It's not that easy. You'd need to speak Italian instead of just writing it, a task which is much harder for most of us. You might also run into trouble getting permission to photocopy records, as privacy laws in Europe are much stronger than they are here. The price difference between a few stamps and a plane ticket to Italy was always a deterrent. With these recent tragedies in our nation, our safety is possibly in question whenever we make a trip.
Besides, I've taken the 'make the trip to get information' route before. Even in the United States it is far easier to call , email or write than to visit archives and town offices in person. This is especially true in small towns the world over.
You will have better luck in larger towns with archives spanning a broader area. However, this is usually the information which is easy to access from home via inter-library loan. Village offices often have very limited hours and seem to always be closed when they are suppose to be open. This is especially true in Italy.
Plus, the local and town business comes first, so you might wait at the back of the line for a few hours before someone reluctantly takes the time to look for your records. I'm sure it varies from place to place, and some well-put enthusiasm can often work wonders, but most town officials are downright unfriendly when you walk into their offices unannounced asking for records.
Some of them don't try very hard to hide the fact that they don't care about your search. I've had people spend 20 seconds in a back room, supposedly 'looking' for something, before they come right back to tell me that what I want doesn't exist there. When I arrive to the office they direct me to, I'm told my records are in the first.
If you decide to make a trip, make every effort to find out when things are open. But as far as I'm concerned, whether you're in the US or in Italy, you might as well not bother to write down those hours. Before making a trip to the small town in NY my grandmother was born in, I wrote down hours for about four different places which were often open only one day a week.
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