Tracing Footsteps: A Journey Into Ancestry Tourism

What Is Ancestry Tourism?

Ancestry tourism—also called heritage travel—is the act of visiting the regions, towns, and cultural landmarks tied to your family history. While genealogy websites and home DNA kits can uncover new branches in your family tree, ancestry travel brings those discoveries to life.

Instead of just researching your relatives, you get to walk the same streets, stand in the same churches, and breathe the air of the towns where their stories began. For many travelers, it’s emotional, reflective, and deeply grounding.

How to Begin Your Own Ancestry Travel Journey

1. Start With Stories

Talk to family members, gather old documents, revisit photographs, and jot down every detail. Even small clues can lead to major discoveries.

2. Build Your Family Tree

Websites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and even Facebook can help connect the dots with immigration records, census lists, and ship manifests. You may even find social media groups for your heritage or the small towns your family comes from.

3. Identify Key Locations

Once you pinpoint the towns tied to your family line, look into their history. Understanding your ancestors’ world adds depth to your visit.

4. Create a Thoughtful Itinerary

Consider:

• Town archives

• Churches and cemeteries

• Local museums

• Historic neighborhoods

• Regional foods and traditions

Sometimes hiring a local guide or driver—especially in small or rural locations—can make the experience smoother and more meaningful.

5. Be Open to Reflection

Ancestry tourism isn’t just about places; it’s about perspective. Give yourself time to absorb everything you feel during the journey.

My Pilgrimage to Sgurgola: A Journey Home

My own heritage journey took me to Sgurgola, a quiet, centuries-old hill town about an hour outside of Rome. It was a place I had heard about in family stories—a place where both my great-grandmother and great-grandfather once lived. But until this trip, it existed only in my imagination.

The Trip That Made It Possible

While on a Grand Europe tour with Adventures by Disney, I mentioned my interest in seeing the town my family came from. Their incredible tour guide, Marco, took that spark of curiosity and turned it into reality. He connected us with a local driver who could take us there.

Our driver, Maurizio, didn’t speak English, and my Italian is limited—but that didn’t stop us. With help from Google Translate and a lot of good-natured effort, we had rich conversations about everything from our families to politics and religion. By day’s end, he felt like much more than a driver. He felt like a friend.

Stepping Into Sgurgola

When we arrived, Sgurgola felt like stepping back in time. The town is small, old, and peaceful—far removed from the bustling streets of Rome. Its stone lanes twist through the hillside, and its ancient buildings seem to hold generations of stories between their walls.

We visited the village church and then the cemetery. Walking through the quiet rows of headstones, I found what I had hoped for: the graves of both my great-grandmother and great-grandfather.

Seeing their names carved in stone was emotional in a way I hadn’t expected. I imagined them living their daily lives here, tending to their work, and eventually making decisions that would lead our family across an ocean. My grandfather, at just 11 years old, had been put on a ship to cross the Atlantic and begin a new life. Standing in Sgurgola, I felt the weight of that journey—and the strength behind it.

I’m sure more of my relatives are buried there, and many pieces of my ancestry are still missing. But this visit gave me a starting point and a sense of closeness I’d never felt before.

A Day Enriched With Local Connections

The surprises didn’t stop in Sgurgola. After visiting the cemetery and soaking in the small town, our driver took us to a nearby village to meet an older couple who owned an olive farm. They welcomed us warmly, proudly showing us their traditional grinding mill that had been in their family for generations.

We tasted their rich, peppery olive oil—and of course, bought bottles to bring home. Then came one of the sweetest travel surprises of all--lunch at a roadside truck stop where we enjoyed the best carbonara we have ever eaten. Simple, delicious, and unforgettable—proof that sometimes the most unassuming places hold the biggest delights.

What I Took Away From This Day Trip

For all its brevity, that day trip changed me. It was only a few hours in the grand scheme of a European vacation—but it was a part that touched me deeply. I left Sgurgola feeling more connected to my ancestors than ever before. I gained clarity, understanding, and a sense of belonging.

I also left with:

• A new friend in our driver, Maurizio (We are still Facebook friends.)

• A deeper appreciation for my family’s story

• Fresh olive oil from a family who welcomed us with open arms

• And a renewed desire to continue piecing together the history that brought me here

One day, I hope to return to Sgurgola—this time with more of the puzzle solved. But even now, I know that my heart is tied to that little Italian town in a way I’ll carry forever.