Over the past year, work has been undertaken on a surname-mapping project focused on the Domenici families of Bagni di Lucca.
The project has been documented in a three-part blog series, in which the methodology and early findings are outlined. These posts trace the development of the study, from an initial research question to the emergence of wider family networks across multiple villages.
To date, more than 320 events have been identified in civil records, resulting in approximately 250 new individuals being added to the database. The majority of these entries are connected to the villages of Limano and Benabbio, both of which are proving central to understanding the distribution of the Domenici surname in the area.
In addition to the Domenici, a number of associated surnames have been identified through marriages, witnesses, and extended family connections.
From Limano, these include:
Bacci, Licci, Morandi, Tarlattini, Zonzi, Magi, Storti, Nerici, and Angeli.
From Benabbio, the following surnames appear:
Michelini, Giusti, Cianelli, Franceschi, Marchi, and Giuliani.
The individuals identified so far span a broad chronological range, with births (estimated or recorded) dating from 1734 to 1910. As is common in projects of this scale, some individuals currently have limited information and may represent duplicate entries. These have been retained as separate individuals pending further confirmation.
Although the original research question—the precise origins of Maria Domenici—has not yet been resolved, a clearer picture of the surname’s distribution is beginning to emerge. The Domenici appear to have strong roots in Limano and Benabbio, with connections extending into surrounding villages, including San Cassiano.
The project remains ongoing. Future work will focus on refining these connections, consulting additional archival material, and exploring further methods—including DNA analysis—to help address remaining uncertainties. Further details on the approach and findings can be found in the three-part blog series, where the surname-mapping process is described step by step. One blog post is already out, and can be found here, the others are scheduled for April and May.
In the next blog post, a practical step-by-step guide will be introduced for those wishing to map a surname within their own area.
You might also be interested in some of our other stories…
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Database and Website Update – April and May 2026
Over the past year, work has been undertaken on a surname-mapping project focused on the Domenici families of Bagni di Lucca. The project has been documented in a three-part blog series, in which the methodology and early findings are outlined. These posts trace the development of the study, from an initial research question to the…
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Hunting the Domenici: Reconstructing a Family in Bagni di Lucca – Part 1
The Mystery and the Method This project began with a gap in the records. I was searching for the parents of my own ancestor, Maria Domenici, who was born in 1822—unfortunately within the narrow range of years for which records are not yet available online. What is known is that she died in July 1858,…
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Women on the Move: How Marriage Patterns Shaped Bagni di Lucca
The women who shaped our villages. In 19th-century Tuscany, it was almost always the woman who moved. When she married, she left her birth village behind and started a new life in her husband’s community; sometimes just a few valleys away, sometimes much further. This tradition, known as patrilocal marriage, was common throughout rural Italy, and…
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When disease came to Bagni di Lucca: The cholera cemetery of Benabbio
If you’re researching your Italian family history, you’ve probably encountered mysterious gaps in records, sudden family relocations, or stories passed down about sickness and loss. The 1855 cholera epidemic that devastated the small village of Benabbio in Bagni di Lucca offers a powerful example of how disease could reshape entire communities—and family trees—in just a…
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Database & Website Update – August 2025
This update brings a significant expansion of the genealogy database, with nearly 400 new individuals, over hundreds of new source entries and media files, and four new blog posts under “Featured Stories” that have been released every 2-4 weeks since the last update in May 2025. Most additions are tied to an ongoing surname-mapping project…
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Beginner’s Guide to Researching Your Bagni di Lucca Heritage
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…
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