Need advice, graduation trip for my nephew that wants to see Italy including his grandparents town of Conflenti, I want to tack on Croatia. Thinking of flying to Rome, spend 2 days, Conflenti to Bari for a ferry to Croatia. We have 2 weeks. Too much?
Posted by
Washington DC
27138 posts
The first thing you need to do is figure out your transportation within Italy. Moving from Rome to Conflenti to Bari will take some time, and you need to allow for that as well as your actual sightseeing and heritage time. That will tell you how many days you will have left to go (potentially) to Croatia. Both Italy and Croatia are wonderful destinations. If I had only two weeks I'd definitely spend it all in Italy rather than taking the time for a ferry trip across the Adriatic. If you've been to Italy before and are trying to avoid repeating too many destinations (like Florence and Venice), there are many other places in Italy to visit. I love Puglia (perhaps not ideal in the summer due to heat), the Dolomites, and all the small cities I've had a chance to see.
If you're flying from the US or Canada to Rome, I suggest spending more than two nights at your first stop. Few people accomplish much their first (jet-lagged) day, and even the second day you may find yourself moving at half-speed. That means very little productive sightseeing time in Rome if you're only there for two nights.
Do you plan to drive within Italy or take trains/buses?
You can get as close to Conflenti as Lamezia Terme by train, and that will be a bit faster than driving from Rome, as well as more relaxing. There might be one train change in Naples. You can check the schedule on the Deutsche Bahn website, but for prices and buying tickets you'll need to go to TrenItalia. Unlike the DB, TrenItalia insists on the Italian spellings of origins and destinations, so you'll need to use Roma (Tutte Le Stazioni), Lamezia Terme Centrale, and Bari (Tutte Le Stazioni).
That first leg involves some fast (non-regional) trains, for which bargain tickets are often available to early purchasers. You can save a good bit of money on the Rome-Lamezia Terme trip if your plans are firm enough to buy non-refundable/non-changeable train tickets well in advance.
Once in Lamezia Terme you are still about 18 miles from Conflenti. Some quick Googling did not turn up any information about bus service to Conflenti, but it may exist. Googling "bus Lamezia Terme to Conflenti" and following all the links may find useful bus service. However, don't expect anything to be running on Sundays or holidays.
If you do want to move on to Bari to connect with a ferry to Croatia, prepare yourself for a full day (8 to 12 hours) on trains if you decide to travel that way, and multiple transfers. Part of this second trip will likely be on trains offering bargain advance-purchase tickets.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
Conflenti is up in the hills in Calabria. Driving or taking a train will take six hours just to reach Lamezia Terme. Although, driving would be a more direct method to reach Conflenti.
I was there once for the celebration of the oak tree located outside of the church in town. The church is beautiful, by the way.
Buon viaggio,