by Mary Tedesco

Tracing your Italian ancestry is one of the greatest adventures you can ever undertake. You will find the road full of twists and turns and surprises. You will experience conflicting emotions—delight and disappointment; wonder and weariness; sentiment and sadness; exhilaration and embarrassment. But, as all roads lead to Rome, your Italian ancestry inevitably leads to you. It leads to the promise of who you are and what you can be. It is your own family history. It is about us.

Now, before you run off to beautiful Italy to research arcane Italian records, first do some homework. Verify your Italian ancestral town(s) and your ancestors' original names. Remember that the name "Giuseppe" often became "Joseph" and "Vincenzo" sometimes became "Vincent" or "James". This information may be preserved in family lore. So, interview your relatives. 

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Source: http://www.pbs.org/