5 Reasons Everyone Should Visit Their Ancestral Town in Italy

A visit to your ancestral town in Italy will change your life. Nowhere else will you feel a more familiar sense of deep connection than at the epicenter of your Italian roots—your ancestral town. Here are five reasons you should get on the next plane to visit you ancestral town in Italy:

5. THE GENEALOGY. (Of course!!!) In Italy, every town has its unique grouping of surnames that make it like nowhere else. When you return to your ancestral town, your surname will likely be familiar to the citizens there. It may seem like your family never left. Some of the local folks may know all about members of your family in Italy and may even have heard about them in America. The oral history in your ancestral town, as in every Italian town, is a beautiful component of the culture, and a valuable source of information about your genealogical background. So while you are there, stop in at the local café and chat a bit. Don’t speak Italian? No problem. Someone will offer to help you. The Italians love to talk and feel privileged to answer questions about their local history, traditions, customs and culture. Also, don’t forget to stop into the Ufficio Stato Civile [Civil Records Office] and the Parish Church to further your genealogical research!

4. THE FOOD. Want to taste nonna’s sauce again? When you dine in your ancestral town, you will perceive the origins of your family’s cuisine. Some ingredients may seem foreign, (from substitutions made in America), but the concept and preparation methods of your family’s dishes will be quite similar to those still enjoyed in your ancestral town. What a treat it will be to try out many local dishes, and maybe to reintroduce some traditional subtleties back in America. Genealogy can be so much more than research. It can become a personal advocacy for your family’s traditional culture. Bring it back home!

3. THE SOUNDS. In your ancestral town, the dialect or accent that you hear, especially as spoken by the older generation, is similar to how your ancestors sounded. You may remember these sounds from your childhood in America—the beloved Italian intonations from lively chatter in your grandmother’s kitchen, or the gruff cajoling cadences of your grandfather and his friends at the neighborhood barber shop. Your ancestral family’s dialect is part of who you are. So, sit at a local café one afternoon and just listen. Take it all in…and remember your past.

2. THE CONNECTIONS. Meeting new cousins is a priceless experience. Some of your newfound family may even look like you or like relatives back in the USA. In turn, they may recognize you by your facial features. There is no shortage of pleasant surprises when it comes to finding family connections in Italy. Italians truly love family. Don’t miss out on this great experience.

1. THE MEMORIES. You will make memories, friends, and connections that will last a lifetime! An enduring love for your ancestral town will be forged deep within you. It will become part of your being and your character—something that can never be erased. You will find yourself always planning your next trip back to your Italian ancestral town, because you know that each visit brings you closer to who you really are.

There is nothing more enchanting than to walk into the town square of your ancestors and begin a conversation with “Io sono italoamericana e mio nonno e’ di qui!” / “I am an Italian-American and my grandfather is from here!”  The experience will give you a new appreciation for your Italian heritage, a love for Italy, and a unique connection to the land where your ancestors originated. Don’t miss out!

(Pictured above is San Pietro a Maida, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy, ancestral town of the author. Image copyright 2015 Mary M. Tedesco.)

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.