Between the late nineteenth and the second half of the twentieth century millions of Italians left the country, and Campania was one of the regions with the most departures. Ships sailed from Naples to New York, Buenos Aires, Santos and Caracas; later many left for Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Australia. Today their descendants live all over the world, and more and more of them come back looking for the town where it all began. This is roots tourism, and we think it is one of the most moving ways to discover Campania.
A theme Italy is investing in
Since 2022 Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has run a project dedicated to roots tourism, aimed at the more than 80 million Italians abroad and people of Italian descent worldwide. 2024 was declared the Year of Italian Roots, with the Italea programme. In Campania, in Irpinia, a pilot project has been presented to bring emigrants' descendants back to their hometowns, restoring houses and historic routes such as the Cammino di Guglielmo and the Avellino–Rocchetta Sant'Antonio railway.
Before you leave: rebuild your family story
- Gather everything you have at home: names, dates, letters, photos, passports, travel papers. Even a nickname or the name of a hamlet can make the difference.
- Search arrival and naturalisation records in your country: they often state the town of birth.
- Use the Antenati portal of the Italian Ministry of Culture, which publishes online the civil records kept in the State Archives: births, marriages and deaths from the nineteenth century.
- Write to the town hall: the civil registry office can issue extracts of records. The State Archives of Naples, Salerno, Caserta, Avellino and Benevento keep registers and historical documents.
- Parishes often hold baptism and marriage registers older than civil records.
On the spot: how to experience your return
Once in the town, our first tip is simple: ask. In the small towns of Campania, from Irpinia to Cilento, from Sannio to upper Caserta, there is almost always someone who remembers a family, a house, a trade. The local Pro Loco association and the town hall are excellent starting points: you'll find them on the page of each of the 550 towns in our guide, starting from All of Campania.
- Visit the mother church and the cemetery: headstones and chapels tell the town's surnames.
- Come in summer for the patron saint's festival: in August many emigrants return, and festivals are when the town comes together.
- Taste the local food: dishes cooked at home abroad were often born right there.
- Stay in town: B&Bs, holiday homes and farm stays let you live the village up close.
Practical tips
- Start early with record requests: offices can be slow.
- Bring copies of the documents you already have, even as photos.
- Learn a few words of Italian: it opens many doors, even where dialect is spoken.
- Citizenship rules are set by Italian law and change over time: contact a consulate or a professional.
Looking for somewhere to stay in your ancestors' town? See Where to stay and our events calendar for summer festivals.
