A reopened flight route, a surname spotted on the village bell tower, a recipe scribbled in pencil: sometimes that is all it takes to trigger a return ticket. This is what’s known as roots tourism, a phenomenon in which millions of people of Italian descent choose to set foot again in their grandparents’ hometowns.
People search parish registers, meet cousins they have never seen before, and taste the cooking they grew up hearing about. At the same time, direct connections to less-served Italian airports are increasing again, and there are more opportunities to stay in small villages, including the one-euro house schemes launched in several areas.
- Calabria: Lamezia Terme is the gateway, the villages are the heart
- Sicily: Palermo and the Monti Sicani, where the family tree begins again
- Tuscany: Lucca and the Garfagnana, memory crossing the ocean
- Abruzzo: L’Aquila, Santo Stefano di Sessanio and the Maiella
- Campania: Naples, Irpinia and inland Cilento, the ritual of return
Calabria: Lamezia Terme is the gateway, the villages are the heart
The reactivation of the seasonal direct route between Lamezia Terme and Toronto has made it easier for those with roots in the region to return to Calabria. Landing in Lamezia allows for quick travel between the coast and the inland areas, alternating days by the sea with time spent tracing village stories.
Alongside Tropea, loved for its beaches and sunsets over the Tyrrhenian Sea, return journeys often lead to Pizzo, home of the famous tartufo ice cream, and then up into the Sila mountains.
Villages such as Taverna and San Giovanni in Fiore preserve archives, nicknames, rustic recipes and faded photographs, all essential pieces when rebuilding a family tree.
Sicily: Palermo and the Monti Sicani, where the family tree begins again
The seasonal direct connection between Palermo and New York, operated by Neos, is helping Italian-Americans arrive in greater numbers, many generations on and still calling Sicily “home”.
In the collective imagination, the island represents family, historic markets and neighbourhood festas, elements that speak the language of origin.
Palermo captivates with its Norman treasures and lively alleyways, but the newer frontier of the return journey lies in the Monti Sicani and the small comuni in the Agrigento area and around Corleone.
Local organisations here can assist with genealogical research and with identifying relatives who have remained in the area.
Tuscany: Lucca and the Garfagnana, memory crossing the ocean
For anyone carrying a surname from Lucca, walking through the Renaissance walls of the city holds particular meaning. Historically, the province was one of those that saw large numbers of people leave for the Americas and Oceania.
Leaving the historic centre behind, the journey continues into the Garfagnana: mountains, chestnut woods and a less polished side of Tuscany, away from the busiest circuits.
It is here that flavours such as necci filled with ricotta resurface, along with traditional trades including the workshops producing small plaster figurines, linked to an important chapter in local emigration.
Abruzzo: L’Aquila, Santo Stefano di Sessanio and the Maiella
Abruzzo has long spoken to communities abroad. The grandparents of pop star Madonna came from Pacentro, a village that symbolises early twentieth-century migration.
Today L’Aquila stands at the centre of a narrative of rebirth, with its historic centre gradually coming back to life after the 2009 earthquake.
Nearby, the albergo diffuso in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a model of scattered accommodation set within the village itself, has drawn attention to a form of hospitality that enhances small towns.
The Maiella, meanwhile, is the natural destination for those seeking walking routes and quiet landscapes: among hermitages, valleys and wine cellars, rediscovering historic grape varieties and the shared meal that often rounds off a day spent in the archives.
Campania: Naples, Irpinia and inland Cilento, the ritual of return
Italian-American pop culture is steeped in Neapolitan elements: music, gestures, cuisine. For that reason, Naples remains a symbolic stop for many who return.
Yet the heart of roots tourism is shifting increasingly towards the inland areas: the small comuni of Irpinia and inland Cilento, where surnames repeat on street plaques, and stories are still passed around the piazza.
In summer, the patron saint festivals become the perfect moment to reconnect. Among processions, decorative lights and long shared tables, relatives and authentic flavours are rediscovered: Sunday ragù, local crafts and the village bakeries that continue to anchor community life.
Article seen on Turisti per Caso.it: 5 luoghi in Italia più amati dai “turisti delle radici”: ecco dove l’emigrazione italiana riscopre le sue origini
