Genealogy in Locana
Tracing your Italian roots back to Locana (in Torino province, Piemonte 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 Locana.
Locana family history at a glance
- Region: Piemonte
- Province: Torino
- Type of records: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: in the town hall from 1866 onwards
- Parish records: often older than civil records (in some cases from the late 1500s)
Research experience on families in Locana
Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Locana, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Vernetti, Valesano, Pezzetti, Bellino, Gotta, Genta, Vittone, Perucca, Bugni, Negro, Nardi, Vallino, Giorgis, Gianotti and many 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 Locana 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 Locana and Piemonte 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 Locana
If your ancestors came from Locana, in Torino province (Piemonte 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 Locana
Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Locana are usually preserved in:
- Locana City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages, deaths) from 1860 onwards.
- Locana parish churches: in Piemonte religious registers, which can often take your research back to the 1600s and sometimes as far as the 1500s.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Locana
In towns and villages of Piemonte and in Torino province, as Locana, civil registry officially began on january 1 1866.
A first civil registry system had already been introduced during the Napoleonic period (1806–1814). This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Locana from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Locana, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Locana during the past centuries, the City Office of Locana 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 Locana.
- 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 Piemonte and specifically in Locana.
Street names in Locana
The names of the street in Locana, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.
At today, some of the main streets in Locana are: VIA ROMA, FRAZIONE CASETTI, FRAZIONE PRAIE, FRAZIONE BARDONETTO, BORGATA CHIRONIO, BORGATA MONTEPIANO, BORGATA MONTIGLI, BORGATA FOERE, BORGATA PRATOLUNGO, VIA SERT, FRAZIONE SAN LORENZO, FRAZIONE BOSCO, BORGATA PIANE, VIA SAN DONATO, BORGATA RONCORE, VIA TORINO, BORGATA PIANDEMMA, BORGATA COSTA BUGNI, BORGATA BOSCHIETTO, VIA RONCAGLIE and others.
If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Locana just follow the link below.
Population trends in Locana
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Locana 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 Locana
Church archives in Torino 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 Piemonte, 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 Locana 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 Locana:
S. GIUSEPPE E S. MICHELE IN ROSONE E FORNOLOSA – Via Ceresole, 4
S. PIETRO IN VINCOLI – Via San Meinerio, 6
Our experts could search registers and historical religious documents collected and kept at the diocesan archive:
Archivio Diocesano di Torino – Via Arcivescovado 12 – 10121 Torino
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.
The provincial archive is:
Archivio di Stato di Torino – piazza Castello 209 (Sezione Corte) and – via Piave 21 (Sezioni Riunite)
Historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Historical photographs, prints, and documents from private collections—including ItalianSide’s archive of vintage images from Locana and Piemonte 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.
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 Locana
Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Locana. ItalianSide provides professional assistance in accessing and interpreting these records, where available.
Planning a visit to Locana
From our experience, if you plan to visit Locana 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.
Professional help for research in Locana
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Locana area, write to locana@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 Locana
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Locana forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Locana with other people, feel free to leave a message.
I am researching Giovanni Pietro Giovannini. 1876 – 1963 He lists his father in his marriage records as Pietro Giovannini and his mother as Maria Rostagno. He also had a daughter Anna that married in Michigan and lists these same parents in her marriage record. I am having no luck in finding Pietro and Giovannini or Maria Rostagno as a couple or in other records in the Piedmont area which I believe them to be from. But I have not found them else where in Italy either. I have much information on Giovanni but can find nothing on his parents other than his and his sister Michigan marriage records.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank You Donna
My grandparents were from Locana, or nearby. My grandmothers maiden name was Lucia Ozello . She settled with family in the upper peninsula of Michigan in 1912.
My Grandfather was John Bugni. He had a brother James Bugni in Locana .
Just wondering if there is any family left there .
Thank you .
My ancestors are Giacomo (James) Varda, Sr born 1865 and Maria Elizabeth (Novascone) born 1866
Son, John Varda born 2-13-1888 in Locanna, Italy
Is there any additional information in your archives. Any family members still living in the area.
My grandmother was born in Locana, Italy Mary Teresa Tomasi(Hilton)born January 18th 1912/ great grandfather Vincenzo Tomasi born October 29th 1890 Locana Italy he arrived in New York May 24th 1912 leaving from Havre France. Great grandmother Jiovanna Venetti Tomasi born in Locana also.I would love to know if there are still Tomasi in Locana and how they came to live in the Piedmont region and what was the reason for immigration to the USA. Would I be eligible to have duel citizenship?
My 2nd great grandmother was Maria Gaberilla Tomasi from Locana, Canavese, Italy
May 13, 1851
I may not be in Italy. Just noticed the last name and location.
I am looking information on the family of Battista Cavoretto (born ~1880) from Locana Canavase who immigrated via Havre, France in 1894 to the USA. He returned in 1924 and again in the 1950s to sell family home. Any information would be appreciated.
I’m looking for ancestry information for Dominic Contratto. Born in 1880. I think he was from Piemonte/Torino/Locana.
My grandmother was Maria Procarione, from Locana. Any information about her family or ancestry would be appreciated. She moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the early years of the 20th century
Ciao!
I am looking for information on my 3rdGreat Grandfather, August Augustino. He was born 1830-1855(?). The family story is that he was found as an orphan baby and raised by local nuns in an orphanage or convent.
I do not know his wife’s name. They had children. One daughter is my 2nd Great Grandmother Elizabeth Augustino born 1871 who married Joseph (Giuseppe?) Giachino born 1867. They left for America in 1899.
I would greatly appreciate any information you may have on August Augustino’s life.
Buon giorno, mi chiamo Chris Angeleri e vivo negli Stati Uniti e, anche se parlo in quattro lingue, parlo un po ‘di italiano. Anch’io sono a un muro e sto cercando di costruire il mio albero genealogico. Il mio bisnonno Guglichino Biagio Angeleri era nato il 23 gennaio 1877, ad Alessandria, Alessandria, in Italia, suo padre si chiamava Giovanni. e la madre si chiamava Lucia. Morì l’11 aprile 1958, a Locana morì all’età di 81 anni.
Hello,
I am seeking information on family that may be in Locana, or was at one point.
Surname: Bellino
First Names: Joanna (Johanna), Giovanni, Domenico, and Pietro
Surname: Vittone
Surname: Greco, Nicholas
Thank you!
Brooke
Hi I am in America only English speaking, but
My Great Grandparents were from Locana and Curgno Piedmont Italy…
James or Giacomo Negro from Locana
Candida (Marino) Negro from Piemont Curgno or Turin…not real sure which?
They came to America in early 1900s, or very late 1800s, anyone there know them or have any records or pictures of them? Or any family members still in the area?…
Thx
Cheryl
Ciao! Il mio nome è di cristallo. I miei 2x bisnonni, Pietro e Marianna Masucco DeTomasi emigrati negli Stati Uniti da Locana intorno al 1850. Sono stato in grado di rintracciare antenati di Locana indietro di circa sei generazioni e poi ho colpito un muro. Mi chiedo se si ha accesso a tutte le informazioni su Giovanni Battista Tomasi Vecchio 1813-1866. Sono alla ricerca di informazioni sulla moglie, genitori e figli. Inoltre, sono curioso di sapere perché il nostro cognome cambiato da Tomasi Vecchio a De Tomasi con Giovanni. Qualsiasi comprensione che sarebbe stato così utile. In realtà, tutte le informazioni sulla mia famiglia sarebbe incredibile! I cognomi per la regione sono Detomasi, Masucco, Bugni, Perucca, Conterio, Gianotti, Giacherio, Vernetti-Rosina, Picatto, Bianchetti e barettino. Grazie mille!
Hello! My name is Crystal. My 2x great-grandparents, Pietro and Marianna Masucco DeTomasi immigrated to the United States from Locana around 1850. I’ve been able to track ancestors of Locana back about six generations and then I hit a wall. I’m wondering if you have access to any information on Giovanni Battista Tomasi Vecchio 1813-1866. I’m seeking information on his wife, parents and children. Also, I’m curious as to why our family name changed from Tomasi Vecchio to De Tomasi with Giovanni. Any insight into that would be so helpful. In fact, any information on my family would be amazing! Family names for the region are DeTomasi, Masucco, Bugni, Perucca, Conterio, Gianotti, Giacherio, Vernetti-Rosina, Picatto, Bianchetti and Barettino. Thank you so much!
Bonjour,
je recherche l’acte de naissance de:
VALLINO CORTASSA JEAN né à LOCANA le 18 décembre 1818 de Vallino Cortassa et Marie
Bortolino?
Et si possible son ascendance….
Bonjour,
Je recherche l’acte de mariage en 1742 de Guiseppe Domenico PIANFETTI né vers 1721 a Montepiano (Locana) avec Cattarina Maria Margarita PEZZETTI pour avoir le certificat procetto matrimoniale.
Il a epousé en 2eme noce Maria FASSINO le 21 Aout 1764 toujours a Locana.
Merci
Georges BARREL
bonjour, pourriez vous me fournir l acte de naissance de JACQUES TOMASI NE EN 1862 A LOCANA ET SON EPOUSE MARIA PIANFETTI NEE EN 1874 A LOCANA AVEC MES REMERCIEMENT M.FLORAN