Ciao Italia

Mary Ann travels to Ellis Island National Park to retrace the footsteps of her immigrant Italian grandparents.

Mary Ann cooks with her friend Maria Iapichino in her summer kitchen that overlooks the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea near Cefalu, Sicily.

Mary Ann and her friends, Donna, Ruth, and Connie, race against the clock to create an Italian wedding "cookie cake" as a gift to celebrate the marriage of two good friends.

Mary Ann visits the New York Academy of Medicine's collection of rare Italian cookbooks.

Mary Ann spends the day in a California forest with professional mushroom gatherer, Connie Green, in search of the elusive porcino mushroom, beloved by Italian cooks.

Mary Ann visits good friend Lorenza Iori at her home in Reggio Emilia for Sunday dinner.

Mary Ann travels to the Robert Pepi Winery in Napa, California to visit vintner, Marco Di Giulio who shows her how they make San Giovese wine just like they do in Italy.

Peter Scognamillo is one great baker and he's just a kid!

Father Jonathan DeFelice is a college president who loves to cook.

Chef, cookbook author and radio talk show personality Arthur Schwartz, leaves his New York City microphone to travel to Mary Ann's kitchen where they prepare a bountiful Neapolitan meal together starting with Zucchini "Pyramids", then a Cod Fish and Potato Casserole to warm your soul and a finally a dessert called Baba to soothe your sweet tooth.

The crowned king of cheese is featured when food educator Nancy Radke joins Mary Ann nella cucina to create a table filled with delicious antipasti featuring Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma ham, starting with Prosciutto di Parma Wrapped Fruit with Parmigiano Reggiano, Parmesan Cheese and Almond Wafers, and Spicy Fava Bean Spread.

Mary Ann's in a meatball mood and creates Polpette Toscane (Tuscan Meatballs) that calls for meat, mushrooms, parsley and - surprise - deep-frying.

Mary Ann visits good friend and great cook, Maria Pia in the land of the leaning tower - Pisa, Italy.

There are cakes and there are CAKES. Paul and Anna Ciramitaro of Caffe Sicilia in Gloucester, Massachusetts, prepare an eye-popping Cassata guaranteed to satisfy the sweetest of sweet teeth.

Mary Ann invites good friend, Dr. Kenneth Ciongoli nella cucina and together they prepare favorite foods they serve when having friends over for dinner.

Mary Ann visits Silvia and Anna Imperato, two dynamic sisters in Montevetrano, Italy.

It isn't a holiday unless you're eating Torrone, a nut-filled, nougat candy that's hell on earth when it's not made right, but heaven on earth when it is.

Pastry baker and cookbook author, Jim Dodge, brings his talents -- and almonds -- nella cucina to create his famous Almond Lemon Torta with Strawberries.

Mary Ann returns to Azienda di Majo in Italy where vintner Alessio di Majo gives her quick tour of his farm's thousand acre field that's filled with tens of thousands of asparagus spears ready for harvest.

Public television celebrity Chef Martin Yan joins Mary Ann nella cucina in a salute to rice.

The medieval town of Gubbio, Italy is the site of Taverna del Lupo, the signature restaurant of master chef and hotel owner Rudolfo Mencarelli who prepares an elegant guinea hen dish with Mary Ann which inspires her to go nella cucina and add to the feast by creating a traditional Umbrian Spiedo Misto (Mixed Grill) of meat, poultry and pork perfect for the grill or right in the broiler.

Food writer and book author Laura Schenone brings a unique Ligurian recipe to Mary Ann's kitchen, where together they prepare delicate pasta wafers called Corzetti served in a delicate garlic and olive oil sauce.

Mary Ann takes to the stage before a live audience with FoodTV Celebrity chef Robert Irvine and pastry wizard Chef Lynn Mansel to create an autumn-themed program.

Mayor of Boston, the late (and great) Thomas M. Menino and Mary Ann celebrate their Italian American heritage by preparing a Christmas Eve banquet called "The Feast of the Seven Fishes.

Good friend an attorney Ciro Poppiti visits Mary Ann nella cucina, with an ample supply of freshly made ricotta.

It's Sunday when Mary Ann visits Christina and Carla Pallotta, two sisters who are the driving force behind Nebo Restaurant in Boston, MA, where they're preparing their mom's favorite recipes for visiting friends.

Seafood Super Chef Jasper White brings enough freshly-caught clams to make two fantastic dishes, starting with Mary Ann's Spaghetti with Clams and ending with Jasper's unique and unforgettable, Clams Minestrone - yes, you heard right.

Mary Ann travels to La Sosta del Rosselino, a small restaurant near Florence, Italy to discover the secret of chef/owner Damiano's signature Potato gnocchi; simple to make, soft as clouds, drifting in a butter sauce and utterly unforgettable.

When life hands Mary Ann lemons, she doesn't make lemonade, she makes a luxurious Sicilian Almond Lemon Cake instead, that comes from the heart and soul of Sicily; the home of fantastic citrus fruit, and Mary Ann's ancestral home as well, in Caltanissetta.

Mary Ann takes inspiration from the region of Molise to create a crispy, double-crust Focaccia stuffed with escarole and Pecorino Romano cheese, guaranteed to satisfy the heartiest of appetites.

Mary Ann says, don't be chicken when it comes to making your own Homemade Chicken Broth.

Gelato genius and entrepreneur owner Morgan Morano invites Mary Ann to her popular Boston gelateria to show the secrets behind her gelato made with a Sicilian twist, from vivacious vanilla to paradisiacal pistachio, and all sorts of flavors in between.

Mary Ann features Canederli with Speck, a fantastic dumpling-like recipe from the little-known Italian region of Trentino Aldo Adige.

The higher you climb the hungrier you get. The mountains of Friuli Venezia Giulia region make you hungry for a plateful of deep-fried Cheese Fritters filled with crisp prosciutto di Parma and Montasio cheese.

Mary Ann sends artichokes to new heights by stuffing them with farro, chopped parsley, mint, and lots of pecorino Romano cheese.

The only thing more beautiful than a Jersey cow is the milk she gives to make fresh Mozzarella and buttery, curd-filled Burrata cheese.

Mary Ann tracks down the tallest pasta you've ever seen to prepare an authentic recipe from the region of Basilicata; Eggplant with Candle Pasta.

Often lost in the shadow of Tuscany, much is hidden in Umbria, the "Green Jewel" of Italy, especially this region's wonderful recipes.

The region of Emilia Romagna is the "go to" region for some of the best comfort food in Italy.

Founder of "Tuscan Brands" and entrepreneur par excellence Joe Faro shows Mary Ann the ins and outs of one of his Italy-themed "Tuscan Markets" An accomplished cook in his own right, and Mary Ann joining in the adventure, Joe uses succulent chunks of fresh-caught and steamed Maine lobster to create one of his Tuscan Restaurant's signature dish, Lobster Ravioli in Butter Sauce.

An Ascolana olive is just an olive, until Mary Ann gives it the Marche regional touch by stuffing it with a savory combination of ground beef and pork, combined with chopped walnuts, thyme and lemon zest.

It's summertime at Mary Ann's, and time to head outdoors to do some serious grilling, starting with Grilled Chicken with Herbs, surrounded on all sides by clever Grilled Veggie Kabobs, of zucchini, onions, and red and yellow peppers.

Mary Ann heads to Guy's Garden to harvest a whopping-huge handful of aromatic basil leaves for making pesto in her marble mortar and pestle, using olive oil, pine nuts and a LOT of elbow grease.

Patti Fortuna-Stannard of Fortuna Sausage Company invites Mary Ann to her kitchen for a salami party that includes Patti's salumi and sausage family-favorite, Casalinga with Fettucine.

Sardinia is home to a deep-fried, honey-drizzled, ravioli-like delight called Sebadas.

The deep, dark forest surrenders its mushroom secrets to Mary Ann, when Dennis Chesley of NH Mushroom Company takes her to many of his hideaway havens to harvest a host of fungi for a brace of recipes.

The secret to Sunday Sauce is the sauce, of course, and Mary Ann starts hers off with garden-fresh plum tomatoes, planted, weeded, and harvested from Guy's garden.

You can't beat shaping pasta by hand, unless you're making curvy, twisting, tricky-to-shape cavatelli (little caves) from Puglia, and are lucky enough to have a crazy-looking machine that cranks them by the dozens.

If music be the food of life, play on, and Mary Ann does just that with her grandmother's wire-stringed Chittara, that makes music - and short work - of freshly-rolled sheets of pasta, transforming them into fabulous spaghetti.

Sicilian-born, Rose Faro knows a thing or two about her native, Catania cooking, and invites Mary Ann to her home kitchen where they prepare a family feast, starting with Asparagus Fritters, then a hearty Sicilian Eggplant Parmesan, and finish things off with creating the main course of Oven-Roasted Lamb Stew.

Mary Ann chooses the little known Val d'Aosta region of Italy to create one of its classic dishes, Beef Stew with Polenta.

Mary Ann's "on the wave" with her Venetian seafood extravaganza of calamari, clams, and scallops, seared and baked to a golden-brown, then zested with lemon and fresh parsley; perfect for the Risotto she stirs up until it becomes a creamy "wave" of al dente rice that's ready for the many gifts from the sea.

Bring your appetite to Mary Ann's full course meal inspired by Lombarda favorites, starting with a "primo" of Tomato Risotto made with Guy's Garden-fresh tomatoes.

Beloved children's book author and artist, Tomie dePaolo invites Mary Ann to his studio to choose a favorite recipe of one of his most famous characters, "Strega Nona.