Great to know the history of this old ancient castle on top of the hill in Bari…read more Our tour guide Daniella was so knowledgeable. They preserved what ever left of it since it was looted until it was declare by UNESCO as a one national monument. When in Bari visit the area and experience ancient history . The tour will take you by bus and walking is moderately needed. Be careful with knee problem.

Great place to take a walk along the Adriatic Sea in downtown, Bari!…read more Nice clean and safe city downtown

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.

It really wonderful- and free - cathedral to visit, where Saint Nicholas, yes the real one, lies…read moreburied. This is the original Saint Nick, the inspiration for Santa Claus. Cathedral itself is gorgeous inside, and the two lies in the basement. There are several icons and statues to Saint Nicholas both inside and outside the church. Walk around this area is gorgeous as well, I recommend it in the inner city.

On the eve of the feast day of Saint Nicholas 2025, I started this review. The basilica is a truly…read morewonderful shrine and holy site. Words cannot express what should be experienced in person. In the Middle Ages, commerce drove prosperity, and in the Christian era, the greater the prominence of your local shrine the more the town prospered. Add to this, the rise of Islam, and the systematic destruction of parts of what is now Turkey by militants, and you can see why the relics of St Nicolas were brought to Bari in 1087. The crypt where the Saint is buried is a holy place where even the air itself feels heavenly. Come prepared and respectful. Wear decent clothing. Pray, and be transformed. St Nicholas once ransomed three impoverished young girls from being sold into sex slavery by providing gold coins for their dowry (this is where the gifts and the stockings hung by chimneys came from)... a visit here has the potential to ransom you from this mad world into the person you were meant to be.

We have been here a couple of times and it was always closed, this time it was open and a…read morecustodian, Carlo, took us for a guided tour of about 90 minutes and have us a very articulate description of this historical gem within the town of Larino in Campobasso, Italy. The tour was free and we were only 4 people plus the guide, simply amazing. The amphitheater was built around 70 AD with a seating capacity of about 11000 people. Many spectacles occurred here, not the least to which were gladiators fighting amongst themselves or against lions, tigers, etc... It's a tremendous feeling to be standing in the same field where the fights took place, or to sit in the remaining seats and imagine what it must have looked like in centuries ago. This is literally a hidden gem, off the beaten path, and well worth the visit if you're in the area. Note there is no signage indicating hours of operation. I was told by the guide it is essentially open very day from 8:30 am to about 1 pm but closed on Sundays.