A walk through Bari Vecchio is a MUST. The Cathedral is beautiful, especially at night. The history…read morein Puglia a fascinating. Some people say it looks more like castle than a Cathedral, but I disagree. It's stunning. The interior is a mix of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, as far as I can remember. There are mosaics and columns and the most interesting factoid is that it houses a crypt with an altar containing the bones of Saint Nicolas, the real-life inspiration for Santa Claus.

The Basilica of St Nicholas, or Basilica San Nicola was designated by Pope Francis as a "papal…read moreminor basilica" only a few years ago. This Basilica preserves some of the relics of St Nicola da Mira and is within walking distance of the Porto di Bari. Architecturally it is Romanesque and somewhat somber looking on the outside. But it has some absolutely beautiful bleached granite, which appears almost like travertine. Wow It is believe to have originally been build as a Roman temple. Then rebuild during the Greek-Byzantine period, as a residence for the catepane governor, over eleven hundred years ago. I was told, it is still the destination for numerous pilgrimages who view St Nicola as a man of charity and whose life is the most extensive worshiped, only after the Virgin Mary. If you are walking along the downtown waterfront, the Basilica is only a block away and certainly worth a visit.