LisaFa

Buon Giorno,

Can anyone please help us with advice regarding Vallata, Italy. My grandparents were born and married there before immigrating to the United States. My family and I are planning our first trip to Italy, December 21 - January 5 and would very much like to visit the town while we are there.

We are flying in and out of Milan because our son is at the University. We are hoping to plan a trip such that we route through Florence and Rome (maybe other stops) as we travel south toward Vallata which is inland from Napoli.

Any and all advice would be appreciated regarding trip planning, and especially advice on how best to reach Vallata (hopefully there is a train or bus? - maybe from Napoli?). Also, our trip is during the Christmas holiday, will that pose special problems or restrictions?

Thank you in advance.
Lisa

Jean

I can understand your interest in seeing Vallata, but IMO the other elements of your trip make it difficult. You need to decide how important Vallata is.

There is no train service to Vallata or apparently to another town nearby. Driving is probably the only option. Getting back to Malpensa from Vallata for your flight home will be an all-day event whether you drive or turn in the car and train from Naples.

You're going to lose at least another two days of typical sightseeing to holiday closures, and in the time remaining you want to see your son and presumably a little of Milan, then Florence, Rome and "maybe other stops."

If you can change your flights to arrive or depart at Naples or find a cheap flight between Malpensa and Naples, it might be more realistic. But IMO Vallata would be better visited on another trip that focuses on southern Italy.

bobthenavigator

I agree with Jean. It will be tough logistics.

zeppole

I live in Italy and all my experience of traveling in Italy before I moved here moves me to say that anytime you can connect with relatives or your ancestry and get off the beaten track in Italy, it is worth its weight in gold and far surprasses any tourist experience of Italy that others have.

There are plenty of flights from Milan to points south. (I live in northern Italy and am flying to Napoli for a December holiday.)

I would skip Florence this trip and head straight to Rome or Naples and take it from there. You probably have to rent a car, but don't sweat it so long as you don't drive in Naples itself. If you love Christmas, Napoli has Italy's best and most flamboyant Christmas traditions, so you might want to include that.

I would not pass up a chance to go to Vallata.

zeppole

http://www.italyworldclub.com/campan...no/vallata.htm

zeppole

PS: Looking at the map, it seems to me that renting a car out of Salerno might be just as simple and direct as renting a car out of Napoli, a city that most drivers like to avoid. Consider taking the train from Rome to Salerno and picking up a car there.

notbob

Under no circumstances should you cut out a trip to visit your grandparents village. It is truly wondeful experience to visit where your family is from no matter how hard it might be to get there. Skip one of the usual tourist destinations instead if you must to make this happen.

zeppole

One more note:

There are fast trains now that get you to Rome from Milano in THREE HOURS. I see no reason why you can't head south for this trip. (If you want to stop in Florence, a train from Milan gets you there in 1.45 hours. A train from Florence to Rome is 90 minutes.

This is hardly back-breaking travel. These are modern trains with comfort.

Rome to Napoli is one hour and 10 minutes.

Rome to Salerno is 2.15 hours.

Unless you are some kind of fragile flower, I think you can get from Milan to a point of departure for picking up a rental car without exhausting yourself during the many days you have between Dec 21 and Jan 5

Should care to drive from Rome to Vallata, via Michelin estimates the route to be three and half hours.

You could also look into the possibility of taking public transportation to Benevento, and either renting a car there or getting a car service to drive you. The latter might seem pricey, but in the larger scheme of things, if you don't want to drive, the costs might pan out on a per diem basis.

Have a great trip whatever you decide to do!

notbob

Another option is the train to Foggia, then a rental car to Vallata. There is a small aiport in Foggia so there should be some rental options.

GeoffHamer

There seem to be seven connections daily by bus from Napoli (Piazza Garibaldi) to Vallata, with a change at Grottaminarda. The total journey time is about two and a half hours.
http://ro.autobus.it/ro/asp/ricercaorari.asp?user=air
The buses do not run on Christmas Day, and are probably reduced on the 24th and 26th.

LisaFa

Thank you so much for all of this wonderful advice and encouragement. I will research all of the routes proposed and thank you for including the websites! Thank you and please, if you will, allow me to follow up with questions - it is so nice to have friends in Italy!!

zeppole

Of course you can ask more questions! I hope you'll let us know what Vallata is like. It looks perfectly charming. It has a webcam!

http://www.comune.vallata.av.it/inde...on=index&p=192

There are other message boards, too, like TripAdvisor and Frommer's where posters spend time in Campania regularly or LIVE THERE. They can often give very detailed transportation advice.

GeoffHamer's discovery of a direct bus from Napoli is really promising, One more possibility would be to go to Avellino, which is quite close to Vallata, and from there either take a bus to Vallata or rent a car. You can take a train from Rome to Avellino in about 2.5 hours. There is also direct bus from Napoli airport to Avellino, and it leaves every hour.

There are regular local buses from Avellino to Vallata -- but they would be on limited runs during the holidays.

http://ro.autobus.it/ro/asp/ricercaorari.asp?user=air

You can book a rental car in Avellino online through Autoeurope.

Personally, I would just rent a car out of Rome and drive it. If the thought of driving out of Rome is daunting, you can pick up a car at Rome's Ciampino airport. I think you might be glad to have a car once you are in Vallata.

One reason I suggest that you forego Florence on this trip is that not only can it be quite cold there in your time frame, it can also be VERY crowded over the holidays, since it is smaller place than Rome and all the tourists jam into the same sights.. And since days are short, it is harder to have an extended day of sightseeing, although many of Florence's attractions are indoors. THere is a great deal of Renaissance art in Rome (more Michaelangelos than in Florence in fact), so unless you have a real dream of seeing something in particular in Florence, I would give the time to Vallata.

I also wanted to add that although many museums close over Christmas, or the day before and after, almost all churches are open and brilliantly lit (making it easier to see their art), and often have music. Plus many of the most enjoyable sights of Milan and Rome are on public view all the time, to be admired just walking around.

Waldo

To Zeppole- I looked at the Vallarta webcam photos you referred to, and the town looks amazingly similar to that town from which my paternal ancestors came. The town is San Mango D'Aquino in Provincia Catanzaro, in Calabria. I've been there a few times, and I agree, there's a big thrill treading on the same real estate that you forebearers once stood upon. I think that any slight discomfort getting to those areas is well worth the effort. GO FOR IT, Lisa Fa!!!

Waldo

Sorry, I meant to say Vallata, not Vallarta

charnees

Do not be afraid to drive in Italy outside the cities. You do need to get an International Driving Permit, but that is available at AAA and costs about $25. it 's just a translation of your drivers' license into. So pick up a car at one of the smaller towns mentioned here, and go. You will be SO glad you went to your roots!

zeppole

One flexible approach might be to book yourselves on trains as far as Avellino, and book a hotel there, and make the call there if you want to rent a car or rely on public transportation to get you on to Vallata. One consideration is the weather. The other is finances. But above all is your comfort zone.

If you need an automatic transmission, you may only be able to get them at certain locations, so check ahead.

Waldo -- isn't it incredible millions of toruists pile into just a handful of the same, mostly Tuscan hilltowns, when all of charming Italy is right there? Even if you don't have ancestors, these places are incredibly welcoming. (Poking around the Vallata website, I noticed the local product is a scamorza cheese and the wines of Irpinia. Here's a website:

http://www.italytips.com/en/i/irpini...ary-traditions

"The cuisine of Irpinia is particularly tasty and full of flavour; renowned for its cheeses, lamb, and beef both fresh and seasoned, and cold meats including the fabulous dyed sausage of Montecalvo. Those interested in traditional food fairs, should head for Bagnoli Irpino, just a few kilometers from Montella and in the heart of the Regional Park of Monti Picentini, overlooking the Calore valley, where, in October, an important chestnut and truffle fair is held. The black truffle is used frequently in a variety of local dishes."

LisaFa

Grazie Tante! You all are the best! Wow, I have so much to work with now! A webcam, bus schedule, lodging, car routes - and best of all, lots of encouragement. No wonder my heart has always been in Italy!