Alert--beginner here!

[jnini]

I am very new, in fact, just starting my search. I have names for 2 or 3 generations in Italy, but want to go back further. My husband's father came to states in 60s to study but no on else ever left Italy. Here is what I know:

Campanini and Pivetti are the surnames and many (as many as I know about) lived/were born in Pieve di Cento in the province of Bologna (I think Pivetti was more Ferrara actually). (All living live in Bologna now). The oldest I have is Angelo Pivetti and Ugo Campanini. How do I go about researching this from the states?

Thanks for your help!

[ptimber]

If you go to www.comuni.it and insert the name of the town in klower right and then click again when name appears uyou will have two things to start off with. One is the www.pieve.provincia.bo.it for the town website some of which is in english and then you can send an e-mail to the town fathers, in english if you wish, and ask them how you can go about tracing the families back as far as the civil records permit since there is no record in the USA for any civil records for Pieve del Cento. Further ask them to whiom you can write to in Bologna which is the provioncial capital for any civil records they do not have available. In the interim since you are starting out I would buy/borrow the book Italian genelaogical records by Traffor R. Cole which is an easy read and give you all the information you need. Peter