For Angelo, being Italian-American was always an important part of his identity, growing up in an Italian household in Connecticut. His family-oriented upbringing instilled a sense of pride and connection to his Italian roots. “Being Italian, it’s the only nationality to be. That’s how I felt all the time.”
All of Angelo’s immediate family was born in Italy, so he was constantly surrounded by the language, culture, and of course the food. He remembers taking prosciutto and mortadella sandwiches to school for lunch, eating Stella D’Oro cookies, and the large feasts on Christmas Eve. Sometimes it was challenging, balancing growing up American but living in a neighborhood full of his Italian aunts, uncles, and cousins. But as Angelo simply states. “I’m proud to be Italian. That’s basically what it comes down to.”
Angelo first started his journey to Italian citizenship 15 years ago. However, taking care of aging family members took precedence, and years went by as his path to Italian citizenship was put on hold. He credits his wife, Cheryl, for reigniting the spark in him to pursue Italian citizenship by descent, to honor his family and Italian heritage. They discovered the Italian Citizenship Podcast and watched Marco and Rafael’s videos nightly. Angelo learned through the podcast that there was the possibility of applying directly in Italy, instead of at his local Italian consulate. Because of the long wait times for an appointment at the New York consulate and Angelo’s plan to live in Italy after being a citizen, submitting his application in Italy felt like the perfect opportunity. He was excited to begin the reconnection with his ancestral land as soon as possible. “I wanted to get here as fast as I could to start getting accustomed to everything,” he says. Speaking about his wife and their future plans, Angelo says, “We retired and we wanted to come here, live here… Our plan is to travel.”
From the first moment he reached out to ICA, Angelo felt reassured having all his questions answered, particularly about applying directly in Italy. While he had already started to gather some of the necessary documents, he realized that having a professional manage the retrieval of records and facilitate any amendments would be very beneficial. His case was not without challenges and obstacles along the way. There were several discrepancies and inconsistencies across the records, including the way names were spelled and birth dates. Though he anticipated complications, he felt at ease knowing his case manager, Ilaria, would handle them expertly and efficiently. “Things that took us back a few steps… I had no worries. I knew she was on the job. And she always kept us informed. That’s big.”
Because of the discrepancies in Angelo’s documents, some Italian municipalities would not accept his application and ICA needed to find a Plan B and even a Plan C. In fact, vital records cannot always be amended, depending on the state where they were issued and the age of the record, and in some cases, submitting supporting documents is the only way to address discrepancies. Lendinara, a small town near ICA’s main office in Rovigo, would proceed with his application and Angelo was happy to relocate and begin his new Italian life. Establishing residence in the municipality where you plan to apply is one of the requirements to apply for Italian citizenship by descent in Italy. He quickly fell in love with the sense of community and small-town feel of Lendinara. With its proximity to ICA’s main office, Ilaria was able to attend appointments with him and guide him in person throughout the application process.
Angelo understood the entire citizenship process may take time. In total, it took about 2 years, even though he was applying through his father who was born in Italy, making it a first-generation case. Finally, on that momentous day when Angelo’s Italian citizenship was recognized, he immediately felt different. “It makes me feel closer to my parents by having that piece of paper,” Angelo remembers. “It was pretty emotional.” Now Angelo enjoys living as a dual citizen in Italy, particularly the relaxed and healthier lifestyle. “My blood pressure came down. I lost weight when I got here. I walk everywhere.” He’s also looking forward to purchasing a property in Italy, ideally near the lake or sea. However, he’s realizing there is one problem with this plan. “When owning a house in Italy, everybody in America wants to come and visit. That’s why [we need] three bedrooms.”
Angelo often recommends ICA to others. He praises Ilaria and the entire ICA team for their hard work. “I would have never had the patience to do it myself. You need patience. This was a godsend. This was the way to do it… From A to Z, that’s the way to go.”
Angelo has agreed to serve as a subject of this success story and has granted ICA the right to use his name and image.
