After a quick 24 hours in Matera, I had to catch a train to my next stop on this Southeastern tour of Italy, Bari. Okay, this time I didn’t have to worry about my phone dying, but I was early for check-in, so I had a coffee break at Bari Central, until I could order an uber to my B&B. I have to say, I do like bed and breakfast stays. You sometimes get a a cozy room and get all the amenities you would from a hotel, but at a much more affordable price. Lucky for me I found a great one, Murex B&B. I recommend this place should you find yourself visiting Bari and have a tight budget. They offered a great breakfast every day and were located in the best part of the city of Bari, in my opinion, Old Town!
I was also lucky enough to be staying on the same street that the infamous Nonnas handmade their Orecchiette pasta. I had seen these Nonnas (grandmas in Italian) start to trend on my Instagram feed and I am so happy I got to see them in action. They were very sweet and let me document them for my trip. I even bought a bag of Orecchiette myself!
During my stay in Bari, I took one side trip to Alberobello. It’s a well known fairytale-like town in the region of Puglia. There are cone shaped “houses” there that are called “trulli.”
An interesting fact here is that the reason these houses were built this way is because the townspeople avoided taxes by being able to easily remove the cone roofs and essentially “breakdown” their homes. So when tax collectors came by, there was nothing to collect.
The interior of the trulli was made of thick limestone, which helped keep cool in the summers and warm in winters. This place is actually considered a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site too!
The next day I had a walking tour booked to get a local view of the town of Bari. Another interesting fact that I learned was that Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) was actually an honored and respected saint of Bari. He actually died in Turkey, but a group of townspeople from Bari set on an expedition to recover his bones and he is now buried in the cathedral in Bari.
My last stop before I left this really great town on the east coast of Italy, was to buy Focaccia. Bari is known for its Focaccia Barese. Hands down, the BEST Focaccia I have had. If you’re a foodie, you can’t miss Bari while in the East coast of Italy!
My stay in Bari felt short, but I actually did a lot while I stayed here and I wish I had more days. I’m glad I stayed in the Old Town of Bari, but I also learned that there was way more ground to cover. I definitely hit the good touristic spots, but next time I go, I’d like to see what other things locals do here. Bari brought some good food and some neat history, but my next stop brought some great views! Stay tuned…
