In Blase’s own words…
My immediate family and grandparents have always been incredibly close, sharing many memorable experiences whether on vacations, mass/holidays, or weekend trips to our Italian community in Pittsburgh. As a kid I learned our family traditions and started living the lifestyle our ancestors passed on and my pride in our family and Italian heritage flourished; leading me to where I am today.
While in Miami for my medical residency in 2019, I became involved with the local Italian community and wanted to visit our family’s hometown, Cellino Attanasio (Province of Teramo, Abruzzo). I heavily researched the area, contacted family abroad, and booked an agriturismo.
I drove from Roma and once approximately 2 km out, I reached the top of a large hill and laid eyes on Cellino; beautifully perched on a hilltop with the Adriatic Sea glistening in the background. This was a truly humbling moment and one I will never forget as I reflected on the sacrifices my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents made to help create the lives my brothers and I have today. I met up with two of my uncles and extended family and over the next few days we explored our farms, Cellino and balmy Adriatic coast.
When I returned to the U.S., I realized I felt more at home abroad than I ever really had felt in the U.S. and vowed to incorporate my Italian background into everyday life. I did this particularly with literature, local Italian group meetups and plenty of Italian pop/oldies on Spotify! I started to think about what else I could do and citizenship came to mind. I visited the Miami consulate and was a little disheartened to learn about expected wait times and how challenging it would be proceeding alone.
Thus, an internet search revealed several Italian law firms specializing in citizenship assistance and I stumbled upon ICA. The initial intake eligibility form and ICA representative confirmed that I had a path, but I would need to pursue citizenship via a 1948 case; my great-grandmother Rosaria would be my path to citizenship since my great-grandfather naturalized as a US citizen prior to WWI.
I was initially hesitant to proceed because of the cost and possibility of non-favorable outcome, but based on my initial experience with ICA and its client reviews, I knew it was still worth trying.
My case was assigned to Soemi Piccinini, and I could not have been happier. She described everything that needed to be done for my 1948 case and was on top of it with frequent, sometimes daily updates to let me know what I needed to do.
After about a year in the process, one pivotal moment we were waiting for was to hear back from the USCIS (US Citizenship/Immigration) to confirm that Rosaria had never naturalized or denounced her citizenship (If she had I would not have a path to citizenship). USCIS provided the news we were hoping for and informed us that she never naturalized meaning we could continue.
The only minor setback was when we learned that hearings would now be in the local courts (of the ancestor’s home region) rather than with the Roma Tribunale; thus 10 months were added to the process, but at least we had a court hearing date in March 2024.
I religiously checked the Giustizia Civile app for any updates, but soon enough it was March 2024. Soemi initially said to give it a few weeks for the final ruling, but the day after the hearing, she excitedly reached out and shared that because the case was so strong, the judge ruled in my favor that day and confirmed my status as a bona fide citizen! The appeal period took another 30 days and passed without difficulty; thus, nothing could be done to reverse the citizenship decision.
Soemi shared the next steps which included registering documents in Rosaria’s and now my “hometown” of Atri, obtaining my Italian birth certificate, registering with A.I.R.E., and of course getting my Italian passport.
My case was then assigned to Chiara Quaglia who provided the same level of concierge-like service Soemi had offered. Chiara was on top of everything, from contacting municipalities and local clerks, obtaining documents, and setting appointments, she did it all. Any questions or concerns I had would be addressed with a kind, patient, and confident reply.
Setting up the passport appointment was much easier given my citizenship status. Chiara told me what to bring, what to be prepared for and it ended being an incredibly smooth process in Philadelphia. When presented with my cherished EU passport, I said a prayer and reflected on the last five years, thinking of my immediate family, but also of ICA as Soemi and Chiara have and will always feel like my family and great friends. Soemi and Chiara were so invested in my family, background and citizenship path that I knew I could trust them with such a precious pursuit.
I will continue to embrace my citizenship with frequent travel to Italy (certainly Rovigo) and participation in citizen duties while living abroad. I have investigated physician jobs abroad with plans to stay in touch with ICA’s real estate division to learn about the preliminary steps of hopefully relocating.
Blase has agreed to serve as a subject of this success story and has granted ICA the right to use his name and image.
