L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano T he Year of Ital- i a n R o o t s , launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was intended as a national effort to welcome descen- dants of Italian emigrants back to their ancestral towns. Its goal was both practical and cultural, as it wanted to create a structured system to support genealogical travel, develop local itineraries, and encourage diaspora commu- nities to reconnect with the p l a c e s t h e i r f a m i l i e s l e f t . What has become increasing- ly clear in the months since is that the project did not close with the end of the calendar year. Roots tourism has continued to grow, espe- c i a l l y a m o n g A m e r i c a n t r a v e l e r s , and Italy now treats it as one of the most promising areas for long- term tourism development. A s w e l e a r n e d t o g e t h e r l a s t y e a r , t h e e x p r e s s i o n "roots tourism" or turismo delle radici refers specifically to travel motivated by family history, and it differs from cultural tourism because the focus is personal rather than thematic. Often, travelers seek parish archives rather than museums, walk through neighborhoods where their grandparents lived, and meet distant relatives, instead of following more standard itin- eraries. Research describes it as a form of travel shaped by emotional ties, where itiner- aries are often longer, more dispersed, and centered on small communities. This is something that matters for I t a l y m o r e t h a n f o r m a n y other countries because of the scale of its historical emi- gration: the Ministry of For- eign Affairs estimates that up t o 7 0 - 8 0 m i l l i o n p e o p l e worldwide have some degree o f I t a l i a n a n c e s t r y , w i t h r o u g h l y 2 0 m i l l i o n i n t h e United States alone; broader international counts, used in policy documents during the Year of Roots Tourism, men- tion as many as 260 mil- lion people globally with cultural or familial ties to Italy. Even allowing for d i f f e r e n t d e f i n i t i o n s , t h e potential audience is enor- mous. The 2024 initiative, which was financed through the N a t i o n a l R e c o v e r y a n d Resilience Plan (PNRR) and i n t e g r a t e d w i t h r e g i o n a l t o u r i s m s t r a t e g i e s , w a s Italy's first attempt to con- vert this potential into an organized sector. The plan received around €20 million (around 24 million USD) in funding and involved all 20 regions, hundreds of munici- palities, and a large network of cultural institutions. To help descendants plan their v i s i t s , t h e M i n i s t r y a l s o launched Italea, a national platform designed to serve as the main reference point for genealogical travel that offers regional itineraries, t h e m a t i c r o u t e s , l i s t s o f genealogists, guidance on accessing local archives, and a discount card valid with participating businesses. It also created a network of ter- ritorial coordinators tasked with helping municipalities prepare for this type of visi- tor, from training staff to mapping local heritage relat- ed to emigration. These efforts coincided with a significant increase in American travelers engaging i n a n c e s t r y - d r i v e n t r i p s . Data show that Americans represent the largest group of roots tourists, many of them traveling to the same regions that once sent their f a m i l i e s a b r o a d ; a 2 0 2 4 s t u d y b y A n a l y t i c s A r t s surveying over two hundred American visitors found that t h o s e o f I t a l i a n d e s c e n t behave differently from the general tourist population, as they tend to stay longer, v i s i t m o r e r u r a l a r e a s , express stronger emotional motivations for their trip, and show a greater intention to return. They also display m o r e s u s t a i n a b l e t r a v e l habits, favoring local hospi- tality and small-scale experi- e n c e s . N o w , c o n s i d e r i n g there are around 20 million people in the US identifying as Italian Americans, it is clear how this is much more than a tourism niche for the Belpaese. Crucially, the impact on I t a l i a n d e s t i n a t i o n s i s already visible, even after o n l y o n e s i n g l e y e a r o f focused root tourism activi- ty, with many of the towns most affected by historical emigration now among the most active in hosting roots tourists. A National Geo- graphic's report on the s m a l l C a l a b r i a n t o w n o f Gasperina can be easily used as an example: a single visit by an American family looking for their Italian roots led to meetings with dozens o f l i v i n g r e l a t i v e s a n d renewed local interest in the community's emigrant histo- ry. Similar stories surface in Sicily, where the regional Italea office has integrated g e n e a l o g i c a l t r a v e l w i t h existing cultural events, arti- san workshops, and seasonal festivals in towns such as B u r g i o , G i u l i a n a , a n d Prizzi. Research groups involved in the Year of Roots initiative estimate around three mil- lion viaggiatori delle radici within a larger pool of her- i t a g e - m o t i v a t e d v i s i t o r s ; broader economic projec- tions go further, suggesting that if Italy manages to orga- nize and sustain this market, roots tourism could generate tens of billions in long- term value and contribute heavily to the revitalization of small inland towns. This last point is pivotal for the health of our communities, as half of Italy's municipali- t i e s f a c e d e p o p u l a t i o n o r demographic decline; many are exactly the towns that emigrants left between the late nineteenth and early t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r i e s . A n a n c e s t r y - d r i v e n t o u r i s m economy would send visitors directly to these areas, sup- porting local businesses and creating incentives to main- tain buildings, archives, and cultural activities. But if Italy wants to fully embrace its leading role in the roots tourism area, espe- cially in an American con- text, there are some extra things that need to be con- sidered. For example, the same AnalyticsArts survey we've just mentioned also s h o w s t h a t m a n y I t a l i a n American respondents were unaware of the existence of official initiatives supporting roots travel, which means more can be done in dissem- i n a t i o n – w e a t L ' I t a l o A m e r i c a n o h a v e b e e n keeping up with all the news you need to know about tur- ismo delle radici. Things need to be improved in Italy, too: local administrations, e s p e c i a l l y i n r u r a l a r e a s , s o m e t i m e s l a c k t h e s t a f f , language skills, or technical r e s o u r c e s t o m a n a g e genealogical requests effi- c i e n t l y ; a r c h i v e s m a y b e divided between town halls a n d p a r i s h e s w i t h , o f t e n , v e r y l i m i t e d d i g i t i z a t i o n ; transportation links to small inland towns remain incon- sistent, making it difficult for v i s i t o r s w i t h o u t a c a r t o reach their family's birth- place. The above is all construc- t i v e c r i t i c i s m , h o w e v e r , s o m e t h i n g u p o n w h i c h improvement can be based and developed. The progress made since the launch of the Year of Roots has laid the foundation for a sector that i s e x p e c t e d t o c o n t i n u e growing, and Italy now has a formal framework, a dedi- c a t e d n a t i o n a l p l a t f o r m , regional coordinators, and a n e x p a n d i n g n e t w o r k o f guides and genealogists who specialize in working with diaspora travelers and, per- haps even more importantly, the will and desire to become better and more efficient. For Italian Americans, this means that planning a roots trip today is easier than it was even only a couple of years ago because informa- tion is becoming increasing- ly centralized, itineraries more structured, and more towns are prepared to help v i s i t o r s u n d e r s t a n d t h e i r family history. W e m a y b e o n l y a t t h e beginning, but our ponte sul- l'Atlantico seems to have v e r y s o l i d f o u n d a t i o n s already. LUCA SIGNORINI Why US descendants are driving Italy's boom in heritage tourism Visiting Italy is, for many Americans, more than tourism, it is a moment to return to their roots (Photo: Davide Angelini/Dreamstime) TOURISM OF THE ROOTS TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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