Services

Two packages, boundless paths.

Because every family is different, we do not publish fixed prices. Each quote is written by hand after we understand what you actually want.

Package one

The Research Package

You stay home. Rita does the legwork.

You send us your existing family tree — or whatever you know. Rita then goes to the Italian municipalities where your ancestors were born and verifies every branch against the original records: birth, marriage, death, parish baptisms, military rolls, emigration manifests.

When the verification is done, Rita writes you a clear report telling you:

Which parts of your tree are confirmed by Italian records, and which are not
The exact villages your ancestors came from
Photographs of the ancestral house, street and church (where they still stand)
Whether descendants of your family are still alive in Italy today
Whether those living relatives would be open to a contact — or to a visit

Travel and archive fees are reimbursed at cost. We always share the receipts. The research fee itself is quoted after we see the size of your tree and the towns involved.

In this package Rita goes to the archives on her own and sends you the result. If you would rather be standing there when your ancestor's record comes off the shelf, that is the Full Heritage Journey.

Request a research quote →

Package two

The Full Heritage Journey

You come. Rita walks beside you the entire way.

The Heritage Journey includes everything in the Research Package — the document verification, the village photographs, the discreet outreach to living relatives — and adds the actual visit, with Rita as your personal assistant.

What the Journey adds — you choose which of these you actually want:

You can join Rita in the research. In the Research Package she works the archives alone; here you can walk into the town hall with her and watch the register being opened.
Rita as your personal assistant for the whole stay — region by region, meeting by meeting.
Rita can drive your rental car, or you drive and she rides along. How the insurance works →
Translated meetings with the relatives who agreed to meet you.
Food & wine experiences anywhere in Italy — Rita tells you what is worth your time.
Copies of certified records — copies of the official documents we find for your family.

It is built around three commitments:

You won't feel like a tourist. Rita knows the side roads, the parish priests, the bakers who remember the surnames.
You won't feel rushed. We plan the itinerary together, based on the documents and on what your family cares about.
You won't feel lost in translation. Rita translates every meeting, every conversation — and respects the privacy of the Italian side at every step.

The journey is fully customisable. Pick the add-ons you want when you request your quote.

Build my journey →

Before you ask for a quote

What's included, what's not

Rita sells her own work, not a travel package. Here is exactly where the line falls.

How the fee works

There are no fixed prices because no two families are alike. Rita's fee is based only on the research the search requires: how many generations, how many towns and archives, how tangled the branch is. You get a written quote before anything starts.

What is included

Rita's work: research in the archives, verification of the documents, the written report, the discreet first contact with your relatives, and being beside you to translate during the visit.

What is not included

Flights, accommodation, restaurants, car hire and experiences are not part of Rita's fee: they are arranged separately and stay in your name. Rita is glad to point you towards the places worth your time, and she receives no commission whatsoever from any of them. How the practical details are handled is something you agree with her directly.

Out-of-pocket costs

Travel and archive fees needed for the research are reimbursed at cost, with receipts. If Rita uses her own car, fuel and mileage are reimbursed at cost.

Getting around — and how the rental car is insured

Rita takes the wheel only if you want her to. Whichever arrangement you pick, it is written into your quote before you book anything — there is nothing to sort out at the rental desk.

If Rita drives your rental car, she must appear on the rental agreement as a named driver — either as the main driver on the contract, or added alongside you, whichever suits the way you book. Every rental company in Italy allows both — it is a standard box on the contract. It matters: if the person at the wheel is not named on the agreement, the rental company's insurance does not cover a claim. Rita sends you her details in advance and checks the contract with you before you land.
If you drive, Rita rides along as your assistant and translator — nothing to add to the contract. One thing worth knowing: a US driving licence is valid in Italy only when it is accompanied by an International Driving Permit, which you get from AAA before you leave.
If Rita uses her own car for part of the research, it is insured by her. You reimburse fuel and mileage at cost, with the receipts.

Optional add-ons

Make the journey yours

Combine as many or as few as you wish. Every add-on is quoted transparently; mileage and fuel are reimbursed at cost (or you can drive yourself — your choice).

Personal assistant

Rita travels with you throughout the stay — region by region, meeting by meeting.

Rita drives

Rita drives your rental car, so you can look out the window. Fuel reimbursed at cost; she goes on the rental agreement as a named driver — as the main driver, or alongside you. How the insurance works →

Food & wine

Rita points you to the dairies, cellars and family trattorias worth your time, anywhere in Italy — at your own pace.

Ancestral villages

A visit to the towns of your ancestors, with Rita alongside you to translate.

Copies of certified documents

Copies of the certified birth, marriage and death records we find for your family, requested from the municipalities that hold them. The certification belongs to the original document held by the municipality — what reaches you is a copy of it.

Live interpretation

Real-time translation during the meetings with your Italian relatives — so nothing important is lost.

Deep archive research

For families willing to dig further: state archives, military records, notarial deeds, parish chronicles.

Don't have a tree yet?

We strongly suggest you bring a family tree.

The research goes faster, deeper and cheaper when we have a starting point. But if you haven't built one yet — that's okay. We can suggest you to start one on FamilySearch.org, which is free, before the rest of the journey begins.

Ask Rita where to start →