There's a kind of journey unlike any other. It's not a vacation, it's not a pilgrimage. It's something more intimate: a return to the places where it all began, through the alleys of your grandparents' villages, the surnames on the gravestones, the flavors of a cuisine that's been brought halfway around the world. It's called root tourism, and in 2026 it became a phenomenon of extraordinary proportions.
Projections from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs speak clearly: this year, 7,4 million arrivals in Italy are expected from Italians of Italian descent and Italians abroad, for a total expenditure exceeding €5,5 billion. This number would be unthinkable without considering the source of their origins: the millions of people worldwide with Italian blood in their veins, spread across every corner of the planet—and largely in South America.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile: these are the countries where communities of Italian origin are largest and most deeply rooted. Generations raised on the tales of their great-grandparents who left Calabria, Veneto, Sicily, and Campania. Families who still cook pasta with dialect names, who keep documents in Italian in tin boxes, who bear surnames that in Buenos Aires or Porto Alegre still have a Ligurian or Apulian flavour.
Those who choose this type of trip often aren't looking for a resort. They're looking for answers. They want to put a face to the stories they heard as children, to understand where they really come from. For many South American families of Italian origin, a trip to Italy is an act of identity passed down like a ritual: the first grandchild to set foot in their great-grandfather's hometown, a photo taken in front of the family home, a meal in a trattoria serving the same dishes—albeit with different names—that are still eaten in Rosario or Montevideo.
Summer 2026 is the perfect time for those who've always put it off, and if we can help you with information, itineraries, and more on italiani.it, we can only be happy!
