I spoke yesterday with the genealogist who is handling the research for my Italian citizenship quest. She confirmed my eligibility and agrees that my best bet is to go through the Petrini line (though I’m also eligible through other lines).
She has already found the marriage certificate of my great grandparents Francesco and Maria Petrini. They were married in 1903 in Nocera Umbra, a town in the Perugia region of Umbria, 35 kilometers outside of Assisi. Both were born there, as well. That alone answers a question I’ve wondered about. The family always said the couple came from Santa Maria degli Angeli, just below the hill town of Assisi. But my research kept pointing to Nocera Umbra instead. Now I can prove it. I suppose it’s possible that the family lore was not wrong; the couple may have moved to Santa Maria degli Angeli after they were married. I’m hoping I can learn more about that. That same marriage certificate also confirmed which of two spellings of my great grandmother’s maiden name is the correct one.
Next, the genealogist will have to pull together documents from Italy and from various parts of the U.S. When all that is done, the documents must be translated, the Italian embassy in Washington, D.C., will have to approve the translations, and I’ll attend a meeting at the embassy to have my citizenship request approved.
If everything goes well, the process will take six months to a year, and I will be an Italian citizen, but will retain my US citizenship as well.
The Petrini Page 