The story we want to share with you is the adventure Emiliano and Melina embarked upon to reconnect with their roots and retrace the inverse journey their ancestors made in times gone by, and at Raíz Italiana, we are fortunate to be able to accompany them.
With all the documents in hand dating back to their Italian great-grandparents, they decided to relocate for a while to Puglia to process their Citizenship, specifically to Guagnano, a small town in the province of Lecce.
We received them in Brindisi, and although tired after a long journey, they arrived with smiles and a great eagerness to begin this path, which up until then had been uncertain; their first time in Italy, first contact with the language, and the procedures and paperwork to start.
We set off on our journey to reach Guagnano, where their new home awaited them. But first and foremost, an obligatory stop at the bar for the classic coffee and to try one of the quintessential Salento specialities: the pasticciotto (a typical sweet from the region).
Once settled and rested, the next day we started the procedures for Emi to obtain recognition of her citizenship. We accompanied him to the Town Hall, presented the necessary documents to establish his Residence first and then proceed with the necessary documents that prove his Italian descent.
For the weekend, we had a surprise welcome planned.
Guagnano is recognised for being an area of great wine-making character, primarily for the production of Negroamaro wine, and it is part of an event held throughout Italy called Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars), which proposes a tour of the most renowned cellars, allowing visitors to appreciate wine production and taste the wines.
And so, with pure celebration and a little train ride included, the first week of the future new Italians in Puglia comes to an end! 🙂
To be continued…!!!
