Studio Settebello - Articles #SicilyStudio Settebello - Articles #Sicilyhttps://www.studiosettebello.com/articles/tag/sicilyThu, 20 Aug 2026 17:25:05 +0200http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[A Seemingly Insurmountable Task]]>https://www.studiosettebello.com/articles/post/a-seemingly-insurmountable-task-how-I-made-the-move-from-the-US-to-ItalyMoving to Italy felt like an impossible dream that no one believed in. Discover the real story of how I left the rat race behind and chose to pursue dual citizenship.]]>

How I Made the Move From the US to Italy

When I decided to move to Italy, I knew I couldn’t tell anyone about my plans. The guilt of hiding such a momentous dream evaporated when I finally shared my secret- no one believed me. Not my colleagues, not my neighbors, not my family, or friends. It wasn’t my dream of moving abroad that they doubted- rather, they never thought that I’d actually do it. Some smiled politely, others laughed out loud. My boss flat out refused to hire my replacement even after I’d put in my notice. To them, my dream was a joke.

Outwardly, I continued going through the motions of my old life, as if it were just a movie playing in the background to appease my ADHD, meanwhile I worked tirelessly towards what felt like an insurmountable goal.

In retrospect, making the decision felt  like flipping a switch. I went to bed one night and when I woke up the next morning it was decided. In reality, I had been dreaming of living in Europe since I was in high school. As each year of my adulthood passed by, I witnessed the probability of my dream coming true grow smaller and smaller. It was in 2022, when everyone was trying to pretend that COVID was over, and I was the brokest I’d ever been in my adult life, that I heard about Italian citizenship by descent. 

Although I’d heard about jure sanguinis before, more than a decade earlier from a co-worker, I thought my Italian ancestry was too far back for me to qualify. At the time, I was too overwhelmed as a full time student and employee to do any research. Back then I still had hope that I’d find a great job that would sponsor my move to Europe, I never even contemplated dual citizenship. Maybe it was a Tik-Tok video or a Facebook post, I don’t remember now, but in August of 2022 I realized that my sister and I just might be eligible and I dove in. 

The timing was perfect, though in the moment it didn’t feel that way. After COVID my career was gone. I was an under-employed, jaded millennial, disillusioned with US politics and the mirage of the American Dream. I was burnt out from the perpetual rat race and I didn’t want to worry anymore about my lack of health insurance snowballing me into bankruptcy. Don’t get me wrong, Europe has its share of problems too- especially Italy. It wasn’t so much a “grass is greener” situation as it was a “I’ve got nothing left to lose, why not throw caution to the wind?” It never feels like the right time to go for your dreams. I had already spent too much time playing the game according to everyone else’s rules. I figured if I was going to continue to be miserable, it might as well be because I tried and failed to do things my own way.

            It was terrifying. It still is sometimes. Sometimes I’m awestruck by the beautiful wonder of the ancient buildings in my town and the view of the Mediterranean Sea from my balcony- I pinch myself in disbelief.

This is my real life and I feel so lucky! 

            Other times I lament the loss of being able to jump in my car, swing by the dispensary, and grab a pint of Haagen-Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream on my way back home. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Making this move wasn’t about transplanting my old life onto a new backdrop, and if that is your mindset you’ll certainly fail. It was about challenging what my life could be if I embraced the change, shifted my perspective, and tried something different.


Moving abroad is an enormous feat, but not impossible. It was a series of well organized, measurable tasks. The process demanded patience and flexibility. Things going wrong, or even just differently from my expectations was the norm- so much so that when things went according to plan it made me suspicious. People ask me all the time “how did you do it?” My answer is that I chose it. Not once, not twice, I chose it every day. Every time I was challenged, every time it felt too hard, every time I just wanted to give up or would rather just not exist- I chose it. And I still do. I think that’s true about every hard thing we can do: the real trick isn’t knowing the exact series of steps, or all the potential pitfalls and pain points, it helps, but nothing will make your dreams come true if you are not actively choosing them every single time.


For more details about my genealogy research, preparing my documents for jure sanguinis, and my application in Italy check out my other articles: The Truth in The Cashbox;In The Absence of Evidence; and Piano, Piano.

And for an in depth guide on how to prepare yourself to make a successful move abroad, check out our Pre-Arrival Workbook.


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]]>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:28:57 +0200<![CDATA[The Truth in the Cashbox]]>https://www.studiosettebello.com/articles/post/the-truth-in-the-cashbox-the-importance-of-genealogyNavigating the complexities of Italian citizenship by descent? My genealogical journey taught me one vital lesson: don't always trust family lore. Learn about my experiences with official records, overcoming 'brick walls,' and the true importance of thorough genealogy research.]]>

The Importance of Genealogy

My mother showing my sister and I family photos.

As a little kid, I spent a lot of time pestering my parents and grandparents about my ancestors and where my family came from. Perhaps it’s just part of our natural instinct to want to know who our people are and where we belong. Growing up in the melting pot that is the US, it wasn’t unusual for people to ask “what are you?” Translation: “where are your ancestors from?” Although I don’t remember exactly what sparked my interest when I was little, in 2022 I wondered if there was a part of me that knew I would need the information later.

           In August of 2022, I began a deep dive into my family’s roots, determined to discover whether or not I could qualify for Italian citizenship by descent (also known as jure sanguinis or jus sanguinis, literally ‘law of blood’). In some countries, citizenship is based on jus soli (law of the soil) meaning if you are born on the soil of that country, you are a citizen of that country- like the United States of America. Italian citizenship is a little more complicated. Being born in Italy isn’t enough to make you eligible for citizenship. In order to be considered Italian, you must have at least one Italian parent.

It is important to note that there have been several changes to Italian citizenship laws since my sister and I applied in July 2024, including the October 3rd circolare in 2024 regarding “The Minor Issue” and the Decreto Legge (or Decree Law) 36/2025 that was put into effect on March 28th 2025, and passed into law as Decreto Legge 74/2025 on May 24th 2025. For more information on the current rules governing Italian citizenship by descent, check out our article Jure Sanguinis: The Laws Explained.

        I consider myself extremely fortunate that I was able to collect my documents and submit my application in Italy via residency in 2024. It wasn’t easy or straight forward- I later learned that hardly anyone’s pathway is, no matter how direct. Beginning with genealogy to determine if I was eligible, I hit several road blocks before I even got started.

           The first brick wall was finding my grandfather’s birth certificate. Although locating his death certificate was quick and relatively painless, as I had been alive at the time of his passing, the details beyond his date of birth were much more elusive. According to my living family members, our ancestors resided in New York City or New York State from the time they arrived in the US, but none of the vital statistics offices had any record of him. Hour upon hour was wasted as I pored over census records and searched relentlessly for all potential variations of his name with no luck. 

My first mistake was working under the assumption that my family had given me the correct information. In this case, the misinformation was that my paternal grandfather, Salvatore, was the son of my great grandfather, also named Salvatore. What I didn’t know was that at some point after my father (haha, you guessed it, also Salvatore) was born my grandfather had a falling out with his parents (over what? I’m not sure. I have a few guesses but that’s a story for another time). Desperate for a clue, I tried searching for my great grandfather’s naturalization records by last name only. When I saw his picture, I knew instantly I found the right person. His strong jawline and piercing eyes matched perfectly the black and white photos I inherited from my father in an old metal cashbox. But his first name was not Salvatore, it was Paolo. 

My great grandfather’s name wasn’t the only shock. To my surprise, I learned that my grandfather was not an only child as I had been led to believe. He had an older brother and a younger sister, both born in Italy! Additionally, according to Paolo’s naturalization records, my grandfather was born in the US, but not in New York as I had originally believed, but in West New York, New Jersey! With that final piece of information uncovered, I flew to the New Jersey State archives (as his birth was over 100 years ago) and was easily able to locate the record I had struggled to find for so long.

       Between my grandfather’s birth certificate and my great grandfather’s naturalization record I had everything I needed to prove that my sister and I qualified. Naively, I thought all we needed was the rest of our family’s documents and an appointment at the consulate! If you’ve been on this journey for yourself, I’m sure you don’t have to imagine some of the other hiccoughs I encountered along the way. The story continues in my article In The Absence of Evidence, where I discuss options for missing or non-existent records (because apparently my grandparents were NOT married) and why we decided to apply in Italy (Italian consulates- if you know, you know).


P.S.

Ironically, right after I had the breakthrough of finding my great grandfather’s naturalization record, I went looking through my family photos just to be 100% certain that they matched and that I had the right person. Amongst those old photos was a page from my grandfather’s first passport when he was 16 years old- and there it was: “Place of Birth: West New York, New Jersey”. The lesson here is, don’t trust everything your family tells you, but definitely take a closer look at whatever printed documents your family has- even if it’s only a photograph.

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]]>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:28:57 +0200<![CDATA[Piano, Piano]]>https://www.studiosettebello.com/articles/post/piano-piano-my-jure-sanguinis-application-in-italyFrom residency in Italy to complex bureaucracy, learn how careful preparation and the right local support can turn an impossible task into a success story. Read my journey and learn why navigating the process requires patience, local support, and to take things piano, piano.]]>

My Jure Sanguinis Application in Italy

        If you’ve spent any amount of time at all in the online communities regarding Jure Sanguinis you’ll know that applying in Italy is risky business- or so some would have you believe.

It’s true that a full blown move to Italy is no small undertaking, even if you only plan to stay for a year or so to process your recognition. Additionally, it’s critical to select a comune (city or town) that will be receptive to processing your residency and jure sanguinis application. Choose a comune too big and you’ll be met with government officials unwilling to take the time out of their busy schedules to deal with your application. Too small and you risk facing a clerk who isn’t at all familiar with the process. It’s important to understand that Italy isn’t the US, the bureaucracy works differently here, and if you’re not accustomed to it, it can make an application in Italy an impossible task.

Applying in Italy wasn’t always my plan. Although my goal was always to move abroad, I much preferred the plan where I became a recognized citizen through the consulate first without having to risk it all and move across the world. I knew that an application through the consulate would take at least two years to process, and that getting an appointment was difficult, but I really had no idea just how impossible it was until I tried. Before I was even certain that I qualified, I created a Prenot@mi account for the Italian Boston Consulate (in the region where I lived at the time). In 2022 I couldn’t even get onto the calendar page. I tried a midnight Rome time (CET), once a month when the appointments were released, on Thursdays, from the high speed wifi, from a different computer, from my phone, from a laptop, from a landline- the result was always the same, for months!

The day my sister and I were recognized as Italian citizens.

Finally I got onto the calendar in 2023, the soonest appointment was for Christmas Eve in 2029! I knew there was no way that appointment would stick, certain it was a mistake, I kept flipping through the pages. Month after month, red, red, red. Finally, I saw black! But I had skipped so far ahead, we were now into 2031. No. There was no way I was waiting a decade to have my citizenship recognized. There were already whispers of ‘The Minor Issue’, which luckily wasn’t an issue for my line, but I felt that if they could restrict the rules for one reason, other, more restrictive rules would be sure to follow. So, I focused and got to work. 

Document collection, amendments, apostille- I had it all covered. I was practicing my Italian every day, I was mapping out the comune and building an address book of all the places I would need to know in my day to day life. The one thing I couldn’t DIY was getting someone to respond to me about renting an apartment. After a tremendous amount of research, I found a service provider located in Italy who was willing to assist us. As part of her service, she contacted the comune to ensure they were willing to accept our application. It was a good thing she did, because the comune wasn’t willing to even look at our application until we held residency there for at least one year! She recommended a different comune, one she was familiar with, one where she knew they would accept our application, and knew of a landlord willing to rent to us. It wasn’t perfect, and there were plenty of bumps in the road, some of which could have been easily avoided with better planning, but she did what she said she would do- something I was unable to do for myself. For that, I will always be grateful.

The comune workers were some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. They appreciated my imperfect attempts at communicating in Italian, and calmed my nerves with a waive of their hands and the promise of ‘piano, piano’.


Piano, piano. An Italian phrase literally meaning ‘slowly, slowly’. 


It turned out that all of the work I did trying to prove my father’s paternity (In The Absence of Evidence) was unnecessary, as the comune worker decided that my grandfather’s name on his birth certificate was more than enough. Honestly, I was still glad I had it, better safe than sorry. We arrived at the end of May 2024 (which I truly do not recommend, plan on arriving in the fall or winter, because nothing ever gets accomplished over the summer in Italy). We had to nudge the comune a bit to get them to stop by our house to complete the residency check. Immediately after our residency was confirmed, we were able to make an appointment to submit our application for jure sanguinis at the end of July 2024. Like I said, nothing typically gets done over the summer, especially not in August. The circolare establishing ‘The Minor Issue’ came out on October 3rd 2024, which did not affect our line. And finally my sister and I were recognized by the middle of October 2024.

If we had waited even just a few months, we may have hit the Decreto Legge (Decree Law) 36/2025 of March 28th 2025, restricting jure sanguinis applicants to only those whose parent or grandparent was born in Italy, and also only those who did not naturalize, remaining solely Italian. Both of these pieces would have made my sister and I ineligible. To learn more about the current laws governing jure sanguinis check out our article Jure Sanguinis: The Laws Explained or book a free introductory call with us to find out how we can help you.


For a detailed breakdown of how to determine your legal pathway abroad and what to expect in your first 90 days after the move, download our free guide: The Relocation Roadmap.

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