As this Saturday is Valentines Day in this Valentine’s episode we are joined by 2 very special guests, Lukas’ wife Vanessa and Josie’s fiancé Daniel. We had a lot of laughs and chatted about the experiences of non Italians becoming a part of Italian families.

Our guest this week is Sonia Di Iorio, a Melbourne based comedian. Sonia is doing something with her comedy which we think is pretty cool, in addition to her usual stand up comedy shows, she has created a stand up comedy show which is spoken entirely in Italian!! We were very interested to chat with Sonia and hear more about this. You can see the show at Adelaide fringe festival 15th March and at the Melbourne international comedy festival 11th and 12th of April. For tickets and to find out more about Sonia follow her on instagram at Sonia D comedy or you can click on the link below and don’t forget the promo word Amici to get a discount on your tickets!

Sonia on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/soniadcomedy?igsh=MWxxOXI4aTV5OXp2cQ==

We had a great chat with our guest Tony Roda in this episode. Tony is a proud Italian Australian who is deeply connected to his Calabrese heritage. He created the facebook page ‘Calabrese of Australia’ which is a massive online community of almost 35K followers where all things Calabrese are celebrated. The page is popular with Italians from all regions and even some people who are not of Italian heritage. You will find ‘Calabrese of Australia by searching on facebook or you can click on the link below:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19xTxA287w/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/calabrese_of_australia?igsh=MXYyeXlmYnZlOXZlcg==

We were truly delighted to chat with Frank Lotito in this episode. Frank has had a long and successful journey in the entertainment industry, he has pretty much done it all from theatre, film and television. He is multi talented as an actor, comedian, writer, producer and director. He is well known for the films ‘Big Mamma’s Boy’ and ‘Wog Boys Forever’

It was fascinating to hear Frank’s story and to hear about one of his current projects- ‘The Italian Divorce’ - a comedy stage show which captures the love, chaos and guilt driven drama of Italian family life. The show has been a huge success and sold out multiple times in Melbourne and Sydney. Great news for our Perth based listeners- The Italian Divorce is coming to Perth for 3 shows- 27th February, 28th February and 1st March. Tickets are selling very fast, click the link below to get yours!

Website:

https://theitaliandivorce.com

Frank on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/franklotito?igsh=YmJmMnM3Z2h3OXd4

Italian Divorce on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_italian_divorce?igsh=dzJwd2o1a3UycWc2

In this episode we are also joined by two of our favourite return guests, Etta D’Elia and James Liotta and we are talking about Etta’s new show Nonna Mia, which will feature as part of Perth Fringe Festival 2026. The show is a celebration of the matriarch in Italian families- the Nonna. Etta and James are both outstanding performers and we loved hearing about how they will be working together in some of the Nonna Mia shows.

The first show is the 29th of January at Shelter Brewing Co in Busselton, next is the 6th of February in Rockingham followed by 2 shows at the State Theatre of WA in Perth on the 12th and 13th of February. Tickets are selling fast, go to the Fringe World Festival website to get yours or you can click on the links below:

Fringeworld:

https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/nonnamia-fw2026

Etta on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/etta.delia.vocalist?igsh=MWMxMngycTNoMDcw

James on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jamesliottaentertainer?igsh=YmZzaXIydXE3cWll

Previous episodes with Etta:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GFlPvcsnSj5EBw6gbzdi2?si=7cha7KBQTpK0eDkAdhhgoQ

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SQefqO4EUHKKs9cKOE6q1?si=zERPFszrSIeaCmyfwHgbaQ

Previous episodes with James:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5XEA4iSiE1xIAIoU6jUYHr?si=dgBgGUFnR5SHvJj8cjqHpQ

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JxOYloLji1oSXpgvTZMAd?si=4UHIE-IMR0OByoosBjjnlQ

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0At6zSUzutLvM8GH3ziTtl?si=jCzIg8hxTcyrIKbsYX57Jg

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7iStMoVvrxrizbx6msLCVG?si=K7QRyauvREO9CY9TRZNIRA

We have an another amazing chat with Rose Inserra for you in this episode. If you missed episode 125 with Rose it’s a good idea to go back and listen to that one first.

Rose Inserra has literally written the book on Italian folk magic, dream interpretation and more, as well as being an author, she is an experienced Malocchio healer. In this episode she shared her knowledge about dream interpretation. And as this episode is coming to you on the Feast of the Epiphany we also chatted about the legend of La Befana.

Make sure you listen to the end to hear Rose’s advice on some simple things you can do to bring positivity into your 2026.

It’s a new year and we are looking for new sponsors. If you are interested in promoting your business on the Italian Australian Podcast, send us an email at italianaustralianpodcast@gmail.com for more details.

To find out more about Rose click the links below:

Episode 125: Malocchio and Italian Folk Magic

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OwboOYXBEGZYRcgcgdpKe?si=TOi6FIVxRvCV6asI3fXJJQ

Rose on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/inserrarose?igsh=cXA4enFmNTZvbHlj

Rose’s link tree:

https://linktr.ee/roseinserra

Rose’s website:

https://roseinserra.com/

Ragazzi we have an amazing episode for you, with tomorrow being Christmas Eve- it’s the perfect time to talk Malocchio!

Our guest is Rose Inserra, she has literally written the book on Italian folk magic, as well as being an author, she is an experienced Malocchio healer and she shared some of her knowledge with us. We were enthralled during this conversation and we are so excited for you guys to hear it, we know this is one our listeners are going to absolutely love!!

To find out more about Rose and get yourself some of her books- click the links below:

Rose on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/inserrarose?igsh=cXA4enFmNTZvbHlj

Rose’s link tree:

https://linktr.ee/roseinserra

Rose’s website:

https://roseinserra.com/

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