The year 2024 is poised to be the year of Roots Tourism, an emotive journey “back to one’s roots” for Italian migrants and their descendants. This trip takes them back to the places they, or their intrepid ancestors—parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents—left behind for a new life in America, embarking on this monumental journey without knowing a single word of English. These trips serve as a bridge to the past, bringing to life the tales, traditions, and the very towns where their forebears dwelled, while also connecting with distant relatives who bear their family name.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani highlighted the significance of this theme for the government, announcing a strategic focus on a market with an estimated 80 million people worldwide with Italian roots. The key target countries for this initiative, reflecting the historical patterns of Italian emigration, include Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Specifically in the United States, the latest census records a substantial Italian-origin population of 17.3 million, ranking as the fourth-largest European ethnic group, following Germans, Irish, and English. However, leading Italian-American organizations, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) and the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), estimate this number to be upwards of 25 million.
The Registry of Italians Resident Abroad (AIRE) lists 313,450 Italians in the United States as of December 31, 2020. These individuals are spread across ten consular districts, with 21,193 in Boston, 26,801 in Chicago, 18,787 in Detroit, 25,973 in Philadelphia, 12,916 in Houston, 30,197 in Los Angeles, 47,785 in Miami, 95,305 in New York, 26,335 in San Francisco, and 8,158 in Washington D.C. Notably, California alone accounts for 56,532 registrants, approximately one-fifth of the total.
Besides “first-generation” Italians, who arrived in the United States during the varied migration waves of the last century up to the early 1960s, recent immigration has predominantly consisted of highly educated compatriots, many with university or advanced degrees. This group includes young Italian entrepreneurs who invest in the United States while maintaining their primary interests in Italy, as well as university professors, scientists, and researchers, particularly in the fields of computing and high-tech, who have translated their discoveries and inventions into significant industrial contributions.
“Roots Tourism,” Deputy Prime Minister Tajani elaborates, “is a strategic boon for all national territories that are yet untouched by mass tourism,” but more than that, it’s “a golden opportunity to fortify our connections with our communities overseas and to shed light on the small hamlets and rural communities that stand at the origin of their migration story. These are the guardians of the values, culture, and traditions our compatriots have disseminated worldwide.” It’s essential to acknowledge that Italians in America have carved out their place in every facet of the country’s life— politics, economy, arts, cinema, science, research, and sports. Their contributions have not only elevated Italy’s stature in the United States but have also created a genuine “relational bridge” between Italy and the USA, enhancing and strengthening our bilateral, commercial, and touristic relationships.
In recent years, there’s been a burgeoning interest in Italy among the Italian-American community and others, fueled by a mosaic of compelling factors. This includes the allure of the Italian lifestyle, our coveted quality of life, and Italy’s flourishing prestige in an array of domains—ranging from culture, fashion, and design to gastronomy, oenology, scientific research, and cutting-edge technology. This growing fascination has manifested in a significant surge in tourism to Italy, a notable rise in the number of students immersing themselves in the Italian language and culture, and a marked increase in applications for Italian citizenship.
The decision to designate 2024 as the year of Roots Tourism is the culmination of a journey that began last year with the launch of the “Integrated Strategy for the Revival of the Tourism Sector in Post-COVID-19 Italy.” This initiative, a 20 million euro project embedded in the National Plan for Resilience and Recovery and backed by the European Union’s post-pandemic Next Generation EU plan, targets a wide array of initiatives in the tourism sector aimed at the extensive population of Italians and those of Italian descent around the globe. It is a pivotal step in rejuvenating the industry after the Covid-19 downturn.
Throughout 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is set to lead a series of initiatives focused on eco-sustainability and digitalization. These initiatives aim to rejuvenate Italy’s charming villages and rural landscapes with a variety of sustainable development strategies: restoring unused buildings and infrastructure, enhancing local hospitality and gastronomic experiences, arranging guided tours, and promoting a range of activities. These efforts are designed to cultivate a tourism experience that enriches visitors’ understanding of their family histories and Italian cultural heritage. This encompasses everything from religious and social practices to traditional crafts and even the local music that echoes through the streets of these towns. “Our aim,” Tajani asserts, “is for numerous Italians living abroad or those descended from Italians to return and rediscover the places where their grandparents once lived, thereby conveying the essence of Italian identity and driving tourism growth.”
At the heart of Roots Tourism lies a profound emphasis on the preservation of memory. The narratives of emigration, sacrifice, and triumph of our ancestors act as guiding lights for Italian descendants worldwide. In this vein, Farnesina’s General Directorate for Italians Abroad and Migration Policies has initiated the Italians Abroad, the Diaries Tell project. This project features a curated selection of poignant excerpts from accounts categorized under “emigration” at the National Diary Archive Foundation in Pieve Santo Stefano, Tuscany. This compilation, which includes 200 life stories selected from over a thousand and published on www.idiariraccontano.org, brings forth select pages that have been carefully digitized. These stories do more than recount personal experiences, they elevate individual life paths to documents of historical relevance. This endeavor wants to encapsulate the collective sense of migration experiences, constituting the primary substance of the documentary collection, alongside narratives of journeys and temporary work abroad. In essence, this archive stands as a rich source for Roots Tourists, offering insights even before they start their journey to Italy.
Moreover, ENIT, the National Tourism Agency, hosts a specialized section (https://www.italia.it/it/italia/cosa-fare/turismo-delle-radici) dedicated to Roots Tourism. This section serves as an essential guide for those seeking to reconnect with their Italian heritage: it eloquently invites our global compatriots to “rediscovering your family history and the pride of your origins. Prepare to delve into local traditions, exceptional achievements, ancient crafts, and the flavors and scents of the villages and regions from where your ancestors set forth. Come and recreate your ties with Italy: you will gain a deeper understanding of your past, give a new meaning to your present, and perhaps — the message concludes — you might even decide to change your future. The journey into discovering your roots begins here.”
Deeply connected with the journey’s focus on memory and identity is its clear touristic appeal. Descendants of Italians across the globe represent a valuable market for Italy. They drive sustainable tourism and create year-round demand for our facilities. ENIT’s data shows that from 2010 to 2019, over 10 million international tourists visited Italy to explore their ancestral roots, spending more than 5 billion euros. These figures have been steadily increasing: in 1997, ENIT counted only 5.8 million people in the “Roots Tourist” category. By 2018, that number had jumped to 10 million, a rise of 72.5%.
Job creation and eco-sustainability are also key benefits of this type of tourism: these tourists often seek guides to lead them off the beaten path of popular art cities to quieter regions, frequently overlooked and lacking extensive tourist services. Yet, it’s these places that hold a unique appeal for Roots Tourists who seek connections to their familial past. Designing tailored itineraries not only enhances the emotional aspect of tourism but also lets Roots Travelers research and plan their trip in advance. Shifting the focus to Roots Tourism also moves tourists away from the usual hotspots, bringing attention and development to lesser-known, less-developed areas. This approach helps balance economic growth while maintaining the sustainable, rural character of these regions. The development of small towns and countryside areas includes refurbishing old houses and infrastructure and boosting local services and products, especially in food and wine. A significant long-term effect is that the Roots Tourist often becomes an advocate for the regions connected to their family history, starting a new chain of connections with Italy.
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