Genealogy in Vasto
Tracing your Italian roots back to Vasto (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 Vasto.
Vasto 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 Vasto
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 Vasto, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Reale, Smargiassi, Celenza, Molino, Marchesani, Spadaccini, Cinquina, Ronzitti, Marino, Galante, D’Adamo, Del Borrello, Fiore, Ciccotosto 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 Vasto!), 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 Vasto 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 Vasto — 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 Vasto 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 Vasto community.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Vasto
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 Vasto from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Vasto, please follow this link.)
If you know that your ancestors lived in Vasto during the past centuries, the City Office of Vasto 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 Vasto.
- 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 Vasto.
Street names in Vasto
The names of the street in Vasto, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.
At today, some of the main streets in Vasto are: CORSO GIUSEPPE MAZZINI, STRADA STATALE 16 SUD, VIA INCORONATA, VIA SAN ROCCO, VIA SILVIO E FRANCESCO CICCARONE, VIA DEL PORTO, VIALE DALMAZIA, VIA SAN LORENZO, VIA MADONNA DELL` ASILO, VIA DEI CONTI RICCI, VIA LUIGI CARDONE, VIA SANTA LUCIA, VIA MADDALENA, CIRCONVALLAZIONE ISTONIENSE, VIA GIULIO CESARE, VIA SAN SISTO, VIA SAN MICHELE, VIA VALLONCELLO, VIA SANTA CATERINA DA SIENA, VIALE GIUSEPPE SPATARO and others.
If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Vasto just follow the link below.
Population trends in Vasto
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Vasto 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 Vasto
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 Vasto 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 Vasto:
S. GIOVANNI BOSCO – Via S. Giovanni da Capestrano
S. GIUSEPPE – P.zza L.V. Pudente
S. MARCO EVANGELISTA – Via Madonna dei Sette Dolori
S. MARIA INCORONATA – Via Incoronata, 110
S. MARIA STELLA MARIS – Via Zara
S. PAOLO APOSTOLO – Via Florindo Ritucci Chinni
S. PIETRO – P.zza S. Antonio
SANTA MARIA DEL SABATO SANTO – Via Aragona, 1
Planning a visit to Vasto
From our experience, if you plan to visit Vasto 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 Vasto
The names of the street in Vasto, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.
At today, some of the main streets in Vasto are: CORSO GIUSEPPE MAZZINI, STRADA STATALE 16 SUD, VIA INCORONATA, VIA SAN ROCCO, VIA SILVIO E FRANCESCO CICCARONE, VIA DEL PORTO, VIALE DALMAZIA, VIA SAN LORENZO, VIA MADONNA DELL` ASILO, VIA DEI CONTI RICCI, VIA LUIGI CARDONE, VIA SANTA LUCIA, VIA MADDALENA, CIRCONVALLAZIONE ISTONIENSE, VIA GIULIO CESARE, VIA SAN SISTO, VIA SAN MICHELE, VIA VALLONCELLO, VIA SANTA CATERINA DA SIENA, VIALE GIUSEPPE SPATARO and others.
If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Vasto 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 Vasto
Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Vasto. 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 Vasto 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 Vasto
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Vasto area, write to vasto@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 Vasto
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Vasto forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Vasto with other people, feel free to leave a message.
Hello!
I’m trying to get birth and death certificates of my family members from Vasto. My Pop Pop came to live in America when he was around 17 his name was Ceasario Di Memmo and his parents were Domenic Memmo and Maria Bontempo. He had siblings and I believe their names were Consiglia, Micheline Bosco, Paul Memmo. My Pop Pop married Elizabeth Ruggeri and her parents were from Italy as well named Rose Meliti and Charles Ruggeri. I know my Pop Pop Ceasario was born and raised by his mother in Vasto in a one floor shack home with a wood stove and an olive grove that looked over the Adriatic Sea?
Are there no Della Penna’s left in Vasto ? My great grandfather was Bernardino Della Penna. He had a cousin, Luciano Della Penna. They both left for Buenos Aires in 1885
My grandfather was born in Vasto, I visited my relatives in 1980 but lost contact with them when the older ones passed away. I would love to visit again to atleast see the cemetary where my relatives are buried. The family name is Baccala
i miei nonni caserio raspa ed antonia bruno sono nati a san salvo e vasto e sonol sposati a vasto tra 1915 e 1918, poi loro sono venuti in Argentina potreste aiurarmi per prendere il atta di matrimonio
Grazie mille
my mother anna dichiacchio was born in vasto on august 22, 1915 and left when she was one year old. Presume she was baptized there. Any help locating her records? Thank you.
I am trying to do genealogy research on my wife’s family. Her Grand Mother Angelina D Mancini and Domenico Dibiase were from Vasto. Angelina and her two bothers, Michael and Pietro Mancini came to America around 1921. The Mancini family owned a farm that grew grapes, cherries, figs, and olives. Their parents were Antonio Mancini and Gracinta Canosa (or Canose). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Trying to find Lina D’Ermillio born in 1959. She has 2 brothers John and Frank. She moved back to Vasto from Lidcome, Sydney ,Australia.
I was her friend at school
I am from Sydney Australia
Can you help with her address
Thank you
Looking for Berardino Della Penna born in Vasto, 1855 ( ?) married Concetta Maestro from San Martino in 1877. had 2 children
looking for relatives of Michele Pollutri(d.1924) and Laura Diguilmi (d.1940) … their childrens names where Maria Domenica(d.1965) Michelina(d.1953) Maria Spina (d.1985).. two sons Giovanni and Cesario who migrated to the USA and two sons that died in WW1 Nicolino and Domenico. Thank you.
Looking for Information on Rosa LaVerghetta. She was my great grandmother and supposedly was a Contessa. Born around 13 May 1883 – Roseto, Foggia, Puglia, Italy Died on Sep 1980 – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America. Arrived September 11, 1912 in New York. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Especially on whether or not she was in fact a Contessa. Thank you!
Hi Lora,
My great grandmother is Rosa also.
Are your mom & Dad Philip & Linda Chiachetti?
I’m Cheri and my dad is Carmen Chiachetti and is cousin’s to your dad Philip. If so, we are cousins and have met @ reunions.
Looking for information on a Covello Gizzi who may be a brother to my grandmother, Laura Gizzi (1876-1955). Her parents were Alfonso Gizzi and Conceta Eure. We would appreciate any information.
Thank you.
Hi! I am looking for any information about my maternal great grandmother, Teresa Scafetta. She was born January 20, 1898 in Sao Paulo, Brazil but grew up in Chieti, and moved to America (I think) around 1918. thank you!
Anna,
my great-grandmother was Anna Scafetta. Look in the books of vasto.
looking for info or birth records for: Theodore Marchesani, born January 26,1893 in vasto chieti italy
My grandfather Theodore Marchesani was born in Vasto Provincio Di Chieti Italy
January 26,1893… I think his mother’s name was Anna.
how can I get birth records of him or any family records back then.
I’m searching for any information on several family members born in Vasto. They are:
1-Great Great Grandfather Angelo Palazzo
2-his son, my Great Grandfather Michele Palazzo b.1874
3-Great Grandmother (and wife of Michele) Rosa or Rosario LaVerghetta b. 1878
4-Great Grandfather Carmine Ricchezza b.4-6-1887
5-his wife, my Great Grandmother Antonetta Smargiassi b.2-2-1887
Thank you for any assistance.
I see you are also looking for a Rosa LaVerghetta, who would be my Great Grandmother. I wonder if we are somehow related??? Would love to know!
My family line includes Carmine Ricchezza whose son Joseph was my grandfather. Would be interested in connecting on this if you are still looking.
I’m the granddaughter of Antonio Ceruti and Luisa Forte. Are there records of my ancestors you can share with me or tell me where I can learn more?
My mother was born in Vasto on August 22, 1915. Her name was Anna DiChiacchio. She and her family emigrated to the states in 1916. Kindly advise any info or records. thank you.
My mother was born in Vasto on August 22, 1915. Her name was Anna. Her family emigrated to the states in 1916. Any records would be appreciated. Kindly advise any costs as well. Thank you.
I am searching for my grandfather’s birth record. He was born 05/15/1899 in Vasto, Pro-Vin Chieti, Italy to Peter and Edna Santoro (I believe).
…his name was Michael (Michele) Santoro 🙂
Hello,
I wish to obtain birth certficates of my Grandparents on both sides of my parents who were all born in Vasto,Chieti area.
Can you please advise of the best way to do this.
Regards
Anthony
I am seeking historical data on Guiseppe Natale (born about 1898 in Vasto), who is my grandfather, and who is the father of my father – Antonio Natale 24/2/1927 to 25/9/2002. Guiseppe Natale’s wife was Maria Sanconcordio, who was born about 1904 in Peteciatto, Italy, and buried in Vasto (date unknown).
I am searching for a birth record for my grandmother Grazia Galante who was born
Jan 29 1884 in Vasto Italy. Please tell me where I can find this record and for other relatives
Born in Vasto.
I am searching for relatives who were born in Vasto… Luigi Gizzi (1887 or 1888) and his wife Mary Bevilaqua (1891?).