There are several methods to obtain the information that is in the civil and church records in Italy.
The Mormon Church Family History Library:
The Mormon Church is microfilming the civil and church records in Italy. The master copies of the microfilm are kept in Salt Lake City, Utah and if you can go there you may review these microfilms. If you can not travel to Utah, the Mormon Church maintains Family History Libraries in many locations around the world. You can locate them by looking for the Mormon Church in the telephone directory and calling them to ask where the nearest FHL is. At the local FHL you can review indexes of their microfilm, and if you decide you want to review one of them, you can request (for a small fee) that the microfilm be sent on loan to the local FHL where you will be able to review it on a microfilm reader.
Writing to the civil and church authorities in Italy to request genealogical information:
One experienced genealogical researcher wrote the following description of her method.
To be successful you must find the easiest way that will get the best results. I have been doing this for 30 years. When I write to any state or official office, in Luxembourg, France, Germany or Italy, it is the same. I make my request and give as much information as I can, In the case of Italy, I asked for a State of the Family certificate for Francesco Letteri, born 1864, moglie Filmona Lepore, that is all, no other date. I do not send money or international reply coupons to other countries, however for Italy I put in a $5.00 bill. I will always get an answer, not always positive but none the less an answer. I used to make my request in English but since I got the PC I now have request letters, in each country’s language, for all countries of my interest. Writing to the churches is a horse of a different color. The only church in Italy that responded was in Sulmona. For a church I send a donation that is never returned. I was so fed up with the churches in Italy that one day I wrote to the Papal Office and requested that they instruct the churches to respond. I asked for a letter stating this, that I could send to the churches. I did not send money or coupons to the vatican. I got an answer from the Papal Office in Washington, DC and they said it wasn't possible to do as I asked, however they sent me the Pope's blessing. So for that effort I received for my memoirs a letter with the Papal seal on the stationery with the water seal. Oh yes, I send out a letter, somewhere, every 3 weeks or so, that way I always have something coming.
Employing a professional genealogist:
(to be continued)