiast’s global “Future 40” list, highlighting professionals shaping the future of the beverage industry, and was also named among the Top 100 communicators by Forbes Italia. In 2025, she received the Italy Ambassador Award in the Food & Beverage category, dedicated to content creators who promote Italy in the digital world. In 2026, she was awarded the Dominae Prize, recognizing women who represent Made in Italy globally.
Her next goal is to learn the art of artisanal distillation from her mother and grandfather and become a Master Distiller.
Connect with Francesca on Instagram: www.instagram.com/francesca.nonino

This interview is available to watch on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, and available to listen-only everywhere else you can get podcasts.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Italy, without a comma in-between a first name and a middle name [e.g. Catrin, Austin], the two names become one, legally binding first name [e.g. Catrin Austin]. Did you know that? Or how about the fact that a woman cannot legally thaw eggs she’s had frozen in Italy to use them unless she is in a documented heterosexual relationship; Blows your mind, right?
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Milanese local Giulia Lavinia Futura Baroni and host Catrin Austin Skaperdas have an entertaining and uncensored conversation about Italian culture inclusive of:
Middle Names
Popular Given Names, like Giulia: If you grew up in Italy during the 1990s, half of your friends were named Giulia.
Religion in a Modern Society: While Italian-Americans fiercely preserve old-school Catholic traditions, modern young families in Northern Italy are increasingly raising their kids completely detached from the Church.
Dating, Sex, and Circumcision: An unfiltered look into Italy's view regarding sexual culture, dating rules, and modern intimacy.
Fashion in Milan: Milanese fashion is effortless elegance.
Egg Freezing: We look at the practical, emotional, and financial realities of freezing your eggs in Italy.
Surrogacy: Surrogacy is illegal in Italy.
Italian Food: Why Italians don't all balloon in weight despite eating pasta and pizza nearly daily comes down to ingredient quality, processing standards, and walking culture.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains open conversations regarding sex, anatomy, and reproductive topics.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed are personal experiences and opinions of non-healthcare professionals. Always consult a qualified medical professional for any health-related questions or treatments.

Recording Date: This episode was recorded in 2024. All personal reflections reflect the timeline of recording.

Chapters:
00:02:08 Intro
00:03:32 Middle names in Italy
00:08:15 Common given names in Italy
00:14:35 Religion in Italy
00:23:47 Dating in Italy
00:39:17 Sex in Italy
00:43:30 Circumcision: Italy vs U.S.
00:47:19 Fashion in Milan, Italy
00:54:28 Egg freezing in Italy
00:58:38 Surrogacy in Italy
01:00:56 Italian food
01:05:23 Outro

This interview of ITALIAN, FOR SURE is available to watch on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, and available to listen-only everywhere else you can get podcasts.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The essential steps to navigating the Italian real estate market are mapped out in this episode of ITALIAN, FOR SURE. Want to buy property in Italy without the stress of landing on financial landmines, or simply curious to learn what it would take to live in the land of the No.1 cuisine in the world, according to TasteAtlas rankings (2025/2026)?
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Specializing in helping foreign buyers buy, invest in, and manage property in Italy, Jacopo Tartaglia (an Italian real estate agent and the founder of Valente Italian Properties) and host Catrin Skaperdas (an American who has bought property in Italy) help make the property buying process in Italy understandable. Jacopo walks you through the process of buying property in Italy, step by step, making it very easy to understand so you’re prepared for your property buying journey - even if you want to buy a castle.
Jacopo and Catrin have an entertaining and useful conversation about Italian culture inclusive of:
If foreigners can buy a property in Italy, without being a resident
If Italy’s 1 euro homes are worth it
One very helpful tip to avoid spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily and having a major headache to deal with
What budgets you should consider when looking to buy in Italy
If foreigners can get a loan from an Italian bank if they’re not a resident in Italy
Perks for 1st time home buyers
What costs you should consider when buying property in Italy
Places where you can find Italian property listings online
Why you shouldn’t overlook a property listing with bad photos
If buying property in Italy is really worth it

The top websites for Italian property listings:
Immobiliare.it
Idealista.it

This episode is perfect for people who:
Want to buy property in Italy while still living in the US
Are moving to Italy and looking for property
Foreigners already living in Italy that want to buy property
Would be interested in investing in rental property in Italy
Want to understand what it would be like to buy property in Italy

Chapters (Apple Podcasts, Spotify):
2:02 Intro
2:33 The most researched city by foreign buyers of property in Italy
6:02 Jacopo explains why he’s the right person to speak about the topic of real estate in Italy
8:22 Where foreign buyers are looking for property in Italy
11:44 If it's worth it to buy 1 euro homes in Italy
13:34 Revealing budgets someone should consider when looking to buy in Italy
15:39 If foreigners can get a loan from an Italian bank if they’re not a resident in Italy
17:26 What costs you should consider when buying property in Italy
17:51 Perks for 1st time home buyers
20:04 One very helpful tip to avoid spending thousands of dollars and having a major headache in the future
23:15 Why you can’t trust Italian real estate agents
25:22 Jacopo walks you through the process of buying property in Italy, step by step, making it very easy to understand so you’re prepared for your property buying journey - even if you want to buy a castle
29:12 Where you can find Italian property listings online
34:43 Why you shouldn’t overlook a property listing with "bad” photos
37:57 Is buying property in Italy worth it
38:30 Property tax benefits in Italy
40:18 Outro

Jacopo Tartaglia is a real estate agent and the founder of Valente Italian Properties. Through his work and social channels, he shares practical insights on buying, investing, and living in Italy, helping international clients navigate the Italian real estate market.
Contact Jacopo: https://valenteit.com/it/contact-us/&utm_medium=organic&fonte=Youtube&hs_language=it

This interview is available to watch on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, and available to listen-only everywhere else you can get podcasts.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get the inside scoop on the Italian podcast market, like what podcast genres are popular (or not) in Italy, how the non-verbal in Italian culture - like Italian hand gestures - affects podcast listening, and growth and monetization techniques.
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Francesco Tassi, co-founder and CEO of VOIS, the Milan-based podcast creators network achieving 6M monthly listens, and host Catrin Skaperdas sit down at the VOIS studios (on March 3, 2026) to navigate the evolution of the Italian podcast industry from 2019 to today, bringing you an entertaining and educational episode about Italian media culture inclusive of:
The Italian podcast market in 2019 and why VOIS only worked because of where in Italy it was launched
Francesco gives a podcast 101 lesson about the two waves of podcasting (2004 and 2014)
The reaction of Francesco telling his Italian friends and family that he was starting a podcast company in 2019
How the podcast market in Italy has changed from 2019 to now and how VOIS has changed from then until now
Cross-promotion and monetization techniques in Italy, including dynamic ad insertion (DAI)
How podcasts moving toward video has affected the Italian podcast market
How other forms of media perceive podcasts (e.g. how radio stations see podcasts)
How competition exists between podcasts and between podcasts and radio
How the Italian podcast market differs from other markets around the world
Podcast genres that are not popular in Italy: comedy and sports
Francesco describes what they call at VOIS “responsible entertainment”
Average length of podcasts in Italy and when people are listening, according to the data, and what Francisco thinks about it
How non-verbal in Italian culture affects Italian podcast listening, or doesn’t (affect it)
Francesco talks about how the Italian podcast market is a great opportunity right now

Chapters:
01:14 Intro
3:01 The Italian podcast market from 2019 to now
7:03 The reaction of Italians when Francesco told people in his life that he was starting a podcast company
10:03 Italian work culture vs the US work culture
13:39 How VOIS / the Italian market has changed from 2019 until now
16:15 Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) in Italian podcasts
22:56 The sense of competition in the Italian podcast market between radio v podcasts or podcasts v podcasts
27:13 How the Italian podcast market differs from other podcast markets around the world
28:22 Italian podcast genres and why certain ones are more popular than others
33:38 “Responsible entertainment” explained
37:55 Average podcast length in Italy
44:28 How non-verbal in Italian culture affects Italian podcast listening, or doesn’t
50:00 Francesco’s final thoughts on the Italian podcast market
52:00 Outro

To learn more about VOIS, check out their website https://vois.fm/

This interview is available to watch on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, and available to listen-only everywhere else you can get podcasts.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.