FITCHBURG — The Center for Italian Culture at Fitchburg State University is serving what they see as a growing population of U.S. citizens looking to make their love for Italy official. Next, Tuesday, April 16, the University is offering a free online course at 6 p.m. called “Introduction to Obtaining Italian Citizenship.”

Vin Ialenti, president of the Center for Italian Culture, believes there is a strong movement of Italian Americans who are interested in being recognized as Italian citizens.

“We are fortunate that the United States allows its citizens to have dual citizenship without renouncing their US citizenship,” he said.

The custom webinar program, hosted by genealogists and members of the Vermont Italian Cultural Association, Lisa DeNatale (President), Mark D’Ambrosi, and Jerry Carbone, is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to register in advance at fitchburgstate.edu/nuovo-mondo

Ialenti adds that there are at least four Facebook sites that deal with the questions and issues of how to be recognized as Italian Citizens.

“I received my dual citizenship in 2017,” said Ialenti. “I have seen the presentation that the Vermont team is doing, and it will be a great start for folks thinking about if they can obtain their Italian citizenship. After viewing it, I thought how helpful it would have been if I had this resource before I started my quest. I did this before the Facebook support sites existed, so today if you are interested in exploring the process, there are lots of places to go to for support.”

Last fall, the Center for Italian Culture sponsored a presentation with Rhonda McClure of the New England Historical Society that dealt with the quest of gathering information on your Italian ancestors, when and where they were born and immigrated to the United States.

Ialenti says this was a good preface for the April 16 webinar.

“There are various paths to gain access to dual citizenship,” Ialenti added. “The most common and perhaps simplest is through the Line of Sanguinity (Jure Sanguinis), In my case, my grandfather was an Italian citizen who came to the United States in 1895 and did not become a U.S. citizen until 1935 long after when my father was born. Technically, my father was an Italian citizen, so when I was born, the citizenship was passed on to me. I had to provide detailed proof of my lineage to the Italian Consulate General in Boston who then sent the information packet on to Rome to get final approval. Once you are recognized you can apply for an Italian passport.”

The challenge, says Ialenti, is documenting birth certificates, naturalization papers, family records from Italy, marriage certificates, etc.

“Some people do all the research on their own, others hire agents in Italy to gather the data. Seeking the records in Italy is a good excuse for some to take a vacation there,” Ialenti said with a smile.

The April 16 webinar will also outline the other paths to citizenship and what they involve.

“It is a fascinating process with things changing all the time,” he said. For example, a woman could not pass on her citizenship before 1948. I have to laugh that when I received my citizenship, I did not need to speak Italian or pass a cultural exam. Since then, if my wife wants to get her Italian citizenship through me, she now will have to pass a language exam.”

Ialenti says that people often ask him why he went through the effort of receiving dual citizenship.

“I did it primarily to honor my ancestors, and it gives me a great sense of pride,” he said. “Among the benefits of having an Italian passport is the ability to travel easily in European Union countries without visas, to have extended stays in the countries, and it can facilitate buying property and living in Italy.”

The Italian Citizenship webinar is virtual so there is no limit on the number of attendees.

“I hope to ‘see’ you at the presentation,” Ialenti said. “I am convinced that it will energize you and give you the tools to begin your dual citizen journey.”