Bari, Italy

Bari, Italy

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia (Puglia) region in Italy. It is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas (now commonly identified with Santa Claus).

Places to see: 

Basilica di San Nicola (Basilica of Saint Nicholas) safeguards the relics of Saint Nicholas and stands in the Old Town.

The Trulli are traditional stones dwellings of the region which have conical roofs. They can be found in the nearby town of Alberobello

Zoo Safari - Fasanolandia (Fasano) is a neat drive-thru zoo that also has a theme park and dolphin show. 

How we did it:

 

We took the train from Aversa to Bari Centrale. We rented a car from the airport. We stayed at Barion Hotel & Congressi (5 minute from the beach). The first night we walked around the Old Town and saw the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. The next day we went to Zoo Safari and enjoyed the safari as well as the theme park and finally the dolphin show. Afterwards, we went to the town of Alberobello to see the trulli.

Tips & Notes: because of landslides in the area, there is a bus transfer between Benevento and Foggia (all included in the price of the train ticket). This adds about 1 to 1.5 hours to the scheduled train trip. When you go to the zoo, make sure you have plenty of 2 euro coins. It seems like that was the going price for almost everything! Also, make sure to buy lots of peanuts to feed the animals along the safari.