Hi. I’ll be visiting the Bari area for several days with my elderly parents. The purpose of the trip is to take my dad for a visit to his parents hometown in the province of bari. I can use some suggestions.
My parents are in good health but since they’re in their late 80’s I want to make things as stress free and safe as possible.
I want them to enjoy the beauty of some scenic old towns at a relaxed pace.
I don’t know if we should stay in the city of Bari or elsewhere. I love Matera and thought it would be nice to visit but I’m afraid it might be treacherous for them. Any suggestions on how I can safely arrange a visit there?
Also I’m looking for idea of some towns within an hour or so from Bari that we can visit. We’ll have a rental car. Thanks you.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I stayed in Bari for 3 nights in fall 2019. It was flat and a fun visit with coastline and old town visit is a must. . I was on a guided tour so it was quite relaxed. However there was about 1 hr driving between stops. I would think your best option is to stay in Bari and enjoy it. Yourparents may be very fatigued with a drive away and then sight seeing with uneven pavement. Matera is a difficult visit to walk about imo..
Posted by
5204 posts
I have visited Bari twice for brief one-night stays in b&bs in the old town. My husband and I are rather small people, and we found the rooms quite small (being retrofitted very old buildings of course)--even having difficulty turning around in the shower and getting up spiral staircases. This is just to say be careful when choosing hotels--you will want something with parking anyway (be sure you know about ZTLs), which may be larger. I would look for something just outside the old town.
I saw your post on another forum and think you made the right decision--Matera is magical but not worth a fall! Perhaps you can find a tour in which you could get assistance (maybe try a tourism office?). The streets are rather slippery, treacherous in rain I found.
Towns to visit: Trani, Monopoli, Polignano, Altamura, Itria valley villages
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
This tour in Matera should be perfect for your parents. No walking required.
https://amp.musement.com/us/matera/panoramic-tour-of-matera-in-ape-calessino-92059/
We did a tour just by asking on the main square
Where all the Ape drivers park.
The biggest problem would be dropping them off, maybe settling them in a cafe, then parking and walking back to retrieve them.