The Italian Radio Hour - Cucina Povera | Tuscan Wisdom, Simple Ingredients & Italian Soul

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - In this episode, I welcome Giulia Scarpaleggia, Tuscan-born home cook, food writer, and founder of Jul's Kitchen, to explore the heart and soul of cucina povera" — Italy’s timeless tradition of transforming humble ingredients into unforgettable meals.

Joining us from the Val d’Elsa countryside between Siena and Florence, Giulia shares how place, family, and memory shape her cooking philosophy. In her cookbook, Cucina Povera: The Italian Way of Transforming Humble Ingredients into Unforgettable Meals, is not just a collection of recipes, but a mindset rooted in sustainability, resilience, and creativity — what Italians call “l’arte dell’arrangiarsi.”

Together we talk about:
🍞 The cultural meaning of stale bread in Tuscan cooking
🌿 Why cucina povera feels more relevant than ever today
🍅 Seasonal cooking, sustainability, and zero waste
📖 Writing a cookbook during lockdown and pregnancy
🇮🇹 Preserving Italy’s regional food traditions through storytelling

This is a rich, heartfelt conversation about food as culture, memory, and love.

📚 Learn more about Giulia and her work:
• Book: Cucina Povera and her LATEST available for Pre-order: Vegetables The Italian Way
• Newsletter: Letters from Tuscany
• Blog: Juls’ Kitchen

🎧 Subscribe to The Italian Radio Hour on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
🇮🇹 Grazie for listening — and arrivederci!

Photos excerpted from Vegetables the Italian Way by Giulia Scarpaleggia (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2026. Photographs by Tommaso Galli


newsletter: https://julskitchen.substack.com
blog: www.julskitchen.com
instagram: instagram.com/julskitchen

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