How to Find Your Ancestors in Italy

Like many Italian-Americans, I came to Italy in search of my family’s history. Clutching a copy of my grandfather’s passport and a few indications from my mother, I spent about two years circling around my target, in the countryside between Bologna and Florence, finding more information with each return visit. The first one in my family to come to Italy in 50 years, I didn’t have an easy time of it. These are a few suggestions:

1. Begin at home asking all your relatives for as many details as possible, to construct a family tree.
. last name, first name
. dates of birth, date and marriage (all marriages are important, not just the first or last one)
. names of children
. dates of emigration (when your ancestors left Italy)
. present address or city of residence
. occupation
. parish or church membership

2. Travel to the town of interest to you armed with as much Italian language as you can manage. The Italian Automobile Club (ACI) can help you find small towns in Italy and will provide driving information to members. Visit City Halls or parish churches for birth, death and marriage documents. Ask for photocopies. With this newfound information you can fill in the family tree that you began in America.

3. At this point you can share your information with your relatives and others in the town, and listen to their anecdotes about the past. Be prepared for good and bad surprises! Many people do speak English, or their children can help with interpreting (since almost all schoolchildren study English now).

4. Children make great ambassadors and can help you to renew old ties. Let your children help in the search.

5. Take time to browse through local libraries and be observant of public monuments. But beware - not everyone with the same last name is a close relative. Also note that women in Italy maintain their maiden names.

6. Cemeteries are wonderful places to find factual information about deceased relatives, and usually the person’s photograph is found on the tombstone. Take a camera along to save time and preserve those old photographs.

7. The Internet can be an interesting resource but may also lead you astray. I found the Mormon Genealogical project more useful for my English ancestors than the Italian ones, but you might want to try it (www.mormon.com).


By this time you will have enlarged your family and your future trips to Italy will be richer than ever before.
Write to me if you want to plan a genealogical search for 2001!