I'm travelling on a cruise that stops in Bari, Italy, in early September. I'm finding it difficult to find out how best to spend my time. Are there lots of things to see and do during my 9 hours in Bari, or should I follow the sheep on the organized tours to see the trulli in Alberobello or the Sassi in Matera or the Castel del Monte? With regards to my interests, I like to see historical sights and architecture, but I also appreciate retail and food therapy, so a combo is ideal.
Posted by
Catadupa Alamere, CA
515 posts
How much daylight shoretime is allotted to sheep?
Posted by
OP
Sackville, NB, Canada
3 posts
Matera/Sassi tour is 7 hours; Alberobello tour is 5 hours. With the Alberobello tour I may have 1 to 1.5 hours, maybe giving me enough time to see the Church of Saint Nicholas in Bari and get an espresso.
Posted by
Catadupa Alamere, CA
515 posts
If you go it alone you will spend a couple hours renting/returning a car and trying to figure out how to dodge the ZTLs in Bari. I think that, given the limited time and logistics, it is better to see these sites in sheepskin clothing. I spent about an hour in Alberobello and I never will forget it. For me, it is a must do, once. It is all about the trulli. http://www.flickr.com/photos/stwiso/4335995040/in/pool-16827599@N00/ Once I saw dozens and dozens, that was enough. I drove out of town and then aimlessly into the hinterland. It was stone-walled narrow roads through little vineyards with scattered trulli. Napa Valley meets Hobbitland http://www.motoreitaliano.net/travellers/filemartina/campagna.jpg It was awesome. Every 5 minutes, I pulled over and took photos. I saw no tour vans or busses. Both Alberobello and Matera are for me "must do's". I am biased in favor of Matera because I've been planning for years to go, but not for just a couple hours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JoM6RMkuo8 If the sheep feed is going to be anything other than a once in a lifetime experience, I would, speaking just for myself, skip the tour group lunch and wander through Matera's central food market, grazing on whatever the locals are grazing on.
Posted by
Toledo
653 posts
If the ship is stopping in Bari, you can probably find enough to do there. Bari doesn't de Bari has an old town not far from the Cathedral, and the trulli-style homes (with more variations in construction, slightly less picturesque than Alberobello) can be found there. Bari also has great food and wine. Having said that, I will never forget seeing the Castel del Monte in starlight. So time of day may figure into your plans. I agree that renting and returning a car will take up a lot of your time.