Genealogy in Ortona
Tracing your Italian roots back to Ortona (in Chieti province, Abruzzo region) begins with understanding which records and documents exist and where they are preserved. On this page you’ll find a clear guide to the civil, parish and historical sources available for genealogy in Ortona.
Ortona family history at a glance
- Region: Abruzzo
- Province: Chieti
- Type of records: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: from 1809 onwards
- Parish records: often older than civil records (in some cases from the 1500s)
How to research your ancestry in Ortona
Thanks to its network of local experts, Italianside has developed significant experience in genealogical research in the province of Chieti. For this reason, over the years it has become a reliable reference for those wishing to reconnect with their Italian roots and could be a key partner in the success of your research too. You can read the feedbacks of our customers on our testimonials page
Our experts in Abruzzo region, conducted genealogy research on historical families from Ortona, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: De Nardis, Costanzo, Buzzelli, Tucci, Dragani, Iezzi, Iarlori, De Luca, Seccia, Polidoro, Finizio, Civitarese, Paolini, Massari and others.
Many info relating to families and individuals available in public and private local archives include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, the address where family lived (a great info if you plan to visit Ortona!), and key social relationships within the community in past centuries.
The information in genealogy research derives from the archives available for on-site research in Ortona and Abruzzo. During the previous activities, our local genealogists already developed studies, family trees, cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation useful to add information now forgotten to the history of your family.
Research activities may include all major sources available at municipal, provincial, and regional level:
• civil records
• parish registers
• notarial archives
• military records
• cadastral and property records
• historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Direct access to local archives and a deep understanding of the local context allow for more complete and accurate results. Research may be carried out using all available sources in both public and private archives.
ItalianSide research: Beyond Names and Dates
Italian genealogy is deeply local. It can’t be reduced only about collecting birth and death dates.
In Abruzzo, every municipality — including Ortona — has its own archival history, record‑keeping traditions, and unique documentary sources. This is why Italianside is able to help you in your Italian ancestry research, through a national network of local experts, each specialized in the archives of their specific territory.
Our researcher who works in Ortona and in the Province of Chieti knows how to navigate local civil, parish, military, and notarial records, uncovering details that go far beyond basic dates. By combining national coordination and methodology with deep local expertise, our researcher will bring your ancestors’ stories back to life within the history of the Ortona community.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Ortona
In towns and villages of Abruzzo and in Chieti province, civil registration offices were established in 1809. This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Ortona from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Ortona, please follow this link.)
If you know that your ancestors lived in Ortona during the past centuries, the City Office of Ortona is usually the first place to start your family research. Our local expert can access these records on your behalf and interpret them correctly.
- Professions: discover what your ancestors did for a living.
- Addresses: find the street or house where the family lived in Ortona.
- Family links: identify parents, witnesses and neighbours that appear in the records.
- Signatures and notes: see how your ancestors signed and read any marginal annotations.
If you prefer to contact the Town Hall by yourself, we suggest reading our genealogy tips for Italy. They include practical advice for research in Abruzzo and specifically in Ortona.
Street names in Ortona
The names of the street in Ortona, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.
At today, some of the main streets in Ortona are: VIA ROGATTI, VIA DELLA LIBERTA’, VIALE CIVILTA’ DEL LAVORO, CONTRADA VILLA SAN NICOLA, VIA POSTILLI, VIA SAVINI, CONTRADA VILLA TORRE, VIA TORRE FORO, VIALE EUROPA, VIA PAPA GIOVANNI VENTITREESIMO, VIA ROMA, CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE SECONDO, VIA DEL CALVARIO, CONTRADA CALDARI STAZIONE, VIA RUELLA PETRILLI, VIA GIUDEA, CONTRADA VILLA IURISCI, CONTRADA SAN DONATO, VIA COSTANTINOPOLI, CORSO GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI and others.
If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Ortona just follow the link below.
Population trends in Ortona
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Ortona from the Italian Unification (1861). Understanding how many people lived in the town over time is useful when interpreting migration and family movements.
Church Records in Ortona
Church archives in Chieti province often preserve information that predates civil records. Parish registers include baptisms, marriages and burials and sometimes allow you to push your family tree back into the 1700s and 1600s.
In many areas of Abruzzo, parish registers began around the 1500s. These manuscripts are not easy to access from abroad and can be hard to read without specific training.
Our local genealogists, graduated in history and archival studies, can consult the parish archives of Ortona on your behalf and reconstruct your family history through the centuries.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Ortona:
S. GIUSEPPE – P.zza S. Giuseppe
S. LEONARDO ABATE – 66026 VILLA SAN LEONARDO CH
CRISTO RE – – Riccio
MARIA SS. IMMACOLATA – Via Nazionale Adriatica
S. MARIA DELLE GRAZIE – P.zza S. Francesco
S. MARIA DI COSTANTINOPOLI – Via Costantinopoli
S. ANTONIO DI PADOVA – 66026 VILLA GRANDE CH
S. GABRIELE DELL’ADDOLORATA – Via Amalfi, 1
S. TOMMASO APOSTOLO NELLA BASILICA CATTEDRALE – P.zza S. Tommaso
S. ZEFFIRINO – 66026 VILLA CALDARI CH
SS. CUORE DI GESU’ – 66026 VILLA SAN NICOLA CH
Planning a visit to Ortona
From our experience, if you plan to visit Ortona we always recommend starting the research months before your arrival. This way you avoid spending your holidays in offices or churches dealing with bureaucracy.
Remember that archives are not open to the general public and officers or priests are not required by law to grant direct access to the records.
Thanks to the findings gathered by our genealogist before your trip, and the help of our local guides, you’ll have more time to plan the exact locations (family homes, churches, streets, cemeteries, etc.) you’ll visit during your stay in the city.
This way, you can enjoy the city and its surroundings, following in the footsteps of your ancestors for an unforgettable journey back to your roots.
Street names in Ortona
The names of the street in Ortona, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.
At today, some of the main streets in Ortona are: VIA ROGATTI, VIA DELLA LIBERTA’, VIALE CIVILTA’ DEL LAVORO, CONTRADA VILLA SAN NICOLA, VIA POSTILLI, VIA SAVINI, CONTRADA VILLA TORRE, VIA TORRE FORO, VIALE EUROPA, VIA PAPA GIOVANNI VENTITREESIMO, VIA ROMA, CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE SECONDO, VIA DEL CALVARIO, CONTRADA CALDARI STAZIONE, VIA RUELLA PETRILLI, VIA GIUDEA, CONTRADA VILLA IURISCI, CONTRADA SAN DONATO, VIA COSTANTINOPOLI, CORSO GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI and others.
If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Ortona just follow the link below.
Notary records and other historical sources
Another important source of information is represented by notary documents, which preserve wills, dowries, property sales and contracts. These records are usually kept in provincial and State Archives and can provide valuable details on the social and economic life of your family.
Military records
Conscription lists and service records documenting physical descriptions, dates and places of enlistment, units and ranks held, periods of service, military postings, transfers, and movements, often providing detailed insight into an individual’s life beyond civil registration.
Cadastral and property records in Ortona
Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Ortona. ItalianSide provides professional assistance in accessing and interpreting these records, where available.
Historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Historical photographs, prints, and documents from private collections—including ItalianSide’s archive of vintage images from Ortona and Abruzzo region are available. Old pictures add significant value to your family history research and offer a real sense of the places where your ancestors once lived.
Professional help for research in Ortona
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Ortona area, write to ortona@italianside.com or fill the form here. Our expert will study your request and reply with a research plan and a quote tailored to your family history.
Messages from other visitors in Ortona
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Ortona forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Ortona with other people, feel free to leave a message.
Estoy buscando el acta de nacimiento de mi padre, que vino a la Argentina como Roque Bruno . De la investigación realizada en los registros, pude establecer que era hijo de Tomasso Bruni y Ana Vittoria Serafini. Sus padres se habían casado en Ortona y tuvieron varios hijos, quienes se radicaron en la Argentina. Tomasso Bruni murió en Ortona en 1997 y su esposa , ya viuda viajó a Argentina con los hijos menores, uno de ellos era mi padre. Supongo que mi padre nació entre 1993 y 1994 en Ortona, quiza con otro nombre . Como no pude dilucidar su verdadera identidad, busco orientación
i am looking for birth record for Felice Dragani born in the early 1800″s My research has led me this ar and I am stuck I have found very little information other than he was married to Fioralba Bellasame and that one of his sons, my very great grandather Angelo Antonio Dragani born in 1839 was his son
I am looking for the birth certificate of my great grandfather Pietro Firmani born on 1/1/1873 in Ortona
Looking for family history. My great grandmother was Lucia Carafa born in Ortona in 1898 and came to NYC in 1920. Married to James Bellanio in the US. I am looking for any info on her relatives!
thanks
Looking for information on my second great-grandmother, Gemma d’Annibale. She married Emidio Bianco before 1878. I’ve been unable to find any birth or death records on her. My sense is that she died after 1930, which is where the archived records end. But, she would have passed away before my great-grandmother, who died in 1952. They were from/lived in Ortona.
I’m looking for the Marmontello family history. I’ve recently learned that our name could have been spelled Marmontel before my family migrated to New Jersey. My great great great grandfather’s name is Pasquale Marmontello. Some records show he had a few children born in Italy. One, is Antoni Marmontello, my great grandfather. His wife was Catherine Cardoni. Also, when I leaned about Pasquale’s birthplace in Italy the document stated specifically: Civile, Ortona, Cheiti, Italy. Another, city/town mentioned is Villamagna.
Hi Elizabeth,
I have done a great deal of research on my family history. Pasquale was my great grand-father. I have many of the answers to your questions. If you are interested, I will send you my email so we can correspond directly. I hope to speak with you.
Regards,
Nick
Hi,
I am trying to find out more information on Luigi Scotti who lived in Ortona (not sure if he was born there). He was a minor government official in Ortona from the 1850s until about 1872 when he and his family moved to Penne. In Ortona, he was married to a Chiara Manna from Naples. They had several children born in Ortona (Michele 1857, Adele Sofia 1859, Silvia Laura 1861 and Alberto Luigi 1863). I know Luigi’s father was named Michele. Trying to find out whether he and Chiara were married in Ortona and where the Scotti’s originate from.
Thanks!
Steve
I’m requesting for a friend. She is looking for her Grandfather who we think was born July 1904/1905 in Ortona. Caesar Rocco Candelora is his name. Does anyone have any information they could send my way?
Many thanks!!
My grandfather Liberato (Albert) Panico was born in Ortona in 1888. His father was Vincenzo Panico and his mother was Filomena Centofanti. I am looking for any information on their parents. I am visiting in May
Searching for information about my grandmother, Smeralda Castelnuovo, born in Ortona-a-Mare in July 1884. Her mother’s nickname was “Jovita” and possible full name “Giovina Di’Scuovo.” Her father – unknown name – immigrated to Brazil abt. 1888-1890 & died of Malaria. Smeralda immigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1911. She had an older brother named Alfredo or Antonio, and a little sister named Anita. She married Milorad Gacharich (Gacaric) a Yugoslavian immigrant. She died in Buenos Aires in 1981, at the age of 97.
Patricia, Im looking for info on the Castelnuovo name also for my great Aunt. Her father was Francesco Paul Castelnuovo. Is he in your family tree at all? He migrated to Australia.
My grandmother Assunta Canossa came from Ortona a Mar .She came to the U.S. around 1916-1918. Are there any Canossas still lining in Ortona a Mar?
I am interested in geting information on my grandfather and great grandparents. They lived in Ortona. My grandfather is Tomasso Colaiezzi his date of birth is about 1885.
Colaiezzi? I have that name in my tree from Ortona. In fact, I have a Tommaso Colaiezzi born in 1884 in my tree. His parents would be Gaetano Colaiezzi and Maria Cespa. If Tommaso lived to be 102 and died in Florida, that would be a match.
I have Colaiezzi and Cespa in my tree
I plan to be in Ortona May 1 to research for the parents of Joseph Di Cintio. Any tips appreciated.
William, my grandparents are domenic Antonangeli and felicetta troiano or troinana or troiani and are from ortona dei marsi born in the early 1880’s.
William my grandfather Giuseppe Di Cintio was born in Ortona and I’m trying to find out his parents names. Are we looking for the same family?