Italian Vital Records
The Italian Government officially begun to keep civil vital records when the country was unified between 1860 and 1870. In much of Southern Italy, they begun in 1866. In most of Northern Italy, they begun from 1839 to 1871. Most areas in Italy were already keeping civil records from 1809 to 1865. These are referred to as the Napoleonic records, because when Napoleon took control of most of Italy in 1806, he urged comunes to start to keep civil birth, marriage and death records. Below there are descriptions of the Italian civil records
Atto di Nascita (Birth Act), Pubblicazioni or Notificazioni (Marriage Banns), Atto di Matrimonio (Marriage Act), Processetti or Allegati (Supplemental Marriage Records), Atto di Morte (Death Act)
Civil birth records in Italy were created in the casa comunale (town hall) by the officer of the vital records (usually the mayor of the town). The baby had to be physically present at the town hall in order to record the birth, so the birth was usually registered a day or two after the event.
The father of the baby was usually the informant (the person registering the birth), although frequently the midwife performed this service. In some towns during certain years, you will always find the midwife performing this service because it was considered part of her job. Occasionally another third party (such as a neighbor or relative) may have been the informant.
The clerk would record the date, time and place of the registration, along with the name, age, occupation and residence of the informant. The parents' names, ages, occupations and residence would also be noted. The birth information includes the date, time and place of birth as well as the baby's name and sex. Two witnesses were usually required and their names, ages, occupations and residences were also included. If any of the parties were able to write, they would sign their name at the end of the document.
Pubblicazioni or Notificazioni (Marriage Banns)
The first document that an engaged couple recorded at the town hall was the wedding banns, called pubblicazioni or notificazioni in Italian. This document had to be recorded in the town of birth of both the bride and groom. If they were born in different towns, you will find two copies, one recorded in each town. The pubblicazioni contain the date, time and place of its creation, as well as the name and title of the official recording it (usually the mayor in small towns). This recording process usually took place at least several weeks before the planned marriage. The document also provides the names, ages, occupations, birthplaces and residences of the betrothed, as well as similar information about their parents. Two witnesses and their information were also included.
As the banns were read aloud to the public and posted on the appropriate days, the clerk recorded these facts on the document and signed it, proving that the correct process was followed.
Atto di Matrimonio (Marriage Act)
The actual wedding ceremony always took place in the church, but civil authorities required the civil marriage to be registered at the casa comunale (town hall). Sometimes this registration occurred shortly before the wedding, in which case the document will be the atto di solenne promessa di matrimonio (the promise to marry). Sometimes it was registered shortly after the wedding, in which case the document will be the atto di matrimonio. In some cases, the clerk just used whatever form was available and its title has nothing to do with when it was recorded. In either case, the information included in both of these documents is essentially the same.
Recording the marriage required the presence of not only the bride and groom, but their parents and four witnesses. The bride and groom had to present all appropriate documentation (the processetti) at this time.
Processetti or Allegati (Supplemental Marriage Records)
The processetti or allegati are the documents that the bride and groom had to present to be married. Generally, they consist of their birth records, the death records of their parents (if they are no longer living), the pubblicazioni of the wedding banns, and proof that there was no opposition to their union. If both parents and the paternal grandfather of the bride or groom were dead, the death record of the paternal grandfather may also be part of the processetti. If either the bride or groom had been married before, the death record of the late spouse would also be included.
These documents that the bride and groom presented were really extracts of the originals. The clerks would use special forms to extract the information from the original book. These extracts are almost identical to the original documents. A birth extract looks just like a birth record, a pubblicazioni extract looks just like the original pubblicazioni, and a death extract looks just like the original death record.
If the processetti are available for the town and time period of your ancestors, they are definitely worth seeking. They may be especially important if some of the documents are not otherwise available. For example, if the death record of your ancestor's paternal grandfather precedes the availability of the microfilmed records, you may find an extract of that record in the processetti.
The death record, atto di morte, like all records of the Stato Civile, was recorded at the casa comunale. Two informants, usually friends, neighbors, or sometimes relatives of he deceased would register the death. The recording officer would usually accompany the informants to view the body of the deceased, although sometimes the informants would bring two additional witnesses instead, especially in more recent years and in large cities.
The death record usually includes the date and place that the document was recorded and the name and title of the clerk. The names, ages, occupations and residences of the informants are also stated. The date and time of the death, along with the deceased's name, age, occupation and residence are listed. Information about the deceased's spouse, father and mother is also usually included. Very rarely will the cause of death be noted. When it is recorded, it is usually something vague, like fever or plague, since medical science was not very advanced at that time.
The death record may be particularly valuable when your ancestor's birth and marriage precede the beginning of the civil records in about 1809. Sometimes it is the only way to determine the parents of your ancestor. It is possible to discover two or even three generations using death records alone. Researching death records of the early nineteenth century allows you to discover ancestors born in the early 1700's, even though the civil records don't begin until 1809.
For more information about Italian vital records: Link