Genealogy in Piaggine
Tracing your Italian roots back to Piaggine (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 Piaggine.
Piaggine 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 Piaggine
Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Piaggine, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Bianco, Bruno, Butrico, Cavallo, D’Andrea, D’Elia, Di Perna, Nigro, Petraglia, Petrone, Pipolo, Rizzo, Ruotolo, Tommasino, Vairo 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 Piaggine 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 Piaggine 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 Piaggine
If your ancestors came from Piaggine, 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 Piaggine
Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Piaggine are usually preserved in:
- Piaggine City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages and deaths) available from 1809 onwards.
- Piaggine 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 Piaggine
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 Piaggine from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Piaggine, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Piaggine during the past centuries, the City Office of Piaggine 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 Piaggine.
- 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 Piaggine.
Population trends in Piaggine
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Piaggine 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 Piaggine
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 Piaggine 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 Piaggine
From our experience, if you plan to visit Piaggine 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 Piaggine
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Piaggine area, write to piaggine@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 Piaggine
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Piaggine forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Piaggine with other people, feel free to leave a message.
Looking for information on Giacchino Filazzola who came to Bronx NY in 1907. He was born in 1888. Married in NY in 1914 to Angelina Vesce. Going to Piaggine in September 2024 and would love to see where it all started
Hi all –
I am looking for information about my great-grandfather Emilio Nigro, his wife Antonia Bruno, and their child Carmella Nigro Bruno. birth dates for the parents are 1875, and 1898 for Carmella. They came to the US shortly after Carmella’s birth. Any connections out there, by chance?
Hi Cathrine,
I may have a connection. My maternal great – great – great grandmother is Maria Bruno and Vincenzo Nigro is my XXX grandfather for some reason I feel like I remember someone in my family saying we had someone in our family line who both married siblings. I’m not sure if that makes sense.
I am researching the ancestors of Joseph Grazioso, who was born in Piaggine on 16 May 1906. I have no information as to his mother or father’s name. I know he has/had one brother, Carmello and think he had several other siblings, one a girl that the family gave up.
I would appreciate any help.
Thank you
I am researching the family of Nicko Morena who immigrated from Piaggine in 1920 to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His wife, Angela Maria Scala and daughter Carmella Morena came in 1926. Please let me know if anyone has information on the family.
I knew a Nicola Morena who was from the nearby Village of Felitto. My Grandparents were from Felitto.My Great grandmothers family were from Piaggine. The last name was Prinzo
My ancestors are also from Piaggine, with the last name of Prinzo!
Hi Julie,
I am Nicola and Angela Maria Morena’s granddaughter. I have some information of course
I am trying to research family from Piaggine….Alfonso Petraglia his date of birth July 16 1895 who immigrated to South Plainfield N.J. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Arthur
Hello,Arthur My name is Anthony from Pittsburgh PA. do have any relations in Pittsburgh? My grandfather was from Piaggine.
My family is petrone from piaggine if you can help
I believe I have Petrone family members in Piaggine as well. My great grandfather was adopted. His name was Vittorio Petrone. His nephew(?) was born there I believe.
Francesco
My grandmothers name is Benedettina Vairo, my mother said her father was the major of Piaggine Italy, Are my relatives still there? And how can I speak to them if I don’t speak Italian? I would like to visit and find out more about my mothers family. My mother is gone now and no one knows history. Grandmother was concert violinist when she came to America but I don’t know when?
Can you give me any information, I saw current mayor has last name of Vairo? Thank you for any information. Kimberly in North Carolina.
Hi Kim I’m Vairo too.
Me and my family are making a family tree
Hi. My Grandfather lived in Piaggine before coming to America. Luigi (Sp?) Vairo, Born 1892. Any connection? I’m not sure if he was born there. his mother was a Patrone I believe.
i am too!
Hi Kim – there actually was also Aida Vairo who married Vicente Calabria (who by then had already emigrated to Brazil) in Piaggine and took her with him to Corumbá in the state of Mato Grosso In Brazil… My grandfather, was his brother – so they were my uncle and ant
To the Vairo families… The Vairo’s in Piaggine are also DNA linked with the Vairo’s from neighboring town of Sacco. The large Vairo families are still in both towns.
Hi Lisa! I’m a Vairo too. Grandparents Giovanni Vairo and Angelina Bruno both from Piaggine!
Io sono Nigro di cognome e vivo a Piaggine ITALIA,
Ho dei parenti in NC che portano il mio cognome
i know my family is from piaggine.
grandfather gaetano married josephine sacco
grandfather 3 brothers 3 sisters
migrated to NYC 1906
paisano POLITO,PICCOLO
my grandfather was angelo raphael diperna came to the United States in late 1800’s. my grandmother was rose sacco. would like to find any family that I have in Piaggine.
Hope you can help me. thank you.
Hi! My father is 99 and half ! Last name is petraglia , he grew up in queens ny but his ancestors were from piaggine, I would like to make a trip there , did you visit ? How did you find the relatives?
Hy Ellen ti aspetto a Piaggine
I am arriving in Salerno in mid October to research a family that came to America in 1887 from Piaggine. I have found their marriage in 1886 in Piaggine and the birth of their first son, Vincenzo in 1887. Their names are Morena and Petraglia.
Is it possible to see the church records and civil records in Piaggine when I visit? Could you offer any advise. I have their dates and names as well as their parents names. I have found their marriage certificate in Piaggine and the birth of their son in Piaggine.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you
Joan Morales
I am researching the family of Nicola Morena who immigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1920. His wife Angela Scala and daughter Carmella came in 1926.were you able to find any Morena family members still in the town Piaggine.
Joan, I am starting my research. My grandfather came from Piaggine and his last name was Petraglia. He married a Bruno in NYC – so I have limited information. I know a long time has passed since your query. Did you have any success?