The Year of Italian Roots, launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was intended as a national effort to welcome descendants of Italian emigrants back to their ancestral towns. Its goal was both practical and cultural, as it wanted to create a structured system to support genealogical travel, develop local itineraries, and encourage diaspora communities to reconnect with the places their families left.
What has become increasingly clear in the months since is that the project did not close with the end of the calendar year. Roots tourism has continued to grow, especially among American travelers, and Italy now treats it as one of the most promising areas for long-term tourism development.
