How to find your Italian Ancestors: Step-by-Step Guide for Citizenship by Descent

Many people contact me asking how to trace their Italian ancestry — especially when starting the process of applying for Italian citizenship by descent.

That’s exactly why I decided to write this article, sharing how I personally got started with my own research.

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HOW TO START YOUR ITALIAN ANCESTRY SEARCH

The very first step is to collect as much information as possible about your ancestors —birth, marriage, and death records.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post,  you can start by talking to family members, digging through old copies of your parents’ and grandparents’ certificates, or requesting the documents directly from the registry offices. Filling out your family tree with as much verified information as possible is a crucial step in the beginning of your journey!

Here’s a quick snapshot of my own family tree, just as an example:

• LUIGI GAROFANO (my great-great-grandfather) – Born in Italy in 1870
  

• VINCENZO GAROFANO (my great-grandfather) – Born in São Paulo (Brazil), in 1906
  

• JOSÉ GAROFANO (my grandfather) – Born in São Paulo, in 1927
  

• OSMAIR GAROFANO (my father) – Also born in São Paulo, in 1962
  

• LUCAS GAROFANO (me) – Born in 1993, in the same region

  
  

You might think it’s impossible to trace your Italian roots if your relatives are no longer around. But even with limited information, you can still uncover valuable records — and

I’ll show you how.

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A LITTLE GENEALOGICAL DETECTIVE WORK

Based on the documents I had, all I knew was that my great-grandfather Vincenzo had been born in São Carlos, São Paulo State, and that his parents (my Italian great-great-grandparents) had worked on a coffee plantation in that region. But beyond that? Nothing. I didn’t even know where they had died.

That’s when, back in early 2015, I came across the work of the Pró-Memória Foundation of São Carlos which preserves records of the immigrants who once lived there. To my surprise, I found records of my entire family — and one of them, Thereza (Vincenzo’s older sister), had moved to another city called Cedral (countryside).

Years later, I visited São Carlos and took the chance to stop by the foundation

(I’ll write about that visit in a future post—promise!)

These clues led me to believe my great-great-grandparents might be buried in São Carlos. So I mustered up the courage and headed to the cemetery, hoping to find their grave. And guess what? Bingo! I still remember the feeling of discovering their tomb — it was literally like “unearthing” a part of my family’s story that no one had ever talked about.

I spoke to the cemetery office, got the exact dates of their deaths, and tracked down the registry office where their deaths had been recorded. Of course, by this point, I had already endured plenty of teasing from cousins and uncles who thought I was completely nuts....

But thanks to those death records, I was able to find information about their marriage—and eventually, their birth records in Italy!

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RESEARCH TOOLS: WEBSITES, FOUNDATIONS & IMMIGRATION RECORDS

Now, if cemeteries aren’t really your thing (understandable 😅), don’t worry! There are other great resources out there like Family Search or My Heritage , which can help you trace your family history.

Another valuable source is the immigration landing records. In São Paulo, for example, the Museum Of Immigration holds the the Ship Passenger Lists of Italian immigrants who arrived to work on the coffee plantations and stayed at the old immigrant hostel (Hospedaria dos Imigrantes). With a bit of luck, you might find your ancestor’s record — with the year they arrived, their age, and maybe even family members who traveled with them. These clues can be incredibly helpful for tracking down their birth certificate in Italy.

I’ll soon share more about my visit to the Immigrant Hostel in São Paulo

— an amazing place full of history!

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AFTER YOU FIND YOUR ANCESTOR'S ITALIAN ORIGINS

Once you’ve discovered where your Italian ancestor was born, you can request the official document from Italian public offices.

To do this, the key details you'll need are:

• Full Name

• Date of Birth

• Comune (municipality) or Province of Birth

• Parent's names

Even if you don’t have every detail, gather as much information as possible. It might seem overwhelming, but I promise — you just need to know where to look. If you're stuck, feel free to share what you've found with me, and I’ll help guide you through the process.

If you prefer to leave it in the hands of a professional, there are researchers who specialize in locating Italian records (including yours truly! 😄).

My work as a researcher goes far beyond these basic tools. I cross-reference the information my clients provide with a database I’ve built over the years.

Need help finding your Italian ancestor’s records?

I offer professional research services from Italy and can help you track down the exact documents you need to apply for citizenship. Contact me at:

contato@buonvento.com.br

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A Final Note About Family Trees:

[1]: You do not need to have the same last name as your dante causa (the Italian ancestor) in order to claim citizenship. So don’t worry if the “Italian surname” has disappeared over generations.

[2]: None of my ancestors had their Italian citizenship recognized before me. In other words, they didn’t need to have Italian citizenship for me to apply for mine.