I received my Italian citizenship/passport recently and used it just last month on a visit to Italy. Not my first visit there but my visit there using my Italian passport.
I feel really privileged to be an Italian citizen through JS and I agree with you that it`s important to spend some time living in Italy, It only seems right and respectful to learn more about the country which has recognised us as citizens.
Having EU citizenship has certainly changed my outlook on life not just for myself but my children as well. I grew up in Chicago's little Italy neighborhood and so I was never too far from the culture. All 4 great grandparents on my paternal side were from southern Italy and this helped me to gain Italian citizenship by descent. But soon after I obtained Italian citizenship, I found out that Austria relaxed their citizenship laws in 2020 for Nazi persecuted descendants of which is the case for my maternal side, so I went for it and also got Austrian citizenship. Why go for 2 EU citizenships? Brexit victims came to mind but it also gives me more rights so now I can live in either Italy or Austria with zero restrictions, even if I could no longer work for some reason. The rest of the EU might ask financial questions and I cannot retire yet, so no passive income yet. So after visiting both Italy and Austria and staying over the summer for 3 months in the EU, my family and I are now planing to move to the EU soon after my youngest kid finishes high school and the plan is for my children to attend University in the EU instead of paying the price of a house for an education in the US. Also, maybe I too can now go for a degree I never could afford to get in the past! Despite working in IT for over 30 years, since I never could afford a University degree, it has cost me in terms of lower salary with brutal hours and on-call while getting passed over for promotions or other jobs. So for me, I hope to gain more meaningful employment with a much better work / life balance or since I will have healthcare access, maybe I can take a risk and start a business now! I could never, ever take that risk in the US as I would have to pay over $2500 / month for private health care insurance plus co-pays and deductibles for my family if I wanted to be self employed. So as you can see, having this precious EU citizenship promises a better life for my children and I. I am grateful to have it and to some degree, I don't really look at myself as a future expat... more like I am returning my bloodline back to Europe where it always belonged.
My grandfather came from Monte Cassino, I love the italian food and the people, so I ended up with three citizenship and would not renounce any of them, because I am a piece of each of them.
I finally got my EU passport very recently because my father was an EU citizen, so I didn't have to apply per se. Anyway, I know what you mean. I have been much more attuned to what is going in Europe since then.
Nice! I went through Detroit as well with my kids. Since we had to bring our US Passports, as soon as we were done, we hopped into Canada for dinner and some sightseeing before returning home. Long day, but very worth it!
Great episode. Thank you! I lived in Spain for a couple years, and in addition to what you said, what I gained was perspective on life. I learned that there are other ways to live that are completely different than here in the U.S. Other ways to think about things. It was mind opening and life changing.
I was recognized August 2022. My wife decided to do some not so good things so we got divorced and last month (August 2024) I moved to Paris for work. Hope to live in Italy at some point but it surely has changed my life since it gave me a new opportunity
Rafael, I just discovered your channel and really enjoyed this video. A few years ago I looked into JS citizenship-- my bisnonno came from Sicily-- but gave up because of the two-year wait for a consulate visit, and the impossible website lottery to even set that appointment! Do you know much about traveling to one's ancestral commune in Italy, and running the process there? I've heard different things about the amount of time it takes, and the restrictions on travel while doing it. Grazie mille! :)
You should visit the website of local Italian embassy or consulate for instructions, more often than not it is a time consuming process so hiring a service provider might be useful. Since your grandparents are from Sicily, the city hall (anagrafe office) keeps registry of your grandparents and the rectory of local parish. You may be able to visit the website of city hall and/or parish. The more information you have the better, maybe you can get in touch with some distant relatives. Last but not the least on Google you can click "pagine bianche of (hometown) and this search may give you phone numbers and address of local residents.
The starting point is birth, marriage and death records for all family members in that part of your family tree (you back to them). Then you need to find immigration and census records showing their arrival and when/if they renounced their Italian citizenship. If they renounced their Italian citizenship before their children were born, then you likely would not be eligible. There are some other things but that's where you need to start.
Americans romanticize Europe so much. After living in 5 different European countries, I learned to love and appreciate the US. I ignore politics as much as I can. I try to focus on positive aspects of the US. I'm determined to love it.
