first time traveler to Italy hoping to research family history
 

Hi!
I am hoping to travel to Italy in November for 10 days with my husband for the first time. We've been dreaming for years and want to make sure we see the sites but also try to research our family history. Our thoughts are to visit Rome, Pompeii, and Florence for the touristy sites (for art/history), but also thinking about Sala Consilina (near Naples) and Messina (Sicily) since that's where our family came.

Would you all share your opinions if we are trying to squeeze too many stops into our trip? Are we missing out on something even better? Do you think an average person could/should try to research genealogy in Italy? Should we try to include Sicily into our trip? Are we silly to try to travel in late November? Just trying to use our Thanksgiving vacation for travel.

Any suggestions you might have would be most appreciated. Thank you from an excited future traveler!

10 days won't be enough to do all you want to do. You'd literally be moving every day and spending more time checking in and out of hotels and traveling than seeing the sites.

I would recommend either the north (Venice, Florence, Pisa, Milan); Central (Florence, Rome); or south (Sicily, Naples / Sorrento / Pompeii/ Capri)

If this is the only time you'll ever go I would say Venice, Florence, Rome. It is a tried and true formula, but with 10 days that is about as good as you'll get. Otherwise you see a lot of road and not a lot of art.

You are trying to fit a 3 week trip into 10 days (and do you really have 10 - or does that include the day you arrive and the day you leave).

As for genealogical research - you have to do most of the work before you leave the US - so you know exactly where you are going and who/what you are looking for. Also - unless your Italian is quite good I think you will find research on the spot very difficult.

You are definitely planning too much for 10 days and your destinations are very wide-spread. If you want to do research, you will need to spend a reasonable amount of time in Messina and Sala Consilina. That won't work with also spending time in Rome, Pompeii and Florence. Is there any way you can spend more time?

And, also, it would be a shame to go to Sicily and only see Messina.

I guess my advice would be to either research your families or visit the tourist sights. Both would be hard to do and still do justice to your destinations.

Thank you everyone! I guess it's back to the drawing board. How is it possible to only pick a couple of sites to visit in Italy? We've been saving for this trip for a long time so I guess we're trying to squeeze everything in and worried that it will be years before we can make a second trip. We don't speak Italian but have a good grasp on French and Spanish so I thought we could fudge our way through research... but maybe that is being a little naive.

I really appreciate your help! Thanks again!

I think that you will find many of the places you want to do research are open only limited hours and may require permissions before you are allowed to look at things.

I strongly suggest you join a couple of the genealogy organizations and find out how this works in Italy - what is open to the general public and when. Also - you will need to get all of your sites and personal info organized in advance before you go - and that is a process that can take many months if not years.

You don;t say how many generations back this is - and if you still have relatives living there that can help guide you. that would make the process much easier

genforum.com Go to countries, get a password and you can ask any questions you want at no cost in Italy. People are waiting to help.

Yes, your trip is too short for the things you want to do. We are going to Italy at the end of Sept. for two weeks. You have to keep in mind that you leave in the evening from the States and arrive in the middle of the afternoon the next day.
Look up Il Cedro B&B on the web. Not only is it a B&B located in Catanzaro, Italy, Cherrye is a travel agent who is acquainted with southern Italy, specifically Calabria.
I too wanted to see Rome, maybe Venice, go to Sicily, meet the relatives that found me through genealogy research.
Here's what we ended up with and I think it is perfect.
Day 1, arrive at Lamezia Terme Airport, rent a car, and drive down to Pizzo, Italy. It's 30 minutes away and spend the night.
Day 2, travel to Tropea and spend two nights there.
Day 4 head to Sicily. I too wanted to visit Sicily but to see Mt. Etna. Spend 3 days in Sicily
Day 6 Head to Catanzaro, spend two days at Il Cedro, meet relatives.
Day 8 Move on to Sovernia Mannelli, closer to relatives. Being flexible to be able to spend time with them if they want, or go sightseeing in the area on our own.
Day 14 Fly back home
We specifically wanted to sightsee first, then spend time with the relatives.
Cherrye told us to think about wanting to check in and check out of hotels everyday and that didn't seem too appealing to us. She worked very hard to make reservations for us before we finalized everything. She will make suggestions for you that you can accept or reject.
I definitely would suggest you try her first. If you are set on visiting the north -- remember it is about 11 hours by train from the north down to where you catch the ferry to Sicily -- Cherrye could probably recommend someone to help you plan your northern trip.
My suggestion: Pick just Sicily and/or Sicily and Calabria. There is a ton of stuff to do in Sicily and Calabria. Or just stay in Sicily. Do you have relatives you can contact in Sicily? Really you should do the genealogy in the U.S. first -- easier that way. Get a subscription to Ancestry.com or try your local library or a genealogy library to start your research.

If you haven't done your genealogy research in the States yet, don't know any relatives in Sicily, and if your heart is set on visiting Rome -- plan your trip starting in Rome. Most flights land in Rome and then you can go from there. Check out how far Florence and Pompeii is from Rome and plan the rest of your trip from there.

Have fun -- but remember you don't want to come home exhausted and not able to relax in Italy. You want to experience the country, not just run from museum, to church, to a tourist trap for souvenirs. Remember to allow time to sip some wine and gaze at a sunset.

Diane60030 said, "If this is the only time you'll ever go I would say Venice, Florence, Rome. It is a tried and true formula, but with 10 days that is about as good as you'll get."

That is great advice!

Efficient time-wise and money-wise to stay in no more than three places and visit lots of sights from those bases.

First trip to Italy, see some of the great sights, especially if you honestly think you may never go again. You can do genealogy from home.

Late November can be OK, but not the best time for the Amalfi Coast. Cities like Rome are fine in all weather. Venice is beautiful in all weather. The art and architecture in Florence can be seen in all weather. You can do quick (30 minutes to an hour by train) day trips to small towns, countryside or Roman ruins from these cities.

You absolutely do not have enough time to include Sicily.

You need to narrow down what is important to you with such a short time. Traveling in winter, many things will cut back hours and it will be dark about 5. November tends to be very rainy in Italy too.

If you plan to drive to Messina, that would take even more time. You would also need to get an international drivers permit (required in Italy by law) and learn some of the Italian traffic signs.