An increasingly popular and highly personalized form of tour to Italy is the family heritage tour, where guests visit the regions and towns their Italian ancestors called home. Over the years, many clients have contacted me wanting to trace their roots in Italy, see how their ancestors lived and, quite possibly, meet long-lost relatives. Here are some suggestions to help you reconnect with your past…

Do the research: An excellent resource for discovering your roots in Italy is www.myitalianfamily.com. Here you can get info and order Italian documents necessary to your journey.

Organize: Once you’ve collected information on your ancestry, organize and store it in a travel-friendly file. You’ll want to bring this research with you.

Call in the experts: Now that you have an idea of who you’re looking for and where you want to go, you’ll need help planning your trip – you may need to visit remote areas of Italy and will likely be immersing yourself in local culture and daily activities. Gourmet Getaways can arrange for a knowledgeable guide to serve as a translator and assist you on trips to town hall, churches and other neighborhood establishments. We’ll plan an itinerary centered around the towns your family emigrated from, so you can see the best of Italy while discovering your family roots.

Some of my clients who visited their hometowns are now in touch with their long-lost relatives. They are so thrilled to have been reacquainted with their family and have even been invited into their homes for the ultimate Italian experience. For more information on how to begin planning a heritage tour for your family, call or email Gourmet Getaways today.

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