Flavor of Italy podcast

Wendy Holloway
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  • PLACES & TRAVEL
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join Flavor of Italy each week for a look at Italian food and recipes, Italian culture, travel and history through interviews with Italy's cutting-edge creators, food personalities, locals and anyone else who has a fascinating Italian story to share.

  1. 5D AGO

    TEBRO Rome Historic Linen Shop

    167 Years of Italian Craftsmanship in the Heart of the Eternal City - Historic Linen Shop in the Heart of Rome Just steps from the Italian Parliament, tucked into one of the most elegant corners of Rome's historic center, sits a remarkable shop that many people walk past without realizing the extraordinary history inside. Tebro, a Rome historic linen shop founded in 1867, has been serving the city for more than 167 years, quietly building a reputation for quality, discretion, and craftsmanship that reaches far beyond the streets surrounding it. The store today is located on Via dei Prefetti, inside the centuries-old Palazzo Pallavicini. The building itself dates back to the medieval period, and the Tebro premises now occupy roughly one thousand square meters of space within it. The location could hardly be more central. Within just a few minutes' walk are the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, and some of the most beautiful streets in Rome. It is one of those places where the layers of Roman history feel very close at hand. Yet what makes Tebro truly remarkable is not only its location, but the fact that it represents something increasingly rare in modern cities: a historic, multi-generational family business that has managed to preserve its identity while adapting to the realities of contemporary life.

    23 min

  2. MAR 3

    Crimes Against Art - a complex and global reality

    Crimes Against Art - What We DON'T See Behind the Headlines When news broke about the recent Louvre theft, the story felt almost cinematic. A bold break-in, a swift escape, international headlines. Like many of you, I followed it with fascination. But in my recent conversation with Lynda Albertson, Executive Director of ARCA, I was reminded that crimes against art are rarely isolated, dramatic events. They are part of a much larger and more complex global reality. The Louvre case dominated the news cycle in late 2025, but crimes against art occur constantly around the world. In the past five years alone, there have been dozens of similar museum thefts involving objects that can be quickly removed, broken down, and resold.

    30 min

  3. FEB 24

    The Original Fettuccine Alfredo, at Il Vero Alfredo in Rome

    If you think you know Fettuccine Alfredo, you may want to think again. Recently I sat down inside one of Rome's most historic restaurants, Il Vero Alfredo, to talk about the true story behind this iconic dish. My guest was Chiara Cuomo, the fourth generation of the family behind the restaurant. What I discovered is that the real Fettuccine Alfredo is far simpler, more elegant, and far more meaningful than most people realize.   Tune in for the rest of this magnificent story!

    21 min

  4. FEB 16

    Leone Limentani Rome - Seven Generations of Porcelain, Power, and Reinvention

    In the heart of Rome's Jewish Ghetto, just opposite the Portico d'Ottavia and steps from the Teatro di Marcello, there is a staircase that leads down into history. That staircase belongs to Leone Limentani Rome, one of the oldest family-run shops in the city — founded in 1820 and still operated by the same family, now in its seventh generation. I first discovered Leone Limentani Rome decades ago when I lived on Via Giulia. I would walk along the Tiber and into the Ghetto, descend those stairs, and find myself in what felt like an Aladdin's cave of porcelain, crystal, and silver. Shelves stretched in every direction. Ginori plates. Limoges porcelain. Christofle cutlery. Baccarat crystal. Everything touchable. Everything real. And that tactile immediacy is still part of what makes Leone Limentani Rome so special today.

    34 min

  5. FEB 9

    Mapping the Roman Roads That Built an Empire

    Sitting among the ruins near the Terme di Caracalla, with ancient stones underfoot and Roman roads radiating outward beneath us, I spoke with Tom Brughmans, an archaeologist whose work is reshaping how we understand movement, connection, food, and daily life in the ancient Roman world. Tom is the director of an ambitious international research project that has produced the first spatially detailed digital atlas of the Roman road system. Not just the famous roads, and not just Italy, but the entire Roman Empire—stretching across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. These are the roads people actually used, reconstructed through years of careful scholarship and made visible in a way that has never existed before.

    29 min

  6. FEB 2

    Italian Designers, Power, and Personal Style: Inside Rome's Sartoria Litrico

    Italian designers work quietly behind the scenes, shaping how leaders, artists, and thinkers present themselves to the world through style. Rome has always been a city where power, culture, and aesthetics intersect. Politics meets art, ceremony meets daily life, and nowhere is that more visible than in the world of Italian designers who work quietly behind the scenes, shaping how leaders, artists, and thinkers present themselves to the world. One of the most remarkable of these is Sartoria Litrico, a Rome-based bespoke tailor now in its third generation and officially recognized as one of the city's historic artisans, by the Italian Ministry of National Historical Value. Italian designers are not just stylists or trendsetters. At their best, they are observers of human nature, historians of the body, and translators of personality into fabric. Sartoria Litrico's story is not simply about suits—it is about how Italian craftsmanship shaped the visual language of the 20th century.

    23 min

  7. JAN 26

    2026 Wine Trends

    The wine world is changing—and if you're drinking the same way you did five years ago, you're missing something. In this episode, we dive into the 2026 wine trends behind a quiet but powerful shift in how people drink today. Prestige labels and power wines are losing ground to lighter, fresher, more drinkable styles chosen for real life—not status. Heavy reds aren't disappearing, but they are being rethought, chilled, and replaced by wines that feel better at the table and easier to live with. We explore why crisp whites now outsell reds, how chillable reds and "bistro wines" became mainstream, and why forgotten categories like Marsala, sweet wines, and everyday bubbles are making an unexpected return. You'll hear how climate change, health awareness, sustainability, and rising prices are reshaping taste—and why value hunting has gone global, from Southern Italy to Greece and Portugal. This conversation also looks at low-ABV and no-ABV wines as part of intentional drinking rather than abstinence, and how celebrity influence and storytelling are changing the way people discover wine. If your wine preferences have shifted—or you're curious why the rules suddenly feel different—this episode will explain what's really going on. Wine in 2026 is lighter, colder, more affordable, and more human.

    47 min

  8. JAN 20

    Carnival in Verona - Gnocchi, History, and a Celebration That Predates Them All

    This week's podcast episode is a re-release from two years ago, but the story it tells remains timeless. It explores the deep roots of Carnival in Verona, why gnocchi are inseparable from the celebration, what locals eat and drink during Carnival season, what else to see while you're in town, and how easy it is to pair Verona with a quick day trip to nearby Venice. When people think of Verona, the first images are often Shakespearean: Romeo and Juliet, the small balcony in the historic center, and the romance that clings to the city's stones. Others think immediately of wine—Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave—some of the Veneto's most celebrated bottles produced just beyond the city. But every winter, another identity takes center stage. Carnival in Verona transforms the city into a living expression of history, food, and neighborhood pride, and it does so earlier and longer than most Carnival celebrations in Italy.

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Join Flavor of Italy each week for a look at Italian food and recipes, Italian culture, travel and history through interviews with Italy's cutting-edge creators, food personalities, locals and anyone else who has a fascinating Italian story to share.

Information

  • Creator
    Wendy Holloway
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020 Wendy Holloway
  • Show Website
    Flavor of Italy podcast

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