Welcome to today's episode of the Good Italian Girl and Friends podcast! We're excited to introduce you to Maria, a first-generation Australian-Italian from Adelaide. Maria is the creative force behind The Barefoot Woman, a unique side hustle inspired by her love for going barefoot at home to feel grounded.

But that's not all Maria does. She offers a fascinating array of services including Malocchio removal, Tarot card readings, business and house energy cleanses, and Astrology. What intrigued me the most is how this modern, young woman has inherited the ancient art of Malocchio removal from her Italian-born Nonna and mother. Naturally, I had to experience her services myself and bring her on the podcast for an engaging interview.

The belief in the evil eye, or "malocchio," is a captivating aspect of Italian folklore and tradition. Its origins date back to ancient times, yet it remains a vibrant part of contemporary Italian culture. According to folklore, certain individuals can cast a harmful gaze out of envy or jealousy, causing misfortune, illness, or other bad luck. To ward off the evil eye, various talismans, amulets, and rituals have been used through the ages.

One traditional method involves mixing oil and water to detect the presence of the evil eye or a curse. This practice is rooted in the belief that the evil eye disrupts the natural harmony and balance in a person's life, leading to negative consequences.

For more information about Maria's unique services, you can reach her on Instagram @thebarefootwoman. Tune in to our podcast and join us for an enlightening and fun conversation with Maria!

Tom Hewson is a writer and self-confessed ‘bubblehead’ specialising in a subject he is most passionate about – champagne.

Tom joined Decanter’s team of expert writers earlier in 2023, where he provides incredibly detailed coverage on champagne and other sparkling wines, as well as special reports for Tim Atkin MW and as a judge for the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards.

His love of words and wine came together in an unconventional way, during COVID, when he gave up his life on the road as a jazz musician and became inspired to start his now acclaimed blog – Six Atmospheres – along with a number of educational and rather entertaining videos on social media.

Tom’s highly-regarded publication ‘English Sparkling Wine 2020’, was released during this time and remains one of the widest independent wine-by-wine surveys for this kind of wine.

Today, Tom continues his career as a musician whilst pursuing his love of the world’s finest bubbles.

This year I spent some time with Tom in Champagne. It was my privilege to sit down with him during Harvest 2023 for this interview.

Wedsite:

https://vineandbubble.com

Podcasts:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0bw4TrWngFR9fUCsSClBuK?si=1e2bf0d288c94983

This new podcast series is about our family generation going travelling to Europe/ Italy and touring the amazing sites and visiting the Italian relatives and returning to your parent’s paese.

Why do you think we still have this pull back to Italy to visit family with our kids? Is this an Australian – Italian rite of passage thing do you think?

Is it our responsibility as the first generation children of immigrant parents to show the following generations where their grandparents come from?

This new Travel Podcast series was instigated by a conversation with Claudia and her girlfriends who also recently returned from their European holiday in July about their similar and different experiences travelling overseas with their families.

This podcast is a light-hearted conversation about the travelling with your family overseas. including practical and insightful conversation about the things you wished you knew before you travelled to Europe, what parts of your schedule worked well, the funny and difficult moments, locations and sites that were most loved by the family and why, how visiting the relatives made your kids feel , the kids reaction to places in Europe and now upon reflection the things you would do different next time or advice you would give other families.

The first episode is joined by Claudia’s friends Julia, Bianca and Margaret who also recently returned from their family overseas holiday in July 2023 with their families.