Guide to Italian Roots: Featuring Liguria

Liguria among the main features in the fifth volume of the Guide to Italian Roots promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

«Ma se ghe penso alôa mi veddo o mâ, / veddo
i mæ monti, a ciassa da Nonçiâ, / riveddo
o Righi e me s’astrenze o cheu, / veddo a Lanterna,
a Cava, lazù o Meu… / Riveddo a-a séia
Zena iluminâ, / veddo là a Fôxe e sento franze
o mâ / e alôa mi penso ancon de ritornâ / a
pösâ e òsse dôve ò mæ madonâ»

Many may not have heard of ‘Ma se ghe penso‘, the song of Ligurian migrants written by Mario Cappello in 1925. From the mid-19th century, the port of Genoa became the main gateway to the New World for all Italians. Countless people departed: a final farewell to the old world from the Lanterna, and a welcome to America from New York’s Statue of Liberty. Today, many of their grandchildren return in search of their origins—they are the “roots travellers.” Italy is unique in the world, increasingly attracting these “roots travellers,” so much so that 2024 has been declared the Year of Italian Roots by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Guide to Italian Roots

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published the Guide to Italian Roots: a resource-rich tourist guide designed for all Italians and Italian descendants around the world to embark on a journey in search of their family origins and explore their connections to the country. The book serves as a practical guide for those delving into their ancestry, offering valuable information about Italian emigration, where and how to conduct research (such as State Archives, municipal registries, and parish records), locations where traces of ancestors can be found, and tips on how to uncover details of one’s past. The volume has been produced by the social promotion association Raíz Italiana, with the support of the Directorate General for Italians Abroad and Migration Policies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It is part of the Italea project on roots tourism, which falls under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The Main Star: Liguria

In the fifth volume of the Guide to Italian Roots, Liguria takes centre stage alongside Umbria, Veneto, and Tuscany. Many Ligurians moved to the Americas between the late 19th century and the 1920s: families from the Ponente who emigrated to Argentina, Genoese who settled in Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela, and villages in the Val Fontanabuona, Val Trebbia, or the Levante of Genoa that were literally depopulated. The guide not only provides clear directions for conducting research but also offers information about Liguria, including how to visit, explore, or rediscover it.

The Italea Programme

Today, thanks to Italea, the roots tourism promotion programme launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as part of the PNRR project and funded by NextGenerationEU, Italians in the Americas and around the world can reconnect with their roots and traditions.

The project offers services to facilitate travel to Italy, providing information, a warm welcome, and support for roots travellers.

Download the full guide here: Vol 5 Guide to Italian Roots