Genealogy in Laviano
Tracing your Italian roots back to Laviano (in Salerno province, Campania region) begins with understanding which records exist and where they are preserved. On this page you’ll find a clear guide to the civil, parish and historical sources available for genealogy in Laviano.
Laviano family history at a glance
- Region: Campania
- Province: Salerno
- Record types available: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: began in 1809 (when this area was part of the Kingdom of Naples)
- Parish registers: usually earlier than civil registration (sometimes dating back to the 1600s)
Research experience on families in Laviano
Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Laviano, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Borriello, Capuano, Cerrato, Del Vecchio, Di Gianni, Falivena, Fusella, Lupo, Perna, Piserchia, Robertiello, Rosamilia, Sabatino, Torluccio, Torsiello and others.
Many records relating to families and individuals are already stored in our databases and include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, residential addresses, and key family and social relationships within the Laviano community in past centuries.
Part of the information used by ItalianSide in genealogy research derives from a proprietary archive of on-site research conducted over many years in Laviano and by our experts. This archive includes studies, family trees, and data not available online, such as cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation.
Research activities may include all major sources available at municipal, provincial, and regional level:
• civil records
• parish registers
• notarial archives
• military records
• historical and photographic sources
Direct access to archives and a deep understanding of the local context allow for more complete and accurate results than research conducted remotely or based on partial sources alone. Research may be carried out using all available sources in both public and private archives.
Genealogy in Laviano
If your ancestors came from Laviano, in Salerno province (Campania region), the first step is to identify the local archives where records are kept. Most family history research starts from the civil registry office at the Comune and continues in parish and notary archives.
Where to begin your ancestry journey in Laviano
Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Laviano are usually preserved in:
- Laviano City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages and deaths) available from 1809 onwards.
- Laviano parish churches: in Campania, parish registers that can trace family lines back to the 1600s, and in rare cases even earlier.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Laviano
In towns and villages of Campania and across Salerno province, civil registration offices were established after 1809, following Napoleonic reforms in the former Kingdom of Naples. This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Laviano from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Laviano, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Laviano during the past centuries, the City Office of Laviano is usually the first place to start your family research. Our local expert can access these records on your behalf and interpret them correctly.
- Professions: discover what your ancestors did for a living.
- Addresses: find the street or house where the family lived in Laviano.
- Family links: identify parents, witnesses and neighbours that appear in the records.
- Signatures and notes: see how your ancestors signed and read any marginal annotations.
If you prefer to contact the Town Hall by yourself, we suggest reading our genealogy tips for Italy. They include practical advice for research in Campania and specifically in Laviano.
Population trends in Laviano
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Laviano from the Italian Unification (1861). Understanding how many people lived in the town over time is useful when interpreting migration and family movements.
Church Records in Laviano
Church archives in Salerno province often preserve information that predates civil records. Parish registers include baptisms, marriages and burials and sometimes allow you to push your family tree back into the 1700s and 1600s.
In many areas of Campania, parish registers began around the 1500s. These manuscripts are not easy to access from abroad and can be hard to read without specific training.
Our local genealogists, graduated in history and archival studies, can consult the parish archives of Laviano on your behalf and reconstruct your family history through the centuries.
Notary records and other historical sources
Another important source of information is represented by notary documents, which preserve wills, dowries, property sales and contracts. These records are usually kept in provincial and State Archives and can provide valuable details on the social and economic life of your family.
Planning a visit to Laviano
From our experience, if you plan to visit Laviano we always recommend starting the research months before your arrival. This way you avoid spending your holidays in offices or churches dealing with bureaucracy.
Remember that archives are not open to the general public and officers or priests are not required by law to grant direct access to the records.
With the results collected by our genealogist before your trip, you will have more time to enjoy the town and its surroundings, walking in the footsteps of your ancestors.
Professional help for research in Laviano
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Laviano area, write to laviano@italianside.com or fill the form here. Our expert will study your request and reply with a research plan and a quote tailored to your family history.
Messages from other visitors in Laviano
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Laviano forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Laviano with other people, feel free to leave a message.
I’ve traced my ancestors in Laviano back to Francesco Robertiello (d. 1825) who was married to Maria Falivena (d. 24 March 1825). I am unable to get the family tree back any farther. If anyone is doing research on the Robertiellos I’d be grateful for some hints.
My grandfather, Giovanni Panico was born in Laviano between 1878 and 1880 and emigrated to the United States and lived in Newark NJ. He married a woman by the name of Mary Fallivene and had 13 children 2 of which were stillborn. My father was one of those 11 children. It would be interesting to know if I have any family still in Laviano.
Hello Al. My grandmother Angelina Panico is the sister of Giovanni. He was written up as a great tailor in The history of Newark, volume 3 page 340. I will gladly send you a copy of the article.
I have some information on Giovanni Panico, he being the brother of my grandmother Angelina Panico DeVito.
Giovanni Panico was my grandmothers brother. I do have some information on him and an article of him being a tailor in Newark. You can contact me.
My great grandfather was born in Laviano, 1871 . His name was Nicola Bozzone . I think his parents were Angelomaria Bozzone and Angelamaria Batista Forcella. In 1890 he was living in Santomenna and he got married to Angelamaria Fasano.
Antonio Pietro Panico emigrated from Laviano in the 1870s. His wife Maria (née Zecca) came from Calabritto, Avellino. Both were born in 1852.
They were my great grandparents.
For reasons that aren’t clear, after having lived in the Philadelphia area for a number of years, they started using the surname “Penico.” So the older children were named Panico and the younger ones — including my grandfather — had a last name of Penico.
My grandmother, Beatrice Caccavale, emigrated to America in 1900. According to the ship’s manifest, the last place she was lived in Italy was Laviano. My father used to tell me she came from Nola. We went to the municipe in Nola last year and there were no birth records for her. She was born on August 24, 1879. Her father was Gregorio Caccavale (born 1850). Her mother was Antonetta Ciccone (also born 1850). Would it be possible that she was born in Laviano? Is this a common name? Is it possible to get her birth records? Thank you, Gregory Ciardi
My grandfather Gerard Laviano is from Laviano, Italy. My father Giovanni Laviano (the youngest of 6 children) was born in New York in 1913 so my grandfather came here before then. I grew up with my mother’s family (Sicilian’s) so I know very little about my father’s… most of them have passed away. I am 74 now.
My grandfather was born in Salerno in 1857 . His name was Giuseppi Travisano
My grandparents came from this area around 1900 and are described as “lavianese” and sovianese. I assume one of them was from Laviano, and the other from Saviano. The names were Carmela Nicastro and Frank DiPiano. Would there be any surnames of that type in the records there? I am visiting in November 2015. Thank you