Genealogy in Imola

Tracing your Italian roots back to Imola (in Bologna province, Emilia Romagna region) begins with understanding which records 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 Imola.

Research experience on families in Imola

Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Imola, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Cavina, Landi, Galassi, Conti, Ferri, Lanzoni, Baroncini, Martelli, Visani, Sangiorgi, Costa, Gentilini, Casadio, Fabbri and others.

Many records relating to families and individuals are already stored in our databases and include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, residential addresses, and key family and social relationships within the Imola community in past centuries.
Part of the information used by ItalianSide in genealogy research derives from a proprietary archive of on-site research conducted over many years in Imola and Emilia Romagna by our experts. This archive includes studies, family trees, and data not available online, such as cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation.

Research activities may include all major sources available at municipal, provincial, and regional level:
• civil records
• parish registers
• notarial archives
• military 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.

Genealogy in Imola

If your ancestors came from Imola, in Bologna province (Emilia Romagna region), the first step is to identify the local archives where records are kept. Most family history research starts from the civil registry office at the Comune and continues in parish and notary archives.

Where to begin your ancestry journey in Imola

Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Imola are usually preserved in:

• Imola City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages, deaths) from 1866 onwards.
• Imola parish churches: in Emilia Romagna religious registers, which can often take your research back to the 1600s and sometimes as far as the 1500s.

Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Imola

In towns and villages of Emilia Romagna and in Bologna province, as Imola, the modern civil status was systematically introduced on January 1, 1866, after the unification of Italy. This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Imola from that year onwards.

(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Imola, please follow this link.)

If your ancestors lived in Imola during the past centuries, the City Office of Imola 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 Imola.
• 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 Emilia Romagna and specifically in Imola.

Church Records in Imola

Church archives in Bologna 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 Emilia Romagna, 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 Imola 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 Imola:

ASSUNZIONE DI MARIA VERGINE DI PONTE SANTO – Via Zanotti, 25

ASSUNZIONE DI MARIA VERGINE IN ORTODONICO – Via Ortodonico, 9

BEATA VERGINE DEL PIRATELLO – Via Piratello, 1/B

ESALTAZIONE SANTA CROCE IN CROCE DI CAMPO – Via Leopardi, 96

N. SIGNORA DI FATIMA – Via Vivaldi

NATIVITA’ DELLA BEATA VERGINE IN SELLUSTRA – Via Sellustra, 22 – Sellustra

NATIVITA’ DI MARIA VERGINE IN SASSO MORELLI – Via Correcchio, 65

S. AGATA VERGINE E MARTIRE – Via Cavour, 71

S. APOLLINARE DI BERGULLO – Via Bergullo, 39

S. APOLLINARE DI PIEVE DI CANTALUPO – Via Rondanina, 24

S. BARTOLOMEO E CASSIANO DI CROCE COPERTA – Via Righi, 1

S. BIAGIO VESCOVO E MARTIRE DI MONTECATONE – Via Montecatone, 38 – Montecatone

S. CASSIANO MARTIRE – Via Venturini, 2

S. CLEMENTE PAPA MARTIRE DI POGGIOLO – Via Poggiolo, 9

S. FRANCESCO D’ASSISI IN TORANO – Via Montanara, 1

S. GIACOMO MAGGIORE DEL CARMINE – Via Emilia, 32

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA IN GIARDINO – Via Scuole Giardino, 25

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA IN S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA – Via Selice, 104

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA IN ZELLO – Via Zello, 47 – Zello

S. GIOVANNI E PAOLO IN CHIUSURA – Via Laguna, 31

S. GIOVANNI EVENGELISTA IN ZOLINO – Via Massimo Villa, 13

S. LORENZO DIACONO E MARTIRE – Via Mazzini, 50

S. MARGHERITA IN S. PANTALEONE IN BALIA – Via Ladello, 43

S. MARIA ASSUNTA IN SESTO IMOLESE – Via di Sesto, 41

S. MARIA IN REGOLA – Via Cosimo Morelli, 8

S. MARIA IN VALVERDE – Via Valeriani, 19

S. MICHELE ARCANGELO IN S. AGOSTINO – Via Marsala, 5

S. NICOLO’ E S. GIACOMO SANTUARIO DELLA BEATA VERG – Via Bergullo, 61

S. PIETRO APOSTOLO IN CASOLA CANINA – Via Casola Canina, 59

S. PIETRO APOSTOLO IN GHIANDOLINO – Via Ghiandolino, 25

S. PIETRO APOSTOLO IN LINARO – Via Linaro, 1

S. PROSPERO VESCOVO IN SAN PROSPERO – Via San Prospero, 123

S. SAVINO VESCOVO IN MEZZOCOLLE – Via Montanara, 330

S. SPIRITO – Via Carlo Pisacane, 39

Planning a visit to Imola

From our experience, if you plan to visit Imola 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.

With the results collected by our genealogist before your trip, you will have more time to enjoy the town and its surroundings, walking in the footsteps of your ancestors.

Messages from other visitors in Imola

Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Imola forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Imola with other people, feel free to leave a message.