Italian Family Tree & Genealogy Research
“… We decided to visit Prata Sannita on the last Wednesday of the vacation, a small town in Caserta where my grandparents were born… We traveled to City Hall to inquire about my grandparents, Pasquale and Lucia Scuncio. As we asked for the birth certificates of my grandparents, a young woman behind us in line spoke out. She told us she was Maria Rosa Scuncio. ‘I am your cousin,’ she said. “
~ Marie Lucia Birmingham, Italian Cooking & Living
Whether your dream is simply to stroll the same cobblestones that your grandparents strolled, or to actually meet living descendants of your Italian family, Cooking Vacations is here to help. We know the importance of family!
Over 25 million Italians embarked for the New World at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s leaving behind certainty for dreams of the New World. Sometimes, whole families traveled together, but more often families split: some stayed and some left. The result was a family with a branch in Italy and a branch in the new country where they settled, whether America, Canada, Argentina, Australia or others. Perhaps the first generation stayed in touch sending letters, black and white photos of children and families growing, but with years passing, the families lost track of each other.
Reconnect these branches of your family with the help of Cooking Vacations. Our expert genealogist, Gaetano, works with you to find your roots. Gaetano’s passion for genealogy research started when he researched his own last name and found the origins of his family dating back hundreds of years to the founding of his small Italian town. Today, he helps guests reconnect with their Italian roots by tracing back to the city, small town or village in Italy.
Starting with information such as Ellis Island rosters or your personal records, Gaetano starts the search in the Italian Comune, or town hall, where your family was from. From there he checks with church records regarding marriages, baptisms and more to get further information. Once Gaetano has found your family roots, he helps break down any language barrier and helps you get in touch with any living family members by assisting in translating letters or interpreting for a face-to-face reunion.
For more information & to start looking for your family, contact Cooking Vacations today.
Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft’s real name was Anna Maria Louisa Italiano and her family was from Potenza, Basilicata.
Former Mayor of New York City Rudolph Giuliani’s family emigrated from the small town of Marliana in Tuscany.
Father of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia emigrated from Sicily when he was only 15 years old.