“Arriving in the City of Ancestors Brought Me Peace”: How Root Tourism is Growing in Italy 0 8

Jim Fiorini's father was one of more than two million Italians who emigrated to the United States in the early decades of the 20th century, inspired by the promise of the "American Dream." He created a successful construction company that employed other Italians on work visas, but the Great Depression did not spare him.

According to Fiorini, his father "struggled greatly with his childhood and how moving to the U.S. changed his life for the worse."

Fiorini, who now lives in Pennsylvania, recently began exploring his Italian roots, hoping to "close the circle" of his father's forced emigration and find his "home" in Italy.

And his story is far from unique.

Growth of Genealogical Tourism

More and more Americans are turning to their past to find family connections in Europe, especially in Italy. This phenomenon is called genealogical tourism.

"In recent years, Italy has become one of the key destinations for genealogical tourism, a growing trend where people travel not just for sightseeing but to reconnect with their heritage," says Jennifer Sontag, CEO and founder of ViaMonde, a relocation agency that helps Americans search for their roots in Italy.

"We see many people, both young and old, who want to learn more about where they come from."

For many Americans of Italian descent in the second, third, and fourth generations, searching for roots turns into a fruitless chase. Records are inaccurate, surnames have changed, and documents have been lost.

But the development of genealogy, DNA testing, and the emergence of specialized ancestry search agencies are leading to an increasing number of success stories.

Why Italy Became a Center for Genealogical Tourism

Italy is one of the main destinations for Americans seeking their roots. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the economic situation was dire, especially in the south and on the island of Sicily, while the political climate remained unstable.

Residents of the same communities often left for the same places.

"Usually, young men left first, found work, and then called their fellow countrymen to join them. Once settled, they invited their wives and fiancées," explains Sontag, who also has Italian roots.

"Such concentrated emigration naturally creates focal points for genealogical tourism throughout Italy."

With the advancement of technology, it has become easier for descendants to find the birthplaces of their ancestors in Italy, and more people are taking on such searches, so much so that Italy has declared 2024 the Anno del Turismo delle Radici (Year of Root Tourism).

Detective Agency for Finding Italian Roots

Searching for information about family members from many years ago often proves to be a labor-intensive and unsuccessful endeavor.

"The main difficulty is dealing with common distortions and anglicization of Italian names and surnames that were used to lessen the impact of anti-Italian racism that was widespread in the early 20th century," says Sontag.

Many documents are still not digitized or accessible to the public. Therefore, descendants like Fiorini turn to specialists.

Sontag's agency conducts a kind of detective work to find their clients' roots.

"We have genealogists on staff. Together with clients, they search for Italian birth records, ship manifests, divorce documents, and death certificates in various cities, states, and sometimes countries, tracing the lineage back to the current applicant," she says.

The initial search can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

Once the ancestral hometown is found, the team can determine exact addresses, as street names are usually listed in birth and marriage records. If access to them is difficult, Sontag sometimes sends staff to review paper documents in local archives, churches, and town halls in Italy.

"Arriving in the town of my ancestors helped me put a period to the story of my father's life before he moved to the U.S. as a child," he says.

"Standing in a small square by the public fountain and sitting on the stone steps where my father played as a child turned out to be a life-changing event."

How Has Italy's Citizenship Law Changed?

Many Americans searching for their Italian ancestors are also looking for documents that will help them apply for Italian citizenship or relocate to Italy.

Here, Sontag's team also provides necessary assistance. Fiorini says he plans to use ViaMonde's services to help himself and his wife move to Italy next year, as "navigating Italian bureaucracy is only slightly easier than quantum physics."

But recent changes in Italian law have come as a blow to many Americans seeking to formalize their Italian roots.

In May, the right to Italian citizenship by descent was limited to two generations. This means that now an applicant must have a parent or grandparent born in Italy.

According to Sontag, this has been a devastating blow for her clients.

"Many, especially younger clients who gained the flexibility of remote work during the COVID pandemic, built life plans around moving to Italy. This dream concerns not only retirees but also a younger audience that wants to reconnect with family, start a business, and contribute to life in Italy," she says.

"For many of us, descendants in the fourth generation, the connection to Italy is very deep: from cultural traditions, where they prepare and eat sugo and pasta during holidays, to preserving Sicilian dialects."

According to Sontag, for many Americans of Italian descent in the third and fourth generations, Italy is now just a vacation destination rather than a place of residence.

"This was a missed opportunity for the state to support and embrace descendants who could revitalize the economy and help revive dying towns."