Ciao a tutti!

I have two updates to share about our Italian citizenship project - though I should note upfront that neither is particularly encouraging.

Regarding the property search Dad and I initiated in Ceprano: We've received the final report about our ancestor Lupi Arduino's building on Via Dante Alighieri, and unfortunately, the property no longer exists.

After extensive investigations by our lawyer, it has been discovered that the property, which was classified as a ruined and uninhabitable building, no longer exists. The location where our ancestor's building once stood is now a road, with no surviving documentation from before 1955 to confirm the original ownership.

Our legal team conducted a thorough investigation, working with both local authorities and a professional surveyor. The Municipality of Ceprano could not find any building permits or records related to the property, and the historical context suggests that in the aftermath of World War II, many properties were likely cleared or expropriated without proper documentation. (While we were in Ceprano, we saw a parking lot that used to be a church, but the church was bombed in WWII, and it was never rebuilt.) Given these circumstances, Dad and I have decided not to pursue any further legal action regarding this property.

The second update concerns our citizenship court case costs. The Italian government has implemented new court filing regulations that impact our case in a pretty expensive way.

Here's what's changed: The Italian courts have dramatically increased their filing fees. Previously, the court filing fee was €518 total for our case, and this was included in our lawyer's €9,500 fee. Now, the courts are charging €600 per person (not per case). With ten petitioners, this means we're looking at €6,000 in court fees alone, on top of our lawyer's original €9,500 fee, bringing the total cost of this process for all of us to €15,500. 

Here's what this means for upcoming payments (all amounts shown are per person, based on splitting between 10 people):

Our legal team has emphasized that we must pay the full court filing fee at the time of filing to avoid complications with our case. I know these amounts, particularly the new €600 court fee, might be challenging for some of us to manage, and, though I wish it weren't so, I completely understand if it prevents some family members from participating in the petition.

I'll be contacting our legal team to confirm the exact filing timeline, which will help everyone assess whether they can meet these financial commitments within the required timeframe.

I did just hear from them the other day that our case is basically ready to file once they get one document back from Ceprano, so I don't think we have a very long wait to be ready to file.

I know this isn't an easy decision, but if you need to withdraw from the petition due to these increased costs, please let me know as soon as you can. The sooner I know, the better I can work with our lawyers to adjust our plans. As always, I'm here if you have any questions or concerns.

Abbracci,
Noah