I also went to the Italian Consulate in Philadelphia. Be prepared for a long, frustrating journey, but it can be done. You will need certified copies of all documents along with Apostilles for each one, and each one needs to be translated into Italian, and the translations have to be notorized that they were done by a licensed translator. It took me about a year and a half to collect all of them. I brought all of the documents here to Italy, and two cities wouldn't even deal with me (even the town my mother was born in). It just takes a long time and alot of patience. Now I am waiting the final approval, which oddly enough has to come from the Philadelphia consulate!!! I agree , it is worth it. I had to hire an Immigration lawyer here to help me through the process. Italian bueaucracy is very slow and complex. Good luck, just be patient, and be sure your documents are all absolutely correct.