Genealogy in Polla
Tracing your Italian roots back to Polla (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 Polla.
Polla 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 Polla
Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Polla, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Caggiano, Cancro, Curcio, D’Amico, Damico, Del Bagno, Esposito, Langone, Maltempo, Manzione, Medici, Priore, Sacco, Sarno, Stabile 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 Polla 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 Polla 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 Polla
If your ancestors came from Polla, 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 Polla
Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Polla are usually preserved in:
- Polla City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages and deaths) available from 1809 onwards.
- Polla 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 Polla
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 Polla from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Polla, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Polla during the past centuries, the City Office of Polla 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 Polla.
- 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 Polla.
Population trends in Polla
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Polla 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 Polla
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 Polla on your behalf and reconstruct your family history through the centuries.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Polla:
CRISTO RE E S. CUORE DI GESU’ – P.zza Cristo Re
S. NICOLA DEI LATINI E S. MARIA DEI GRECI – P.zza Margherita
SANTI PIETRO APOSTOLO E BENEDETTO – Via S. Maria delle Grazie
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 Polla
From our experience, if you plan to visit Polla 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 Polla
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Polla area, write to polla@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 Polla
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Polla forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Polla with other people, feel free to leave a message.
We have been trying to locate Francesco Paolo Marino in Polla records and we cannot locate him. Born circa 1855 – we checked several years before and after that year. His father’s name was Giacomo Marino and his mother’s name was Caterina.
Thank you
Hi,
Looking for information on Gerardo Curcio who married Vincenza Ragognetti in Polla. They came to NY with 5 children. Any connections ?
My fathers family is from Polla my grandfather was Antonio D’Amico. I know he had a brother Carmine D’Amico. My father visited Polla and found his relatives. Unfortunately my Dad had passed and I am planning a trip to Italy and would like to connect with cousins there! My father was Raffeale D’Amico. He visited Polla in the 1990’s
Hello from the USA. I am researching information on my great grandparents Angelo Zitto and Rosa(Rosina) Medici or Matici. . They were farmers and lived in Polla Salerno Campania.His parents were Giuseppe Zitto and Francesca Romano;her parents were Nicola Medici and Vincenza Romamo..Angelo was born in 1860 and Rosa was born about 1865 or so. I would appreciate any information I can receive as I am an older woman who will never get the chance to come to Italy in person to do research. Grazie, Valerie
Hello, I am looking for any info on Gennaro Cupolo. I am trying to confirm he was from Polla. He was born 1852 and immigrated to Harlem NY in the United States in 1876. He was married to Rosaria Ammenne born 1853 and had a daughter lorita who was 1 year old at the time of their immigration. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,
Vincent Cupolo
busco antecedentes de ascendientes ITALIANOS , familiares de Ida Silvia Berenice Medici nacida en Polla , alrededor del año 1870 , fallecio en Buenos Aires y es mi abuela . Se caso en argentina en 1897 , con Antonio Greco italiano de Pizzo Calabria. Gracias
My name is Mark Bufano, I am trying to research my grandfathers family. His name was Carmine Bufano born 5/10/1874. His parents names were Alfonzo Bufano and Teresa Moccia. A brother Vincenzo and a sister Felicia. My grandfather lived in both Polla and America. I believe he returned to Polla in 1941 and died there. I have heard his records may be in a bibloteca there in Polla. Looking for help. Grazie, Mark Bufano in America
Hi Mark, my name is Corina, I´m from Argentina. The name of my great-grandfather was Vincenzo Bufano; we might have some family connection in common. My grandfather was Paolo Bufano and he arrived in Argentina in 1948.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am researching the ancestry of a couple from Polla, Salerno. Here are the data I hold about them:
Vincenzo Medici, married to Maria Giuseppa Curcio, had issue:
Rosa Medici, born in Polla, Salerno, on 10th September, 1868, married 7th December, 1886 in Polla Nicola Maria Michelangelo Sica, born in Sasso di Castalda, Potenza, 29th September, 1865 (the son of Rocco Sica [1835-1925] and wife, Maria Teresa Dotti [died before 1890]; paternal grandparents Nicola Maria and wife, Caterina Romanzzo).
Thank you in advance for any info on these people above.
Best regards,
Eduardo
Trying to locate the 1855 birth record of Francesco Marino- Parents were Giamcomo Marino and Caterina Mazza. Francesco was born in Polla
Ciao Joan: I also am looking for tis exact same information. I am the granddaughter of Francesco Paolo Marino. Where do you live. Please respond to me . Bernie
Hi Joan
I am Francesco Marino’s great grandson. I would like to know more about your inquiry.
I am looking for info on the couple Vincenzo Medici x Maria Giuseppa Curcio. They had a daughter’s, Rosa Médici, botn in Polla in 1868 and married in Polla on January, 1886 Nicola Maria Michelangelo Sica, born 1865 in Sasso do Castalda, Potrnza.
Vincenzo parents were Antonio Medici and Giuseppa Perone or perhaps Cerone married 23 Nov 1854, Polla… Maria Giuseppa Curcio was the daughter of Francesco Curcio (son of Vito Curcio) Her mother was Francesca Bufano. Francesco and Francesca were married Jan or perhaps Feb 1815. Maria Giuseppa had several sisters and brothers.
I have been researching Polla and San Rufo for a few years now. My GG grandparents were Carmine Curcio 1804-1854 and Rosaria Emanuella Bufano 1797-1881 from Polla.. No connection to your Curcio and Bufano as of yet. I’ll keep searching… I only have access to the indexes for 1806 through 1865 with me now, so my info is a bit sketchy.
I visit Polla in 2011 and I found out my italian roots there! My great great great grandparents were Lorenzo Camera (born in 1832) and Carminella Bufano (born in 1839) and she was the daughter of Francesco Paolo Bufano. Common old family names in Polla were Amen, Curcio (originally Curzio…an important family of doctors), D’Amico, D’Amato, Cancro, Manzione, Bracco and Tramontano. The Comune di Polla was very helpful with my research and I will next try the churches and the cemetery. Thre are members of the Manzione family living in Brazil, Argentina, France and the United States.
Hi, great news!!! Do you have any contact of the comune di Polla. I am searching my gran father , who was born between 1865 and 1868 , his name was Mazza Gabriele Arcnagelo . Thanks!
Hi there! I just found ( thanks to a wonderful women ) that my Family is from Polla Salerno. My great-great grandmother Louise Curcio. Her husband Francesco Pistone mother is Anna D’Amico. If we have any relation I would love to hear from you.
My GGG grandparents were Francesco Paolo Bufano and Madalena Medici, is this your family. Mark
Hi! I´m Corina and I think there are a lot of Francescopaolos in the Bufano family. I would love to have more info about the family. Do you have more information about them? Thanks!!
Hello PLM, my name is Ernesto Medici. I am looking for information about Francesco Medici (born 1823) and Antonia Priore (1821), parents of my great-grandfather, Antonio Medici (born 1851 in Polla). In the Commune I found Antonio’s birth and his documents but I found nothing about Francesco and Antonia. I appreciate any information you can provide me. I am very grateful to you in advance.
My grandmother on my fathers side is a Medici. Would love to piece together others. Still strong roots in Polla to this day.
Hello, and thank you for your helpful site.
Many migrants in my family came from Polla, having emigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1910. The surnames are Uglia, D’Amato, La Cerra, Coppola, Manzione, Verderosa*, De Flora*, Vetrano*, Ferraro* (not as sure about the * relatives coming from Polla).
I will be in Salerno at the Archive di stato di Salerno in October, and I have no idea how difficult it will be to do research there, not knowing where to begin! I have only a few days there, as I hope to visit Polla.
While in Polla, I would like to visit churches and look for family records, and perhaps, church cemeteries so I can look for graves.
I wrote to the Comune di Polla twice to inquire about churches and cemeteries where I should look, and received no reply both times.
Any advice about how to begin would be most helpful.
Also, I will be arriving by train and bus from Salerno, and will be on foot.
Grazie mille.
My grandfather was Anthony Verderosa from Polla, Italy.
Do you know the names of Vincenzo La Scala’s brothers or his father’s name?
Brothers Louis and Charles came to America and brother Anthony stayed in Italy
My cousins mother s family is a Medici from Polla
Dear Mike,
I have seen a number of Medici recorded at Ellis Island but what called my attention was that the first names were very familiar to my Medici family from Polla.
My great-grandfather was Rosa Medici, born Polla 1868, daughter of Vincenzo Medici and Maria Giuseppa Curcio, married at Polla in 1854. Paternal granddaughter of Antonio Medici & wife Giuseppa Perone; maternal granddaughter of Francesco Curcio & wife Francesca Bufano. Francesco Curcio born about 1790-95 was the son of Vito Curcio, born about 1770.
Looking for information on the Medici family? or Rosa Pansia, Carmilla Conero, Margarita Mariani (Great-great Grandparents) Thinking about visiting Polla?
seeking info on Bartolomeo Aromando 3-11-1894-5? Born in Polla
Also seeking info Carmella Tutina also born Polla born in Polla 1897-9
Any follow up greatly appreciated
Looking for any information on my Grandfather, Francesco Paolo Marino Born in Polla, Salerno in the 1880’s. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Berenice Pepe
Seeking information on my Grandfather Vincenzo La Scala. DOB 06/06/1883. Emmigrated to the United States thru Ellis Island @1911. Town of origin was Polla.