From Ellis Island to Sicily: Reconnecting with Your Italian Roots

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More Italian-Americans trace their roots to Sicily than to any other part of Italy. For over a century, Sicilian families crossed the Atlantic in search of a better life. Today, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are making the journey back. This guide will help you plan your trip from Ellis Island to Sicily — and reconnect with the land your family left behind.

Why So Many Italian-Americans Are Sicilian

Between 1880 and 1930, roughly four million Italians emigrated to the United States. About half of them came from southern Italy and Sicily. Poverty, drought, and political neglect drove them out. They left behind their villages, their language, and their dead.

Most arrived at Ellis Island in New York. Immigration officers recorded their names — sometimes spelling them wrong, sometimes changing them entirely. A Catalano became a Catalan. A Lo Giudice became a Logiudice. The name on your birth certificate may look nothing like the name on your great-great-grandfather’s ship manifest.

But the towns they came from are still there. The churches are still standing. The civil records still exist. And when you walk the streets of your family’s village, something happens that is hard to explain. It feels like coming home to a place you have never been.

Start at Ellis Island Before You Land in Sicily

The best way to prepare for your Sicilian homecoming is to research your family before you leave. The more you know, the more meaningful the trip will be.

Start with the Ellis Island passenger database. Search for your ancestors using their surname and approximate arrival year. The records include the passenger’s name, age, hometown in Italy, and the name of the relative they were going to join in America.

From there, cross-reference with the Antenati portal, which gives free access to Italian civil records going back to 1809. If your family came from Sicily, you may find birth, marriage, and death records for your great-great-grandparents.

Already know your family’s hometown? Read our full guide: How to Trace Your Italian Ancestry – Step-by-Step Guide for Americans. It covers civil records, parish registers, and how to contact the comune directly.

Understanding your surname can also give you clues. Sicilian surnames often have Greek, Arab, or Norman origins. A name like Lombardo suggests ancestry from northern Italy. A name like Greco points to Greek settlement. Read more in our guide to Italian Surnames of Sicily.

Where to Fly In: Palermo or Catania

Sicily has two main international airports. Which one you use depends on where your family came from.

Palermo (Falcone–Borsellino Airport) is in the northwest. It serves families from Palermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, and Trapani provinces. These are among the most common areas of origin for Sicilian-Americans.

Catania (Catania-Fontanarossa Airport) is in the east. It serves families from Catania, Messina, Ragusa, and Syracuse (Siracusa) provinces. Taormina, Noto, and the Baroque towns of the southeast are all close to Catania.

If your family came from the western part of Sicily, fly into Palermo. If they came from the east, fly into Catania. If you are not sure, Palermo is the more historically significant entry point — and, arguably, the richer city for heritage tourism.

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Finding Your Ancestral Town

Most Sicilian-Americans know the name of the town their family came from. If you do not, passenger records are the best place to start. Ship manifests from the early 1900s usually list the passenger’s town of origin in Italy.

Once you have the town name, you can plan your visit. Sicily has 390 comuni (municipalities). Many of them are small hilltop towns that have changed little in a century. Your family’s street may still exist. Their house may still be standing.

When you arrive in the town, go to the Ufficio Anagrafe — the municipal registry office. This is where birth, marriage, and death records are kept. Bring copies of your family documents. Staff are often accustomed to Italian-Americans searching for their roots, and many are genuinely glad to help.

If the town has a Catholic church, visit it. Most Sicilian parishes have records going back to the 1600s. The priest may allow you to look at the old baptism registers. These records often contain details that civil records do not — godparents’ names, family relationships, even occupations.

For deeper guidance on planning this kind of visit, read our step-by-step article: How to Plan an Italian Heritage Trip to Your Ancestral Town.

Four Places Every Sicilian-American Should Visit

Sicily has 3,000 years of recorded history. It was Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Spanish, and finally Italian. Every one of these cultures left a mark — in the architecture, the food, the language, and the surnames.

Here are four places that matter most for heritage visitors.

Palermo

Sicily’s capital was one of the greatest cities in medieval Europe. Under Arab and Norman rule, it was home to mosques, churches, and synagogues, all within walking distance of each other. Today, the street markets of Ballarò and Vucciria look much as they did a century ago. If your family came from Palermo province, the central state archive — the Archivio di Stato di Palermo — holds records going back to the 16th century.

Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples

The Valley of the Temples is one of the best-preserved ancient Greek sites in the world. Seven Doric temples still stand on a ridge above the sea. Your ancestors walked past them every day. The city of Agrigento itself is a centre of Sicilian-American heritage — a large number of families in New York and New Jersey trace their roots to the Agrigento province.

Syracuse (Siracusa)

Syracuse was once the most powerful city in the Greek world, rivalling Athens in wealth and influence. Today it is a small, beautiful city built on an island called Ortygia. The baroque piazzas and limestone streets feel like a different Italy. The Diana Fountain at the centre of Ortygia is one of the most photographed spots in Sicily.

The Baroque Towns of the Southeast

Noto, Ragusa, and Modica were all destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake in 1693. They were rebuilt in pure Baroque style and are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If your family name is Modica, Ragusa, or Noto, it may have originated here.

What to Eat: The Flavours Your Grandparents Remembered

Sicilian food is different from Italian food. It carries the flavours of its Arab past — saffron, raisins, pine nuts, and cinnamon appear in savoury dishes. The street food of Palermo is unlike anything else in Italy.

Try these dishes at least once:

• Arancini — fried rice balls, stuffed with meat ragù or mozzarella. This is Sicily’s most famous street food.
• Pane e panelle — chickpea fritters in a soft roll, sold at street stalls in Palermo.
• Pasta con le sarde — pasta with sardines, fennel, raisins, and pine nuts. A dish that has not changed in centuries.
• Cannoli — not the version you know from Italian-American bakeries. The Sicilian original, freshly filled, is a different thing entirely.
• Granita — crushed ice with fruit syrup or almond milk. In Sicily, it is eaten for breakfast, with a brioche.

Many Italian-American families still make versions of these dishes. When you eat them in Sicily, you may recognise something from your grandmother’s kitchen. That recognition is part of what heritage travel is about.

Practical Planning: When to Go and How Long to Stay

The best months to visit Sicily are April, May, September, and October. The weather is warm but not extreme. The tourist crowds are smaller than in summer. The light is exceptional.

July and August are very hot — regularly above 35°C (95°F). The crowds are at their worst in coastal areas. If you can avoid summer, do.

How long should you stay? Ten to fourteen days is the minimum for a meaningful heritage trip. This gives you time to visit your ancestral town, explore two or three cities, and travel at a pace that allows you to actually experience the island rather than just check boxes.

Hire a car. Public transport in rural Sicily is limited. Many of the small hill towns your family came from are not reachable by train or bus. A car also gives you the freedom to stop when something catches your eye — which it will, constantly.

For a detailed day-by-day framework, see our full 7-Day Italian Ancestry Itinerary. It covers arrival, record-searching, and how to structure your time across multiple regions.

The Emotional Side of the Journey

No guide can fully prepare you for what it feels like to stand in the town your great-grandmother left as a teenager.

You may find her grave in the local cemetery. You may find her house, still standing. You may find distant cousins who share your name and your nose. You may find nothing — but still feel something shift inside you.

This is not tourism. It is something older than tourism. It is the human need to understand where you come from.

Many Italian-Americans report that the trip changes them. Not dramatically. Not like a film. But quietly. They come back knowing something they did not know before. And they carry it with them.

Families who emigrated from Calabria or Campania will find a similar emotional pull in those regions. Read about the surnames and migration patterns in Italian Surnames of Calabria and Italian Surnames of Campania to learn more about those provinces.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out which town in Sicily my family came from?

Start with the Ellis Island passenger database (libertyellisfoundation.org). Ship manifests from 1895–1930 list the passenger’s hometown in Italy. If your ancestor arrived before records were digitalised, try the Antenati portal or contact your local Italian consulate for assistance with genealogical research.

Can I access civil records in Sicily without speaking Italian?

Yes, though it helps to bring a few key phrases. Many office staff in larger towns have basic English. You can also hire a local genealogist — typically €50–€150 per day — who can search records on your behalf and translate findings. Several Sicilian-American heritage organisations also offer guided research services.

How common are Sicilian surnames in the United States?

Extremely common. Surnames like Rizzo, Catalano, Lombardo, Ferrara, Marino, and Messina are among the most widespread Italian-American surnames, all with strong Sicilian roots. For a full breakdown of origins and meanings, see our guide to Italian Surnames of Sicily.

What documents should I bring on a heritage trip to Sicily?

Bring copies of your family tree, any passport or naturalisation records you have found, ship manifests from Ellis Island, and your own identity documents. If you are researching dual citizenship through jure sanguinis (Italian citizenship by descent), you will need certified copies of birth and marriage records from both Italy and the United States.

Is Sicily safe for tourists?

Yes. Sicily is one of the safest regions in southern Europe for tourists. The Mafia imagery associated with Sicily is largely historical and cinematic. Cities like Palermo, Catania, and Syracuse are welcoming, well-served by tourism infrastructure, and easy to navigate. Standard travel precautions apply in busy city centres, as in any European city.

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You Might Also Enjoy

• How to Trace Your Italian Ancestry – Step-by-Step Guide for Americans
• How to Plan an Italian Heritage Trip to Your Ancestral Town
• Italian Surnames of Sicily – Origins, Meanings and Heritage

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