WANTED: Fun-loving, Free-Spirited Travel Partner to Tackle Calabria
Posted on: Mar 27, 2009
You interested?
… cause it is a real want ad.
Jennifer Rafferty, author of La Mia Famiglia blog has spent the last few years researching her family lineage and has traced her Calabrese roots back to Curinga-right here in the province of Catanzaro. She has exchanged letters with the Orlando family and is well on her way, I hope, to meeting her ancestors.
Jennifer’s maternal grandfather, Carmelo Orlando left Calabria in 1909 and set sail for Wilke-Barre, PA. He passed away when Jennifer’s mother was only 9-years-old, leaving many unanswered questions.
Jennifer was compelled to delve deeper into her family history and into her Italian heritage after her mother died in 2006, and given my recent exposure to the cold, hard truths of losing a parent, I want to help her out.
She is planning a two week-long trip to Calabria and Sicily later this year and is looking for a travel partner.
Here is her virtual ad:
Wanted: Travel Companion for 2 week trip to Calabria and Sicily in 2009.
Required Qualifications:
* Interest in staying in Italian B&Bs, farm houses and family housing
* Ability to drive standard transmission car
* Ability to drive by Italian road rules
* Interest in genealogy research
* Handy with a digital camera
Interested? Inquire Within!
Jennifer also told me she prefers a female travel partner who wouldn’t mind the sacrifice of taste-testing homemade Italian cheese and wine and who wants to experience the heart of authentic Calabria.
If you or anyone you know might be interested, pass this Want Ad on to them. I’d love to see Jennifer make this trip and I hope she and her travel partner will add Catanzaro to their must-see list.
Do you have any suggestions on how Jennifer can find a travel partner or track down more of her Calabrian ancestors?
Is it Friday already? Ok, then … Buon Weekend!
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If Jennifer can’t find someone for the whole trip maybe she can connect with fellow solo travelers via Tripadvior.com or Slow Trav.com.
Great idea. Then she can be with someone when she “wants” to, but have some alone time, as well.
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Feel free to put Jennifer in touch with me. We’ve got a bit of experience with diving into Calabria in search of family history. I’d love to volunteer that we could join her to help with the driving and such, but a return to visit is now going to be something like 16-18 months away. We’re expecting an addition to the family in August, and we won’t be doing international travel until she’s around a year old. Of course not being able to visit Italy means that ticket prices seem to be getting lower and lower while we can’t take advantage of them!
I’m super excited about that new baby, Rich. Will pass on your info to Jennifer. Thanks.
The trip sounds fun…but Heather probably wouldn’t go for me traipsing around Italy with another woman.
I haven’t done a lot of genealogy stuff, but what little info I have I can see it can be very confusing. I don’t even know when my grandparents came here. The story I have from my grandfather as told to my parents and the info on his passport and the info from the Ellis Island records are all different!
See, J, I am thinking Heather might leave you at home and come to Calabria with Jennifer! lol
Wow…that sounds like fun…I can’t read or speak Italian, tho…but I did drive on the opposite side of the road for three years in Japan
That’s gotta earn ya some point, right?
Wow, that sounds like a tremendous amount of fun! Too bad I don’t meet qualification number two … I just posted yesterday about trying to learn how to drive a standard transmission car here on the Amalfi Coast. Yikes! It’s going to be awhile for me. I am sure Jennifer will find someone to go on that great adventure with her!
I couldn’t imagine learning to drive a standard on the Amalfi Coast. Eek!! In bocca al lupo!
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hmmmmm……I can and have driven in Calabria, and even speak well enough….I may just have to look into this.
And you *found* that great restaurant in Catanzaro Lido, remember? You’ll love the “foodie” part of the trip.
Too bad I don’t have my driver’s license yet, otherwise I’d apply in a blink!
Absolutely. And you have never been to Calabria, have you?
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It’s great to see the enthusiasm about this trip of mine! I am looking forward to this adventure and I love that I am making so many wonderful connections before the trip is realized. Thank you, Cherrye.
Jennifer
You are welcome, Jennifer. I hope it works out … there sure is a lot of interest!
Jennifer Rafferty’s last blog post..Calabria-Simu o No Calabrisi?
[...] to accompany an Italian-American back to her family’s homeland in Calabria and Sicily? Check out this “help wanted” ad – and apply! (For more tips on visiting Calabria, with this gal or on your own, check out [...]
I would most certainly be interested. I live in Seattle, own a gallery, and have some mileage I need to use and Italy was one of my choices. So, please email me costs, expectations, length of stay, etc. and more details, and more details.
Thanks,
Marni
I’ve sent your info on to Jennifer. Thanks for reading My Bella Vita!
Good luck, Jennifer, on finding a travel companion! Italy is such a magical destination, especially when discovering family history. You may also want to check out SmarterTravel’s free travel guide to assist in planning your travels: http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-guides/ Have a great trip!
Thank you for the site and comment, Sarah.
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