Mussolini's Friend

EPISODE 10 -- As Italy sweeps Fascism's failures under the rug, the "King of the Books" considers reclaiming his throne. Post-war, Franco and his family revisit the question that could come for us, now, again: flee or stay? David uncovers new letters from his Nonna Serena, with blessings for a love story of his own.  For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 9 -- As Franco listens from New York, and his family listens from safehouses inside Rome, the radio broadcasts the Allies' decisive attack to free the city. David's cousins recall the day of liberation - and those who didn't make it. Split apart by war, the two Modigliani brothers, Franco and Giorgio, yearn to reconnect. For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 8 -- Squeezed from every angle, Franco's family fights to survive. From a hill town safehouse to the Roman underground, Giorgio teaches his young children escape drills and false identities. Franco's cousin Piero faces a shakedown gang of Italian cops, with deportation to Germany hanging in the balance.  For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 7 -- The Nazis come for the Jews of Rome -- and the family Franco left behind. Heart-pounding twists of fate determine who's captured and who survives. David's cousin Sara connects us to the moment through music.For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 6 -- Trapped inside Italy, Franco's brother, Giorgio, fends for his young family as the war comes for them - and Mussolini falters. After a near-death experience, Giorgio keeps his ears glued to the radio: will the descending Nazis take Rome?For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 5 -- Aboard a famous ocean liner, Franco, Serena and the "King of the Books" brave a gauntlet of German submarines just days before the outbreak of World War Two. Soon, the United States turns Italian immigrants like them into "enemy aliens," leading to a whole new persecution - and an encounter with the KKK.For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 4 -- The Fascist regime spies on Giulio, who's on the run in Paris - and blocks his fortune inside Italy, just as his best friend performs a dramatic act of defiance. In Rome, David's cousin reveals a haunting dilemma: who has the privilege to actually flee -- and who gets left behind?For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 3 -- On the ground in Italy, David visits the Prime Minister and digs into the Fascist upbringing of his Nobel-winning grandfather, Franco. Mussolini's "Racial Laws" raise the stakes of his grandparents' budding romance and lead their families to confront the hardest question: do you stay or flee?  For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website. This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 2 -- David discovers a surprising personal relationship between his great-grandfather and Benito Mussolini. Stanley Tucci brings this great-grandfather to life, revealing how he witnessed Mussolini's rise to power - and what happens when a dictator turns against you.For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website.This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 1 -- In 1939, Franco Modigliani escaped Fascist Italy for the United States. He'd go on to win a Nobel Prize, but his grandson, David, is most interested in the romance-on-the-run that made it all possible. When David digs into his grandparents' fairytale escape, he uncovers a darker side of the story - and a romance of his own.For more, tap to follow @packonebag on Instagram, TikTok and X and visit the show's website.This episode is sponsored by Harney & Sons Fine Teas! Visit Harney & Sons HERE and use code PACKONEBAG for 10% off! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices