NEW YORK – Lidia Bastianich grew up in a small town in Italy where neighbors were like extended family. If kids came home from school and mom was out, they went to the neighbors for a snack. If someone had a problem with a sibling, they went next door.

The Emmy Award-winning TV host, author and restaurateur remembers her grandmother making an extra pot for lunch and sending young Lidia next door with it to feed her blind, elderly neighbor, along with a glass of wine.

That sense of community is not specific to Italy, of course. “It exists in America in smaller situations, but we need to nurture that ever more,” Bastianich says.

She's hoping to spotlight and cultivate togetherness with her 14th TV special, “Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors,” which premieres Tuesday on

See Full Page