The Italian Radio Hour - The Italian Garden Project and Fig Fest with Mary Menniti

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - Mary Menniti, the founder of The Italian Garden Project. Mary has made it her mission to celebrate and preserve the traditions of Italian-American backyard gardening, where food, family, and culture are all deeply rooted in the soil. Through her work, she has documented countless gardens, shared stories that connect generations, and inspired many to rediscover the joy of growing their own food. She’s also the mastermind behind Pittsburgh’s beloved Fig Fest, a delicious celebration of one of Italy’s most treasured fruits. Today, we’ll talk about Mary’s background, how this beautiful project began, how it has blossomed, and what’s next — along with a few memories from her own Italian-American upbringing. Also if you are in the Pittsburgh area, join us for FIG FEST on Sunday Sept 14th.

See the full The Italian Radio Hour interview at these links:

From Istituto Mondo Italiano website; https://www.istitutomondoitaliano.org/the-italian-radio-hour.html#/

From YouTube: https://youtu.be/xtalqtWk5-0

From Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JJZ304NZRqRWrSNZfwarE?si=PqYPs_-aTx-eDYDJ7jF0fA

You can buy FigFest 2025 tickets here: FigFest! 2025 Tickets, Sun, Sep 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite