Region: Calabria Province: Reggio Calabria
Tracing your Italian roots back to Palmi, in Reggio Calabria province, Calabria region?
This comprehensive guide empowers you to understand the records available in Palmi, unlocking your family’s rich history.
Where to Begin Your Ancestry Journey in Palmi
If your ancestral trail leads to Palmi, Italy, their vital records are likely housed in two key locations:
- Palmi City Hall Archives: Established in 1809, these archives hold civil registry records like births, marriages, and deaths for Palmi residents since then.
- Palmi Parish Churches: For records pre-dating 1809 or for religious ceremonies, exploring Palmi’s parish church archives might be necessary.
Civil Records in Palmi
In towns and villages of Calabria and in Reggio Calabria province civil registry offices were established in 1809: it means that you could find your ancestors records in Palmi Town Hall archives as of that date.
(If your goal is to get your Italian Citizenship and you need official certificates from Palmi Municipality, follow this link).
So, if your ancestors lived in Palmi during the past centuries, then you should start your family research from the City Office of Palmi to know more: our local expert is ready to help you in your research!
With his deep knowledge of people and local history he will assist you not only finding names and dates (births, marriages, deaths) but he will reveal to you many other precious information on the life of your ancestors available in the old registers.
- Professions: do you know what your ancestors did for a living? Our genealogist will be able to give you this info!
- Addresses: the house where your family lived (a great information if you intend to visit Palmi !)
- Churches: where they were baptized or married
- Signatures: if your ancestors knew how to write, he will be able to show you their original signatures.
(If you can’t visit Palmi, our researcher will give you the necessary info to find by yourself the relevant places on the maps available online)
Next picture shows the demographic trends in Palmi from the Italian Unification (1861).
This is a necessary info to understand how many people lived in the town in the past.

To go on quickly in your research is important to know if the last name you are investigating is a frequent surname in Palmi. As more your surname is common, as more it could be difficult to find the right branch of your ancestors family in Palmi archives, expecially if you have not exact dates (there could be cases of homonymy).
It’s useful for you to know that some of the most common surnames in Reggio Calabria province are:
Agostino, Albanese, Barbaro, Barreca, Battaglia, Calabrò, Carbone, Caridi, Catalano, Chirico, Commisso, Costantino, Crea, D’Agostino, Ferraro, Foti, Giordano, Iaria, Labate, Laganà, Latella, Lombardo, Longo, Macrì, Malara, Marino, Marra, Martino, Minniti, Modafferi, Morabito, Musolino, Napoli, Neri, Nucera, Panetta, Polimeni, Quattrone, Raso, Romeo, Russo, Scopelliti, Sergi, Siclari, Spanò, Surace, Tripodi, Zappia.
Church Records in Palmi
Church archives in Reggio Calabria province may store even older information. You will find religious records of the same events (births, marriages and deaths) but, most important, you could go further back in time!
So in case you would like to go back in centuries, it’s good for you to know that the parish registers in Calabria started during 1500!
Parish archives are far less accessible expecially from abroad and very hard to read and decipher if you are not used and skilled.
But our local genealogists, are graduated in history and archivistics so, with their expertise, they can research the church registers of Palmi on your behalf to gather info about your family history during centuries.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Palmi:
MARIA SS. DEL SOCCORSO – Piazza Soccorso, 1
S. FANTINO – 89015 TAUREANA RC
S. NICOLA VESCOVO – Via N.Pizi
SANTA FAMIGLIA – R.ne Pille

For our experience, if you plan to come here to visit Palmi, we always suggest to start the research months before the arrival.
This because a comprehensive genealogy research is time consuming!
Starting from home, you will have time to get a complete research avoiding to waste your holidays in the offices or in the churches dealing with italian bureaucracy .
(Remember that archives are not open to public and officers and priests are not required by law to give you access to the local archives)
With the results gathered by our genealogist and translated in your language before your arrival, you will have the possibility to plan carefully your visit.
In this way you will have more free time to enjoy your tour to the roots on your ancestors footsteps.
Another important source of information are the notary documents available to expert researchers in the State Archives of Reggio Calabria.
If you need a professional help from our local genealogist in Palmi area , write to palmi@italianside.com or fill the form here.
Our expert will study your request and will reply to you with a plan and a quote for your family research.
If you think to contact the town hall by yourself, we suggest you to read our tips for your search. They are useful advices to search in Calabria and of course in Palmi too.
Here below you can read the messages received from other visitors in Palmi forum:
if you only want to discuss with other people interested in genealogy in Palmi feel free to leave a message below.
Looking for information on Pietro Scarcella b c 1740 in Palmi. He married Stefania Parrelli. I am looking for his baptism and his parents’ names. Grazie.
Looking for information on my grandfather Rosario Donato born in Palmi moved to Gioia Tauro in and around 1890
My husband father was born in Palmi in 1901 would like to have birth records tor search of family tree
My husband’s grandfather was Antonino/Antonio Scarcella b 1902 Palmi. He was married to Livia Maria Lombardini. I am trying to find his parents’ names.
Hi,I am trying to locate the birth record of my brother.He was born in Palmi Reggio Calabria.Date 6/10/49. His mother’s name is Saverina D’Agosino.His father’s name is Antonio D’Agostino.He immigrated to Australia on 29/3/53.A copy of the birth certificate would be appreciate
Regards
Gina
Hello,
I’m trying to locate a birth record for Vincenzo Petrolino, born September 4, 1860, Gallico, Reggio di Calabria. He immigrated to the US between 1885/1886. He married Grace Morabito, born February 1870, Gallico,Reggio di Calabria. Any information would be appreciated, thanks.
Hello
I have a great grandfather Rocco DeLeonardis that died in 1914/1915 in World War One. His name is on a monument outside the council building in Palmi. I would like to know his birth/death date and where he fought and died.
MEU AVO VEIO DE PALMI EM 1901, O NOME DELE ERA ROSARIO BARBARO, EO PAI DELE FRANCESCO BARBARO , A MAE CHAMAVA MARIA CIAPPINA.GOSTARIA DE SABER SE E FACIL ENCONTRAR A CERTIDAO DE NASCIMENTO DELE. ELE NASCEU EM 01.11.1887.MUITO OBRIGADO.