Coffee, food, wine, customs and a lot of culture. All of these come together in just one  show, the i-Italy TV show. Yes, you read right: i-Italy is going on screen every week starting on Saturday, November 23rd.

And our Mister i-Italy|NY, designed by cartoonist Darrell Fusaro [2], will add more fun with his funny face on the TV screen.

The show, running on channel 25  New York City Media [3] on Saturdays at 11 PM and on Sundays at 1 PM, explores the Italian and Italian-American faces of New York City, and especially those parts that are not known, even to the majority of Italians and Italian-Americans that live in the city. It is a great opportunity to discover something new about the habits of a country that seems very far from the United States, yet it is very close, because of the many Italian spots and events in the city.

The first episode starts with one of the most loved and known tradition of the Italian peninsula: coffee drinking. When Italians move to New York they never know where to find the right spot to drink a good cup of coffee, so our host Riccardo Costa gives everyone some advice on places that prepare real Italian espresso and serve the beloved breakfast with a cornetto.

The taste of coffee is not all that matters; in fact, the way it is served is also crucial. Alessi [4], the leading Italian design company, opens its doors to i-Italy showing us handcrafted coffee-makers and coffee cups among their other long-standing tradition of kitchen, bathroom and home accessories.

Continuing with old traditions, there is a particular one that has been alive for over one hundred and fifty years: it's Borsalino [5], a hat company formed in 1857 in Alessandria, the Piedmont region of Italy. In its life history, the felt hat has always been the mark of the company, chosen by celebrities from Charlie Chaplin to the Blues Brothers.

On the other hand, the food segment this week, is cured by Charles and Michele Scicolone, husband and wife experts on food and wine. In Fabbrica, [6] a newly opened restaurant on the Williamsburg waterfront they discuss different dishes: in the first episode, they talk about cold cuts. 

Eating is not the only thing that defines Italy: culture, in fact, has always played a major role in the Italian society and Fred Plotkin, pleasure activist and connoisseur of Italian culture, each week proposes an Italian word to analyze, evaluating the differences between the Italian usage of it and the American one, giving practical examples that come from his deep passion and love for all things Italian.

Another segment of the show is called i-Book, and in it, an intellectual or a professor suggests and discusses a must-read book. In the first episode, Prof. Anthony Tamburri, [7] Dean of the Calandra Italian-American Institute [8], presents 'Terroni," a book by journalist Pino Aprile [9] about the South of Italy and its condition. The book was a best seller in Italy and now is available in English.

The show also presents actual writers: the first episode introduces the audience to Erri De Luca [10]. Defined by the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera as “the novelist of the decade,” De Luca opens up his mind to memories, talking about his childhood, his love for books, which have always been part of his life thanks to his father and his connection to his American mother and her heritage.

The i-People segment, instead, is all about Italians and lovers of Italy in New York, with the first episode dedicated to IDR (Italian Doc Remix), a band founded by Marco Cappelli [11] and Jim Pugliese [12], composed by Italians, Italian-Americans and Americans that mix together sounds from the Italian tarantella, Southern folk music and the group's different experiences. 

Finally, i-Italy has always been known for its ability to cover all the Italian and Italian-American events in New York City. In this spirit the show retraces past events, such as “Via del Popolo,” a section of the San Gennaro Festival, at Little Italy in Manhattan, event which features Alec Baldwin, the Italian-American Writers Association, which also presented at the fair, and the inauguration of the academic year at the Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi [13]. At the end of i-Italy|NY programing you can find information about Italian events that are coming up.

The I-Italy show is an opportunity to get closer to the Italian culture in New York City and you don't want to miss it. Our half-hour show is running on channel 25 on Saturday nights at 11 PM and, in case you miss it, on Sundays at 1 PM.
Are you ready to be Italian? Or more Italian?
 
Go to NYC Life - Channel 25 on Saturdays (11:00 pm) and Sundays (1:00 pm).
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