Category: DNA research

This guide offers a friendly introduction for those living abroad who want to start tracing their roots in Bagni di Lucca using online resources. While it’s not exhaustive, it’s designed to help you begin your genealogical journey remotely. I’ll update this guide as new sources and offline records become available. About Bagni di Lucca Before…

I’m Getting Overwhelmed—But Then, a Breakthrough! Two years into the project and I felt overwhelmed. I had clear genetic evidence linking Ghilardo Illidi to the Buonamici line, likely a descendant of Leopoldo and Maria Anna Buonamici, who had settled in San Cassiano in the 1860s. Yet, I lacked definitive proof. Given the complex web of…

Since I was little, I’ve often been asked about the origin of my Illidi surname. Whenever I asked my dad, he would respond with the same line: “It’s a made-up name because my bisnonno [great grandfather] was adopted.” As a child, I accepted this as the full story: I had an ancestor with unknown parents…