Family Property

[JMMalley]

Greetings!

In a phone conversation with a distant cousin who emigrated from "the old country," he mentioned that he thought my grandfather's family owned property in Settefrati when he left Italy for the United States in the early 1900s. The idea has intrigued me. I'm wondering about the remote possibility of perhaps owning property in Italy! Any thoughts on where to start the process? Thanks.

Joe

[writealot]

Hi Joe,

If you can find out where your ancestor's property is (exact address, town/village, etc.), and no one has taken squaters' rights by moving onto it since he/she emmigrated, it is legally still under your family ownership. If you can prove your lineage, you need only to go to the municipio in that region to lay claim to the property.

Here's a great article that delves into buying property in Italy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/greathomesanddestinations/25gh-sale-1.html

Good luck,
Writealot