Molise Travel Forum

With my family of 5, I will travel to Italy on very short notice:
(1) fly from Philadelphia to Rome (for the 1st time), stay a few days to a week (somewhere?),
(2) take a train to Sessano (somehow?) because that's my grandmother's home town and house and some family is,
(3) stay a couple of days in Isernia because that may be where the nearest hotel is (I think?),
(4) take a train to Ancona (somehow?), maybe stay a day or so,
(5) take a boat (ferry?) to Croatia because that's where my husband is from and we will visit his mom and family.

If anyone can offer any help in any of these itineraty items 1-5, then it would be greatly appreciated.

(1) I'm sure you are capable of looking up accommodation in Rome, if necessary using previous recommendations on this site and on TripAdvisor.
(2) You can get by train from Rome to Isernia, if you will be staying there, in less than 3 hours, sometimes changing at Cassino, and the train continues to Boiano (there is also a night train from Rome to Boiano) where you can change for Sessano. You can also go from Rome to Sessano via Carpinone (Roma 9.15, Carpinone 11.28, Sessano 14.15) or Sulmona and Castel di Sangro. Play around with your particular dates and times on http://www.trenitalia.it/.
(3) Were you thinking of hiring a car or taking taxis? Hiring a car would allow you to stay at agriturismo places. For hotels see here: http://www.italyworldclub.com/molise/isernia/hotel_province_isernia.htm
(4) Isernia to Ancona takes about 6 hours by train via Campobasso/Sulmona and Termoli/Pescara, e.g. Isernia 11.18, Campobasso 12.14, Pescara Centrale 15.42, Ancona 17.13, see trenitalia for more possibilities.
(5) From Ancona you can get to Split, Zadar and Dubrovnik - but as it's closer to Isernia, I wouldn't rule out doing it from Pescara, see http://uk.geocities.com/my_ferries/croatia.html.

Wondering if you ever made it to Sessano. My grandparents were born there around 1890 and came to Rhode Island when they were young. My parents visited Sessano about 15 years ago looking for relatives. My family name is D'Ippolito. I am going back to Rome in March and plan on trying to find Sessano. Is it worth the trip?

Donna

I found it is much easier to just rent a car in Rome to visit these rural areas.
The final cost is about $50 a day for a small stick shift car, with full insurance coverage.. (I suggest you get full coverage).
I stayed at San Donato Val Di Comino and it is about a hour and half away from Campobasso..Check out my San Donato ,Campobasso, and Molise review's.. Isernia is more modern since it was bombed heavily in WW2.. Campobasso was untouched by the war and a gem to visit..