The Roman painting seems to resemble the Italian Prime Minister
The fresco of an angel inside the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Rome is thought to resemble Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
If you have Italian ancestry and thought you might someday apply for citizenship, the task may be even more difficult.
Italy’s Constitutional Court on March 12 upheld a 2025 law restricting citizenship to people with Italian parents or grandparents. Previously, a legal provision known as “proof of citizenship” allowed people to prove their citizenship going back to their great-grandparents and beyond. blood rights.
Under its “right of blood” rules, anyone who could prove they had Italian ancestors who lived after March 17, 1861, when Italy became a nation, could obtain citizenship and apply for an Italian passport. Italian passports are extremely popular as they allow visa-free entry to more countries than any other nationality.
This ability to travel beyond the European Union and immigrate to Italy and other EU countries is what makes Italian dual citizenship attractive, according to Italian Citizenship Assistance, a California company that helps Americans obtain dual citizenship. According to the U.S. Census, nearly 17 million Americans may have Italian ancestry.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, for whom the law is named, criticized abuses of the system after a surge in the number of foreigners granted citizenship. “Being an Italian citizen is a big deal. It’s not easy to get a passport that allows you to shop in Miami,” Tajani said in March 2025, when the new rules were proposed, according to Reuters.
The court rejected a challenge that argued that the rule, which became law in May 2025, should not apply retroactively to descendants of Italians born before the new law took effect. In the coming months, the court will consider additional constitutional challenges to the law.
“This is not yet a complete ruling, but it is already clear that the court will not entertain constitutional challenges that involve claims of citizenship beyond the third generation,” Renata Bueno, a Brazilian-born, Italian-based lawyer and former Italian lawmaker, told Courthouse News. “This law remained as proclaimed and was later approved by the Italian Parliament.”
Italian citizenship rules become stricter
The new law provides that Italian citizenship can be granted to those whose parents are Italian citizens born in Italy or whose parents are Italian citizens born abroad and who have lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years before the applicant’s birth. People who were born in Italy and have grandparents who are Italian citizens are also eligible.
Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought to cope with the surge in people acquiring citizenship abroad, particularly in South America, where millions of Italians emigrated to escape poverty in their home countries in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad increased by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million. In Argentina alone, the number of Italian citizens recognized increased from 20,000 in 2023 to 30,000 in 2024, and in Brazil from 14,000 to 20,000.
According to Reuters, Italy’s population is around 59 million and has been declining for the past decade. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that between 60 million and 80 million people worldwide were eligible for citizenship under the old rules.
Tajani has previously said city halls are overburdened by paying companies to help track down documents needed for citizenship applications.
“We are harshly attacking those who try to make money from the opportunity to become Italian citizens,” Tajani said, adding that in the future citizenship applications would be processed directly in Rome, reducing the burden on consulates around the world.
Contributed by: Reuters
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
