b'final mattersBringing ItalianCitizenship HomeMy ancestors dreamed of becoming American, I dreamed of becoming ItalianBY JOY YAGIDIa better lot in life andcame to New York, it stopped me. She am a second-generation Ameri-can of Italian descent. Like mostwas 8 years old. What must it have been immigrant families, mine camelike for her to see the Statue of Liberty here foruponenteringtheharbor?Icanonly never looked back. Thats prob- imagine. Another was that an uncle end-ablywhyIhadneverthoughted up in San Quentin in California in the about becoming an Italian citi- early 1900s on gun possession!zen. I embraced my cultures food andI acquired all the needed vital records. traditions, but that was it. ThenIneededtogetanappointment But then, one day during the pan- with the Italian consulate in New York. It demic, I listened to a radio program andopened a waitlist for citizenship appoint-learned that Italy is one of the countriesments in April 2022. I grabbed a spot thatgrantscitizenshipbasedonyourand waitedfor two years.parents citizenship instead of where youMyappointmentwasinJanuaryof were born. Its a jus sanguinis country, or2024bymail.Itookmythreeanda of the blood. This meant I could behalf years of work and about $2,000 in recognized as an Italian citizen.The authors new Italian passport along with some of the paperwork shedocument fees and handed it over to the completed to get her Italian citizenship.IthoughtcitizenshipinanEUUnited States Postal Service. Im not sure countrycouldhaveadvantages.ForThe remaining relatives had dementia or were de- how I got to sleep that night.my husband and me, it would offer a beautifulceased. The process can take up to two years, but I got place to retire, the ability to stay anywhere in theI started working my way backward. I knewmy answer in three months. The recognition email EU past the 90-day non-resident restriction, andmy family details. I had four possible lines, onecame in the afternoon in April 2024. My daugh-universal healthcare. As we get older, this last rea- for each grandparent. Italian law stated that theter was recognized too. We got our passports in son becomes far more important.last ancestor needed to be Italian at the time of theAugust.SincewomeninItalydonotchange For our daughter, it opens a world of possibili- next in lines birth to pass on Italian citizenship.their names upon marriage, my passport is in my ties, including the option to continue her educa- Since three of my lines had problems, that left mymaiden name, Joy Primavera. Its an unbroken line tion in Europe. Being an EU citizen makes herfather, my grandfather and my great grandfatherback to the Primaveras in Guardiagrele, Italy.more valuable to an international company sinceas my path. My great grandparents, Nicolo and Rosa, left she can work in the EU without a work visa. The good news was that my uncle started atheir home to find a new one. They somehow sur-Since I had time on my hands, I decided tofamilytreewithalotofinformation.Thebadvived the voyage, the tenements and the discrimi-make it my project. I only needed to prove my cit- news was some of it was wrong. This sent me onnation and made a better life. I dont think they izenship to the Italian governmentwith a greatgenealogicalwildgoosechasesorworse,brickwanted to leave their home. They probably had deal of paperwork spanning more than 125 years. walls. And the world was shut down due to theno other choice. Its the least I could do to regain I dusted off my Ancestry.com account and be- pandemic, including vital records offices, stretch- something they held dear but gave up to offer me gan. I also joined a great group on Facebook ining the process from months to years. a better life. which most of the people DIYd it. But the journey was not without revelationsJoy Yagid,aneventandfamilyphotographer,has ProvingthatIhadanunbrokenlinefromand a few cool finds. lived in Maplewood with her family for 25 years. mylastadultItalian-borneancestortomewasThe moment I saw my grandmothers name,She would like everyone to know, it is sauce, never a daunting task. Everyone in my line was dead.Marianna Dilluvio, on a ship manifest when shegravy. Follow her @joyyagidphoto.42/ matters magazine / hearth + home 2025'