ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE
While going through the process ourselves of being recognized as Italian citizens, we realized that before long, we were pros. The process in having Italian citizenship recognition via jure sanguinis can be complicated and confusing, and from day 1 we've been determined to help others by making the process as easy and smooth as possible for our clients, while offering an affordable price that won't break the bank.
As such, BecomeItaliani came to Life!
Our favorite part of our work is being able to help fellow paesani reconnect with their culture, their Italian heritage, and understand more about where they come from, who they come from, and who they are as Italian Americans. The journey to obtaining dual citizenship is a beautiful one, and we feel honored to be able to help our clients reconnect with their roots and have that same incredible feeling we did when finally getting that Italian passport in hand.
MEET THE CO-FOUNDERS
We're proud Italian-Americans, dual citizens of the U.S. and Italy, with Italian ancestors throughout Southern Italy. When you combine two paesani, with law and engineering backgrounds who speak Italian, have lived in Italy and traveled around the world, you get one incredible team of dedicated citizenship experts, passionate about helping fellow paesani, day and night, in obtaining their Italian citizenship.Â
We are dedicated professionals, and our clients have the benefit of feeling like famiglia while working with us.
CHRISTINA PREJEAN
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Christina is a lawyer, licensed in California and Florida. Also a military veteran, Christina served 6 years in the U.S. Air Force and spent a year deployed to Afghanistan. She holds a BA in Political Science and Spanish, a Masters in Public Administration and her Juris Doctorate degree. She speaks Italian and Spanish and has lived in Italy, Afghanistan, Ecuador, Spain and Argentina and has explored 47 countries.
Christina is the proud dog mamma to Bella, who has her own Pet Passport and has traveled to 17 countries.
Christina's Italian ancestors hail from Poggiomarino, Naples, and her great-grandparents emigrated to Buffalo, New York in the early 1900s. She obtained her Italian citizenship recognition via jure sanguinis while living in a small town in Umbria, Italy. While researching her Italian ancestry in Italy, she found and reconnected with her Italian family and has cherished their connection ever since.
ANTHONY CALVANESE
Coming from just north of Atlanta, Georgia, Anthony is a licensed Professional Engineer and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology. After working in the engineering industry for a decade, he decided to take a break and pursue his passion for travel and have a different experience. He spent a gap year in Italy, where he got his Italian citizenship recognized and fell in love with the country's rich culture and history. He traveled to all 20 Italian regions and plans to continue exploring and digging deeper.
In addition to co-founding BecomeItaliani, Anthony also runs AnthonyinItaly.com, where he provides Italy travel recommendations, an writes about his experiences and insights into Italian life and travel.
Anthony now splits his time between Atlanta and Italy (and anywhere he happens to find a flight deal to).