Italian Side is made by a network of experienced and professional researchers that covers the whole Italian territory.
All of our selected local genealogists in Italy are professional. They are skilled and, most important, they have an history degree and/or in archival science (like this one in Venice or this one in Salerno )
We are in Italy (where documents are!)
Libraries, archives, registers, documents, books, every single record about the italian life of your ancestors are stored (only) in Italy!
Usually the original records are in the town or village where the events happened.
For example the original birth record of your great-grandfather is stored in the town hall of the town where he was born.
Then a second copy is available in the “Archivio di Stato” (State Archive) usually in the chief town of the province.
Same things for the religious records they are kept in the churches or in the diocesan archive.
Military records, notarial deeds, “marriage contracts” are protected in the State Archives too.
Our local researchers work daily directly “on field” in the local archives (no intermediary)
Reliability and care for the old documents
On the Web everybody with some free time can claim to be an expert in genealogy, so very easily a research bought from abroad can become a nightmare or a scam.
That’s why we selected ONLY genealogists with verifiable skills and a consistent academic background. (Even to pay an annual fee to be affiliated to an association doesn’t mean anything and it’s not enough to meet our quality criteria)
This is a choice for two main reasons.
First reason is to assure to our readers and to us the reliability of real professionals.
As you will see by yourself when you will have the opportunity to read old documents, even to decipher the manuscripts can be difficult.
Many names, surnames or other words could be misunderstood by not trained people.
A certified background is the main reason for the quality and the effectiveness of the researches we can provide you. (Take a look at the reviews of our customers).
Second reason: at Italian Side we are strongly committed to the preservation of the heritage of the documents stored in Italian archives.
Every single document is unique and precious: we MUST pay attention to preserve what our ancestors stored for us!
Only real experts, trained by specific universities in managing old documents, should be admitted to touch the old books.
Every document is fragile and if you are not used to manage it would be damaged. And lost for ever.
Local genealogists: the key of our success
As natives, our local genealogists in Italy know exactly where to search.
They are well known and trusted by the officers and the parishes in the areas. Every village, every church, every archive and every document needs a deep knowledge of local history.