Dream of Italy – Details, episodes & analysis

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Dream of Italy

Kathy McCabe/Dream of Italy

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/123d. Total Eps: 22

If you dream of Italy, host Kathy McCabe and her fascinating guests are here to make your Italian travel dreams come true whether you're seeking life transformation life with a move to Italy or simply want to make your Italian vacation as authentic as possible. McCabe is the host of the PBS TV travel series Dream of Italy and founded the award-winning travel publication Dream of Italy in 2002. Our episodes - mostly recorded on the road in Italy - cover everything from picking the best cooking schools and villa rentals to gaining Italian citizenship and starting a new chapter in Italy...

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Episode #21: The Truth About Italian Taxes with Attorney Nick Metta

Season 1 · Episode 21

Friday, June 19, 2026 • Duration 32:52

If you are seriously thinking about moving to Italy, taxes are not something to figure out after you arrive. Ideally you should start the process 18 months ahead of time. This Dream of Italy Podcast episode with host Kathy McCabe is the clearest explanation of how Italian taxation actually works for Americans that you will find anywhere.

Kathy is joined by Nick Metta of Studio Legale Metta, an Italian tax and immigration attorney with a PhD in taxation who works exclusively with people moving to or investing in Italy. He has been Kathy's go-to source and workshop guest for years, and this conversation covers the questions that come up most often and get answered most incorrectly online.

Nick walks through the difference between tax residency and civil residency, how the 182-day rule works and when it does not apply, and what it actually means to move your center of vital interests to Italy. He explains the worldwide taxation system that kicks in once you become an Italian tax resident, why failing to report an overseas asset can cost you up to 15% of its value in fines, and how the US-Italy tax treaty is routinely misread, including the section on social security that trips up almost everyone. Nick covers the tax brackets standard Italian residents face, the small business flat rate that caps at around 10%, the 7% pension program and who actually qualifies for it, the 60% income exclusion available to digital nomads with high qualifications, and how Roth IRAs and traditional 401ks are treated differently under Italian law. He also explains why Italy is notoriously poor at honoring the foreign tax credit in practice and why banking on it is a strategy he does not recommend.

The single piece of advice that runs through the entire conversation is this: start your tax planning at least 18 months before you move. The options available before you cross the threshold are substantially better than anything available after.

Use code DREAM15 at www.studiolegalemetta.com to make an appointment with Nick to talk taxes. Book a 30-minute consultation and you will receive an additional 15 minutes free of charge with the code.

Show notes: www.dreamofitaly.com/21

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Episode #20: Move to Abruzzo Italy with Your Kids with Joe Reagan

Season 1 · Episode 20

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 • Duration 43:21

American Joe Reagan bought a 24,000€ house in a hilltop town in Abruzzo with 750 people, moved his wife and four kids from Ireland, enrolled them directly into the Italian school system, and has not looked back. Three years in, they love their life in Abruzzo and are Joe is working to help other families move to their town for a better quality of life in Italy.

Dream of Italy Podcast Host Kathy McCabe sits down with Joe to talk about his new initiative to bring families to Celenza sul Trigno, Abruzzo, a town that has lost nearly half of its population in the last 35 years. He talks about the school system, where his kids got dedicated Italian lessons pulled from class for the first year and were fluent by the end of it, and where his eight-year-old daughter now sounds out English words with Italian vowels because that is simply how her brain learned to read. He gets into healthcare, where the pediatrician takes appointments by WhatsApp and the new family doctor was messaging his wife back within minutes of being contacted. He also gives an honest account of what small town tradeoffs look like, the nearest Costco equivalent is thirty minutes away and the bureaucracy moves at its own pace, and why he thinks the mindset shift matters in moving to rural Italy more than any practical obstacle.

The conversation ends with Joe describing a Sunday spent picking wildflowers with the other fathers from the First Communion class to make decorations for the street procession. Neighbors knock on the door with fresh cherries. His son who used to be dragged to school in Ireland now has his grembiule on and his lunch bag packed before anyone else is awake.

Show notes: http://www.dreamofitaly.com/20

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Episode #10: Grow An Italian Garden With Seeds From Italy

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 • Duration 29:53

When you're not in Italy, what better way to live like an Italian but to grow a garden at home? Fresh fruits and vegetables are essential the Mediterranean diet and gardening is a wonderful way to be tied to the land, no matter where you are.

Host Kathy McCabe welcomes Lynn Byczynski and Will Nagengast of Seeds From Italy. They share the importance of heirloom seeds to the Italian culture and how to get gardening at home. They also discuss:
+ Why seeds are so important to Italians and Italian-Americans
+ How they came to run a business importing seeds specifically from Italy
+ Why basil seeds produced in Bergamo are called Italiano Classico
+ What is a Cucuzza?
+ When is the best time to start a garden in the United States
+ Which Italian flowers are easiest to grow
+ And much more...

Visit www.growitalian.com and use code: dreamgarden to save 10%

Show notes: https://dreamofitaly.com/2021/04/12/podcast-episode-10-grow-an-italian-garden-with-seeds-from-italy/

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Episode #9: Your Crowdsourced Italian Travel Dreams

Friday, December 18, 2020 • Duration 30:52

When the pandemic started this spring, I put out a call to our listeners to send in audio segments for a special crowdsourced episode on the places, people and experiences we are dreaming of during this difficult time.

I asked listeners to start off with, "When I dream of Italy, I dream of..." and the answers I received are as diverse and beautiful as il bel paese itself!

From a story of smiles and soul medicine found in Sicily to a funny tale of being locked in an Italian restaurant bathroom, this episode will enchant and surprise you until the day we can return to Italy!

Show notes: https://dreamofitaly.com/2020/12/17/podcast-episode-9-your-crowdsourced-italian-travel-dreams/

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Episode #8: Share Your Dream of Italy During This Difficult Time

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • Duration 08:33

I believe in Italy. I'm betting on Italy. Italy has saved me again and again. It has been my constant. And I believe in dreams and their ability to become reality.

As Italy begins to slowly open up and the future still remains uncertain, all we can hold onto these days are our dreams…so let's write about and talk about our Italian dreams!

I know Dream of Italy viewers, readers and listeners have had some of the most incredible experiences in Italy. We've published 170 issues of our award-winning travel publication but YOU know about so many hidden gems that I (or the fabulous contributors to our publication) don't know about and what better time to share them!?

For years, I have dreamed of putting together a crowdsourced issue of Dream of Italy and now that we also have the Dream of Italy Podcast, for those who don't like to write but can talk (haha), we're compiling a crowdsourced podcast episode as well.

I need your help. There's no better time to share our love for Italy and get lost in a little project that has us digging deep into great memories.

Please submit a 350-word articles, series of photos, recipe or podcast soundbite up to 40 seconds long on the theme of When I Dream of Italy, I Dream of… to potentially be included in our issue or episode. The deadline is May 20, 2020.

For more details, visit www.dreamofialy.com/sharemydream

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Episode #7: Exploring Florence While Staying at the Grand Hotel Minerva

Wednesday, February 5, 2020 • Duration 27:48

Florence simply enchants us…and so much of the Florentine experience is where you stay. Host Kathy McCabe has a favorite Florentine hotel and it is the Grand Hotel Minerva. At the hotel's stunning rooftop pool Kathy sat down with her friend sales and marketing director Andrea Bargigli to talk about what makes the Minerva unique and how to explore Florence from a new perspective. Whether you are visiting the city of art for the first time or 14th, you don't want to miss the tips that Kathy and Andrea share.

The Grand Hotel Minerva would like to give Dream of Italy fans a special offer. Use the promo code DREAM when booking at grandhotelminerva.com to receive:

+ Early check in and late check out, subject to availability

+ Upgrade, subject to availability

+ Free minibar throughout the stay

+ Signature Negroni Cocktail Class (Kathy's favorite cocktail!)

+ Seasonal Chef Surprise upon arrival

+ Complimentary dinner for 2 (wine excluded) with booking of a 3 night suite stay

Valid through December 27, 2020 for both Flexible and Non Refundable Rates

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Episode #6: Author Frances Mayes on Moving to Italy

Saturday, November 16, 2019 • Duration 23:44

Have you ever thought about packing up, leaving your life as you know it, and moving to Italy? Frances Mayes, author of Under The Tuscan Sun, did just that when she and her husband Ed purchased a villa in the hilltop Tuscan town of Cortona, resulting in a bestselling book and movie! Frances recently joined Kathy in filming the Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special for PBS Host Kathy McCabe visited with Frances again at her iconic home Bramasole, to talk specifically about the challenges and rewards of the growing trend of moving to Italy. They discuss:

+ What one thing you must do before deciding to move to Italy
+ Why restoring a house can help you learn to speak Italian
+ Where else Frances would live in Italy if not in Cortona
+ Why "the piazza" is the most important place in Italy
+ How and why Frances splits her time between the U.S. and Cortona
+ What Frances enjoyed most about filming the Dream of Itay: Tuscan Sun Special
+ What you simply must when you visit Cortona
+ And much much more!

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Episode #5: Steve Perillo on How Travel to Italy Has Changed

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 • Duration 43:22

If you lived in or grew up in NJ/NY or CT in the past 40 or 50 years then the name Perillo needs know explanation. Mario Perillo and his groundbreaking commercials for his Italian tours made him more famous than the Pope in some homes! His son Steve has carried Periilo Tours forward. Host Kathy McCabe sits down with Steve for an all encompassing conversation on how travel to Italy has changed as well as Steve's little-known non-travel talent. They discuss:

+ How the Perillos began their family business
+ Why travelers tastes have changed and how the industry is responding
+ Why the person who flies an airplane is called a captain (Steve is the king of trivia)
+ How to create memorable tours and experiences for the average American, not just the 1%
+ What secret talent Steve has that few know about
+ How television changed the tour business, especially for Perillo
+ Why if you're married it may be better to travel with a group
(you have to hear the reason!)
+ Why 10,000 people owe their lives to Perillo Tours (you even more need to hear this reason!
+ What makes a great tour guide
+ And much much more!

Click here for show notes

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Episode #4: How Tuscan Women Cook

Saturday, September 21, 2019 • Duration 38:07

As in most any society, the women have the power – at least in the kitchen. Have you ever dreamed of learning to cook in a traditional Italian kitchen? Tuscan Women Cook, in the small Tuscan village of Montefollonico, brings travelers to Tuscany for hands-on learning in the kitchens of the masters – Tuscan grandmothers or nonni. Host Kathy McCabe pays a visit to Montefollonico to meet owner Coleen Kirnan and nonna Laurello Torresi to learn the secrets of how Tuscan Women Cook. They discuss:

+ How American Coleen came to own a cooking school in Tuscany
+ Why Montefollonico is off the tourist map
+ How experiencing authentic Italian life is the best travel experience
+ Why Italian recipes usually only have a few ingredients
+ How Tuscan cuisine (cucina povera) is tied to the region's poor roots
+ How to make panzanella, gnocchi and riccarelli biscotti
+ What the secret ingredient is for the best fried zucchini flowers
+ And much much more!

Click here for show notes

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Episode #3: Planning for Serendipity in Travel to Italy

Sunday, May 26, 2019 • Duration 40:01

Should you take an escorted tour to Italy, plan a trip on your own or something in between? The age-old question when traveling to Italy. Luckily, travel industry insider Steve Born of Globus and Monograms has some answers. Host Kathy McCabe and Steve talk about how you simply must make time for serendipity in Italy and how to do that. They also discuss:

+ How his company is venturing deep into undiscovered Italy
+ How to skip the lines at Italy's most noteworthy sites
+ How travelers are becoming more sophisticated
+ How food and culinary experiences play such an important rule
+ Why train travel is such an excellent option to see much of Italy
+ What Italians really think of American travelers
+ And much much more!

Click here for show notes

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Dream of Italy – Details, episodes & analysis

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Dream of Italy – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

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