For decades, Italian-American chefs, bakers, and culinary dreamers have used Italy’s Jure Sanguinis (citizenship by descent) law as a gateway not just to a passport, but to a deeper, more immersive connection with their ancestral roots.

They’ve apprenticed with village nonnas, trained in small-town trattorias, and walked through vineyards their great-grandparents once worked—only to return to America and open restaurants that celebrate this living tradition. But in early 2025, Italy quietly closed the door to many of them.