Travelling to Italy

[tati_508]

Hi. I am traveling to Italy this fall and thought I would look into my family history while there. I will visit two towns (Calci and Borgo a Mozzano). Do you have any suggestions how I gather information. Never done this before. I have dates and names and possible locations. Will I need permission to access church records? Do I need to book ahead? So many questions but totally lost.

[cc4all]

I found that going directly to the town hall is the way to go.
Come prepared with whatever info you have...names of your ancestors and their dates of birth, death or marriage in the town.
I am sure the response could be different depending on where you are, but I hit the genealogy lottery(after lots of work!!) when I started this way.
If you need to prepare before you go, familysearch.org has a lot of records from 1809 forward online.
Good luck!
Cece

[tati_508]

Thanks ! Sounds promising. I have gathered a lot of information thanks to Italiangeneology and familysearch. I really appreciate your information.

Cristina.

[Lucani]

Cristina, Cece is right, you should go to the comune office of the Anagrafe. They are usually open in the morning M-F but you can search on-line for "anagrafe" for the comune and you might get specific hours.

Don't expect English but in Tuscany they might speak some. Have copies of your information to leave with the office if needed.

[tati_508]

Thank you. Great information. I will do that. Better practice my Italian!

[lynnef]

I was lucky enough to connect with a tour guide (after going through many different avenues!)who traveled with my husband and I to Caulonia, Calabria to locate records on my MGGF. Our tour guide had already connected with the anagrafe ahead of time so she knew we were coming. The anagrafe didn't speak any English so it was invaluable for us to have our tour guide as she spoke both English and Italian and could translate back and forth. It was a wonderful experience all around! She was able to locate my MGGF's birth act as well as his sister's (my MGGA) birth act...and I also found out the names of my 2nd and 3rd great grandparents! We walked the town and I was fortunate to visit the church where my MGGF was christened as well as walking down the street where the house he was born in was located. The anagrafe was so very kind and informative...she invited us to her home to have dinner, but our time was limited. I'll definitely be returning there sometime in the near future! Good luck with your research!

[tati_508]

That is lovely. You were very fortunate. Thank you!!

[jennabet]

lyneff, I'm glad you had such a positive experience in your ancestral homeland. I too, was treated very well by the authorities in my ancestral commune when I came looking for a copy of my grand-father's birth certificate. After I was recognized, I moved back to the same region for retirement. It's been great.

[tati_508]

I'm glad to hear such positive feedback. Makes me less nervous. Hopefully I will have the same luck. What is it like living there?

[Anizio]

I went to italy in 2013. Went to several family towns, which gave me broad experience.

First, its hit or miss. Some town officials will be overly helpful, some will not want to deal with you and be annoyed you are there. It will be worse if you do not speak Italian.
Second, don't forget Archives. State Archives were the most kind and helpful because they deal with people requesting records all day long. Military records, notary records....if you are going all the way there make the most of it.
Third, churches are more hit or miss than towns. MANY churches in small towns either have no priest or share their priest so you need to go on the right day. Some will help, some will try to extort you, some will be annoyed, some will have lost the records entirely, and some records will have been moved.
ie. In Ortona, the records where moved to the diocese archives which is only open 3 hours a day 2 days a week. In L'Aquila (I was 23 at the time) the priest at the Cathedral made me go on a dinner date and then wanted to take me home....I speak Italian and escaped. Real risk. In Supino, some records were lost, but the priest just let me sit around alone with them and do the research myself. In Tagliacozzo I could not find the priest for the church when I visited because he was not in town the days I was. etc.

Plan plan plan plan plaaaaan, and give yourself lots of time if you can. Researching in Italy can be a pain in small towns and big cities alike.

Finally remember that in most places everything is closed in the early afternoon so lunch and bathrooms are a real issue. If you rent a car, like I did, have good GPS because many roads in small towns have no signs and no names.

When you get there, go straight to a TIM store (cell phone company) and buy a rechargeable SIM card for your phone. Data and minutes in Italy are cheap, and there are TIM stores in almost every town for you to recharge your minutes or data.

[tati_508]

Thank you. This is extremely informative. Probably would have lost plenty of time finding all this out on my own while there.

I really appreciate your information.

[Prousto]

I would like to second what tati_508 said. I'm considering a trip to Italy in the near future and the information here is really helpful!