Italian Roots Project exists to help the descendants of Italian emigrants—in the United States and across the diaspora—trace their family history, understand their heritage, and, where they qualify, pursue Italian citizenship by descent. We aim for practical, clearly written, honest guidance: pointing you to the free records first, recommending paid tools only where they earn their place, and being straight about a citizenship landscape that changed sharply in 2025.
Our guides are organised into six areas—research, emigration history, surnames, citizenship, DNA and heritage travel—all reachable from the Start Here page.
Italian Roots Project provides general information for educational purposes. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Citizenship rules in particular are complex and changing; verify your situation with official Italian government sources and qualified professionals before acting. Some links on this site are affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you; we only recommend resources we believe are genuinely useful.