Originals, Copies, and Apostilles?

[it1001]

I have my father's original birth certificate and his marriage certificate from Italy. However, the consulate website states:

All documentation must be submitted in original and will not be returned (with the exception
of the naturalization certificate)

I do not want to lose my copies of his birth and marriage certificates. Since I already have these, do I still need to request it from the original comune or is there another process? Is an apostille required or is this only for US documents? If an apostille is required, do I need to physically need to bring them to the comune in Italy?

[mler]

Apostilles are only required for US documents (not naturalization). They should not keep Italian document (they didn't keep mine) since these are already on file at the comune.

If you want to be on the safe side, you can ask the comune to send you certified copies.