Southern Italy w/elderly mom

The highlight of my sister-in-law’s and my south Italy trip in 2019 was an overnight visit to her grandparent’s home village in Mongrassano Calabria, about a hour drive south of Saracena. Definitely take your mom to Saracena; both of you will treasure the experience. Rent a car; there’s no public transportation in the hills. We rented at Naple’s’ airport through AutoEurope/Hertz and it worked good for us. Mongrassano was so small it didn’t have a hotel so we stayed 3 miles away. Walk through the Cemetary and you may see your family names.
Here’s a couple web sites to help your Italian driving skills; sorry they contain so many ads: http://www.reidsitaly.com/planning/get_around/car_driving_tips.html
https://italybeyondtheobvious.com/9-road-signs-and-one-strategy-you-need-to-know-about-before-attempting-to-drive-in-italy/

Also I was terrified of driving in Italy. Too many horror stories. Beforehand we were on the RS South of Italy tour and every time we drove through a toll both I asked the guide to explain the process. Unless tolls have changed, have coin available and handy and be sure to use the right cash lane. https://mamalovesitaly.com/autostrade-italian-toll-roads/

My SIL was not a very good navigator. She didn’t know how to use apps or websites very well. We used WAZE because it gave speed traps, got lost, but we had a great adventure. Add extra time onto whichever driving instructions you use. The freeways are good but country roads can be slow, plus potty and food breaks. The people were wonderful. We don’t speak Italian, they didn’t speak English, Google Translate got us through.

You may be able to take public transport to Caserta and rent a car there instead of Naples. Try to avoid driving in large cities. Tickets for ZTLs can be expensive. There was no ZTL between the airport and freeway five years ago. I wanted to rent in Salerno but the car rental companies closed early and were not open on Sunday when we needed to return the car. You have a lot of research to do but that’s what makes a good, less stressful trip.

EDIT: Here’s the link to AutoEurope https://www.autoeurope.com/

There have been forum discussions about staying in Caserta so you might want to consider staying there for 1-2 nites instead of just driving there on a daytrip. It's also easily reached by train; from Naples in less than an hour, or from Rome. You can use the search engine to find those discussions as shown in the link https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=caserta Driving isn't that hard in Italy, just obey all the posted limits and understand what a ZTL is. It'll be easier if you rent a car in a smaller city than Naples, and practice at home using a navigation app (Google Maps, Waze, etc) so you'll be familiar with it when driving.

One thing to consider is hiring a local guide for a half-day or day, in both Caserta and Saracena. There are several advantages compared to just showing up and looking around. For one they know the area and speak Italian which will aid in getting around and knowing what you're seeing. If booked well in advance and if you explain that it's for you mom to see where her parents were from it's possible the guide may be able to take you to see some city or parish records about her parents. And in a small town the staffers may be someone your guide knows so more inclined to be helpful. You can find guides by looking online (searches like "caserta hire a guide) or perhaps by emailing the tourist office to see if they have lists of guides (you can get contact info from https://www.visititaly.com/ )

There are lots of stories online about people visiting towns where their ancestors are from such as the ones at https://www.italymagazine.com/back-your-italian-roots And the more you can research before your trip the better. For example Saracena has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/people/Comune-di-Saracena/100057455920808/ and if you posted there perhaps you could get help in finding out where to look for info about her parent from that town such as where they lived.

As for your timeline, a week doesn't sound like enough for a couple of days in each of Naples, Calabria, Sorrento. Figure each change of location takes about half a day, so on 3 days you just get a half-day at the destination the following full day, rinse and repeat. I'd be tired at that pace, and I'm not 83! For your flight my suggestion is spend the nite in Rome on arrival to decouple trying to figure out how many hours to wait until a long-haul train you can make (cheaper with advance purchase) from when the flight arrives. Get to Rome, spend the nite, it'll be easy to catch a train you booked in advance to Naples (or on to Caserta) the next morning.

I would not rent a car in Naples if it is your first time driving in Italy. If you see all the dings and dents on the cars you will understand. l love Naples... so vibrant and alive and you can take the train to reach Casserta and from the train station to the palace is not very far to walk. Smaller towns are easier to drive in and some will have areas that are limited to cars of people living/staying there or taxis (ZTL... limited traffic zones). Small cars are better in some of the smaller towns because the roads were not designed for larger cars. I think it is wonderful that you will be able to go with your mom on this special trip! Travel light if you can so if you take trains you aren't struggling with large suitcases.

I will be in Caserta within this week, so I bookmarked your post to reply back with more information. I am staying in a small hotel next to the beautiful royal palace. I am just taking the train from Roma Termini the day after I arrive in Italy. I think it’s an hour to reach Caserta on a Frecciarossa faster train. Here’s the site for the palace that your mom would probably enjoy, also. It looks like they have small shuttles to take you the length of the long garden.

https://reggiadicaserta.cultura.gov.it/en/

I don’t have any idea if this would be helpful for you, but there’s an English language certification school linked to Cambridge University in Caserta in case you are at a dead-end to find anyone who speaks English in town. I happened to see it on-line while looking to see if there’s any English-speaking churches in Caserta.

Not sure when you are going, and maybe the flight is only seasonal, but United has a Newark-Naples flight. You might get yourself to Newark, stay the night before/after at an airport hotel. The direct flight will be so much easier for both of you. If that doesn't make sense for you I would plan a one stop flight connecting in a European airport and on to Naples. And I would split the time into just two stays in Italy. Packing/unpacking/getting used to a new bed etc. takes time and stress. But a few days in Naples and a few days in Calabria with maybe one night back in Naples at the end before your flight home would likely work well.

I knew you all would be a huge help as I begin my research! I really appreciate your experience. Jean, please do report back on your trip to Caserta. Staying there might be a good option for us. Hopefully we could then do a day trip into Naples. I'm going to check out the links several of you've provided and hopefully get the courage to at least drive to Saracena from a neighboring B&B for an afternoon. Please keep the advice coming! If anyone's had good luck with rental car companies or lodging in these areas, please share. Thank you!

Hi Lisa. No specific advice, just wanted to say that I hope you can make this trip happen for you and your mom. While my mother had been to Italy multiple times (she was technically born there), she had not been there in the latter part of her life. How I wish that I had taken her! She was such a fan of all things Italian and she would have been in heaven visiting for one last time. Wishing you all the best in your planning!

Month and year? It's getting very late for 2024 bookings. It is VERY hot here in the summer, meaning May to September.

I am not bad-mouthing Sorrento (we happily spent five nights there, for daytrips) but if you want "down-time" for her, this postwar, purpose-built resort town would be fine. Based on your OP, there is no other reason to sleep there. The town is very level, but built on a cliff. So she might benefit from one of the five luxury hotels overlooking the cliff (extra cost Vesuvius view available ... ) because the hotel elevator takes you down 200' to a private, fixed (boardwalk) sun and gulf-bathing platform on pilings. Sorrento doesn't count as a "beach town."

Don't even think of having a car in Naples. I'm sure a car will be helpful in Calabria. Because of the Royal Palace (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Caserta is very well-prepared for mass tourism. I haven't been to the city, but I'm sure there are a lot of stairs in the Palace. Does your mother want to go to Pompeii? Very difficult walking for able-bodied adults in sneakers! Savage sun and heat exposure.

I feel confident that Naples supports a robust car service economy, because the Amalfi Coast (just beyond Sorrento) is so relatively hard to get to. I would certainly take the train to Caserta. But, can your mother climb 3 steep steps if the platform turns out like that? No mobility opinion on the more southerly destination. We asked our hotel desk to contact their land-services partner, figuring they would have a strong incentive to please the hotel's guests. Worked fine, although our driver had simply "satisfactory" English skills. Again, not bad-mouthing, just reviewing.

You didn't say if YOU or SHE have been to Europe in adulthood. Most people do fly through Rome, but Rome is so far from Naples that you might consider a two-segment flight just so you are in a major airport until you get to Naples. The Search Box top center will deliver hundreds of posts about getting from Rome to Naples or Sorrento, and you need to read them before you buy plane tickets. You also have to be certain about getting back to [Rome] from some remote place in time for a 3-hour check-in. There are many southern Italy towns where you cannot wake up there and fly out of Rome the same day.

Thank you, Fran, that's very sweet. I'm excited to bring it about!
Tim, I have been to Rome and I spent a day in Naples. I've also spent a few days in Sorrento. You're exactly right that I thought it might be a good spot to let mom catch her breath with a nice view. I'm more concerned about her endurance on hills and long staircases than a couple of steep steps. I'm thinking about November to avoid heat and crowds. I hope it won't be too cold and grey!
I'm definitely not planning on city driving. I'm most worried about driving on the left.

Driving in Italy is on the right hand side of the roads.
You will also need an International Driving Permit to rent a car.

Lisa, Italians drive on the right, just like we do in the US. Only in Cypress or Malta (besides the UK) would you have to drive on the left.

Driving in Italy is on the right-hand side of the roads.

You will also need an International Driving Permit to rent a car.
Lots of discussion about idp's in other areas of this forum.

I went through Reggia di Caserta, the royal palace today. To say it is stunning is an understatement! Be sure to buy the on-line timed tickets ahead of time. Also, there’s options for getting out to the end of the long garden behind it. I saw a small shuttle, golf carts and also bikes for rent.

We are in our late 50’s and 60’s and have travelled to Italy in 2022 and 2023 (and again later this year). My husband’s grandmother was from a small town in the Sele Valley in Campagna, which like your situation, necessitated a car rental. We have done well so far, renting at the airport in Naples and by the train station in Salerno. Our preference is Salerno-less traffic issues, car rentals just a few steps from the train station; however, as previously stated you will need to check the hours of operation to see if they will work with your plans.

You may want to research spending some time in Salerno…it is lovely, with flatter terrain, well connected via train, and there’s the ferry to the Amalfi Coast.

If you are on Facebook, there are some Italian communities that have pages for descendants of those that have emigrated from their Italian community. The village where my husband’s grandmother was born has such a page. Last year the village had a “reunion” in the piazza for American descendants and many of the village residents that wanted to link with their American relatives. Our trip did not coincide with this event, but we have made many Italian friends and met several distant relatives via this page. This particular page has a lot of genealogically savvy people that have provided tremendous help, including a copy of birth certificates and with their assistance, we have been to the family crypt where my husband’s great grand parents are interred.
I hope you and your mom have a wonderful trip.

Again, so much valuable advice! Salbeachbum, I am definitely thinking Salerno might be a good stop for us. Do you know of a nice place to stay near the train station/car rental area? Is that also centrally located for a bit of sightseeing or would that require a taxi?

Jean, how was your lodging situation in Caserta? Anything you would recommend?

We did not stay in Salerno, but we did rent a car there with Sicily By Car and would rent from them again. We rented from them in Naples as well. I know a little bit of Italian and they were very proficient with google translate with my husband, who’s Italian vocabulary consist of less than 30 words. We wandered around the area which was lovely and we felt safe.
If you search the Rick Steves site there are some hotel recommendations in Salerno. We also use booking.com, ALOT and while we frequently book directly with a hotel, we place a lot of stock on the reviews on booking as only persons that have stayed at a location can enter a review. Sorry I have no personal recommendations for accommodations in Salerno.