As we approach Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas Season, John and Pat are spending an afternoon with one of their favorite Italian American friends, the award-winning singer, actress, and opera star Cristina Fontanelli, who brings her captivating personality into the IAP studio for an episode that’s full of love and laughter from the very first moments… as Cristina tries to prevent Pat taking a cat nap before the recording begins!

These three old friends will discuss Fontanelli’s much-celebrated career as an entertainer, why her love of a good lasagna might be what turned her from actress to opera star, and how an Italian American girl from Brooklyn honed her craft in the “Borscht Belt” resorts of the Catskills.

They’ll discuss her years “singing for the saints” at Italian Feasts across America… and ponder whether a Brioschi cocktail might be the next big drink for the Italian American social scene.

And since our conversations never stay in one lane, you’ll also pick up the secret to perfectly roasted chestnuts (plus Pat’s tip on where to get the ONLY truly native chestnuts in America), and the true history of the famous Italian Christmas Carol, ‘Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle’!

Most importantly, they’ll discuss Cristina’s much-loved “Christmas In Italy” concert…a show benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital which celebrates Italy’s best-loved songs, arias, Neapolitan and Christmas classics, and which is about to celebrate its 16th edition at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, December 8th.

From singing, to screaming, to showering one another with praises, the chemistry between these three will have you hooked from the first line.