Genealogy in Massa

Tracing your Italian roots back to Massa (in Massa-Carrara province, Toscana 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 Massa.

Genealogy in Massa

If your ancestors came from Massa, in Massa-Carrara province (Toscana 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 Massa

Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Massa are usually preserved in:

• Massa City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages, deaths) from 1866 onwards.Before (1808–1865), Civil Status registers are preserved in historical archives.
• Massa parish churches: in Toscana religious registers, which can often take your research back to the 1600s and sometimes as far as the 1500s.

Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Massa

In towns and villages of Toscana and in Massa-Carrara province, as in Massa, civil registration offices were established in the Napoleonic era around 1809, continued under the Grand Duchy until 1865, and then merged into the unified Italian Civil Status after national unification.
Thus, the earliest modern registers for Tuscany date from 1808–1865, while records after 1866 belong to the Italian Civil Status.This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Massa from that year onwards.

(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Massa, please follow this link.)

If your ancestors lived in Massa during the past centuries, the City Office of Massa 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 Massa.
• 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 Toscana and specifically in Massa.

Surnames in Massa and Massa-Carrara province

It is important to know whether the surname you are researching is frequent in Massa.

The more common the surname, the more challenging it can be to identify the correct family branch, especially if you do not have precise dates.

The following gives an overview of some common surnames in the province:

some of the most common surnames in Massa-Carrara province are:
Andreazzoli, Baldini, Bartolini, Berti, Bianchini, Bonotti, Galli, Giusti, Lombardi, Lorenzini, Mallegni, Martinelli, Mazzei, Nardini, Pieri, Poli, Ricci, Rossi, Tognini, Tonelli.

Church Records in Massa

Church archives in Massa-Carrara 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 Toscana, 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 Massa 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 Massa:

S. PIO X – Localita’ Massa Poggioletto

S. PIETRO APOSTOLO E S. FRANCESCO D’ASSISI – P.zza Duomo, 1

S. PIETRO APOSTOLO – Fr.ne Forno

S. MARTINO VESCOVO – Localita’ Massa Ponte

S. MARIA ANNUNZIATA – Fr.ne Altagnana

S. LORENZO MARTIRE E S. MARIA ASSUNTA – Fr.ne Casette

S. GIUSEPPE – Localita’ Marina di Massa S. Giuseppe Ve

S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA – Fr.ne Pariana San Carlo – Pariana

S. GIORGIO MARTIRE E SS.ANNUNZIATA – Fr.ne Lavacchio – Lavacchio

S. GEMINIANO – Fr.ne Antona – Antona

S. DOMENICO – Fr.ne Turano di Massa

S. DOMENICHINO E S.TERESA DEL BAMBIN GESU’ – Localita’ Marina di Massa Poveromo

S. ANTONIO DA PADOVA – Fr.ne Ortola – Ortola

NOSTRA SIGNORA REGINA DELLA PACE – Fr.ne Massa Oliveti

NOSTRA SIGNORA DELLE GRAZIE – Localita’ Volpigliano

MARIA SS. AUSILIATRICE – Localita’ Quercioli

MARIA SS. ADDOLORATA – Loc. Romagnano

MADONNA PELLEGRINA – Loc. Cervara

MADONNA DEL PIANTO – Loc. Castagnola Castagnola

CRISTO RE – Loc. Castagnara

CORPUS DOMINI – Localita’ Villette

BEATA VERGINE DELLA CONSOLAZIONE – Localita’ Marina di Massa Dogana

BEATA VERGINE DEL CARMINE – Fr.ne Resceto – Resceto

S. SEBASTIANO – Largo Matteotti, 2

S. VINCENZO DE’ PAOLI – Localita’ Marina di Massa Ronchi

S. VITALE MARTIRE E S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA – Localita’ Mirteto

SANTI FILIPPO E GIACOMO APOSTOLI – Fr.ne Casania – Casania

SANTI ROCCO E GIACOMO – Localita’ Rocca

VISITAZIONE DELLA BEATA VERGINE MARIA – Localita’ Massa Monte

Planning a visit to Massa

From our experience, if you plan to visit Massa 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.

Messages from other visitors in Massa

Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Massa forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Massa with other people, feel free to leave a message.