In 2023, I decided to organise myself a short holiday abroad. The choice was easy because some time ago I fell in love with Italy. I love Italy, its culture and moreover I have been learning Italian since two years. The last thing to do was to think about the location. I wanted to go somewhere warmer than Poland since I had decided to go during the ongoing winter. I considered the south of Italy and eventually chose the Puglia region. I bought my plane tickets in December; from 1 to 4 February 2023. The price was 46 € ( I'll write all costs at the end). I didn't pay attention to the particular date and a duration of the stay, but to good prices and flight times. I wanted the trip to last about 4 days as my first solo trip. Did I feel fear? I think at that moment I felt the adrenaline associated with challenge.
I wasn't afraid to go to Italy. I've known its culture and I've heard about the politeness of the Italians. Last year I've been in Rome, in addition. I know that in any place something bad can happen. But this thought process isn't correct, because in this way man isn't able to do anything. Last year, I didn't even think about going somewhere alone. But when I felt that I was able to do, it there was no way to dissuade me from it. Even the fear in the eyes of my parents and some friends. And questions like, "How alone?"... didn't discourage me. I've come to a stage in my life where I don't rely so much on the people around me anymore, even if they wish me well and worry about me. Because I've realised that it's my life and how it turns out is up to me.
Back on topic, once the flights had been chosen, it remained to find accommodation. For the first time, I decided that I wanted a private room with my own bathroom. I read various reviews on social media before. It was really helpful. I knew for sure that I had to have good access from the airport and close to the central station in Bari. I must point out that I associate the Puglia region with the town of Alberobello and the characteristic houses called trulli. According to opinions' tourists to feel the atmosphere of this town one should stay in one of these houses. Therefore I booked two nights in Bari (10 minutes to the central station as well to the old town on foot) and one night in Alberobello in a trullo.
The next step was to plan what I want to see. By browsing various blogs and following thematic groups on social media, I drew up a preliminary plan with all routes for each day. Then I was preparing more details like restaurants where I could try regional delicacies. All routes I had on google maps. Additional I had a notebook with some notes helpful for me just in case. There were also name of restaurants and dishes which I wanted to try.
Arrival day 01 February, 2023
The holiday was confirmed so I could to start with my trip. It took me about an hour to get to Krakow from my home town by train. The flight was at 2 pm., so I had free time before it. I drank coffee, read book and listened to Italian podcasts. The procedures at the airport went without any problems. At around 4 pm I was welcomed by the Sun in Bari. It was just sunset there; the weather was completely different from the one I had left in Poland. I began to drink these atmosphere in. Even now, when I look at this photo, I feel this moment.
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| sunset in Bari |
To get do Bari Central Station, I had to take coach number 16. There were no the tickets available in the Relay' shop. I was informed that the ticket could be bought on the coach, I found a stop (to the left of the airport exit) and waited. It turned out that it wasn't possible to pay by card. I addition, the driver had no change. Once I had changed the money, I got on and started my tour of Bari during the beautiful sunset. I wish I hadn't had a possibility to take a photo the sunset from the coach. The journey took about an hour. And when I arrived at the train station, it was already after sunset. It was dark, as you can see in the photo below. Actually, during the whole trip I didn't manage to take a photo sunset. Well, I'll work on this detail more next time.
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Bari
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It took me about 10 minutes on foot to get my first accomodation. I was welcomed by a very nice woman, who explained everything to me and answered me questions. After a short rest, I went to city to finally eat Italian food. I realised that I had only eaten two sandwiches during the day and I started to feel how hungry I was. Anyone familiar with the lifestyle schedule of Italaians knows that for them the main meal is eating in the evenings. Restaurants close around midday and reopen around 6 or 7 pm. At this time they eat with family or friends and celebrate for a few hours. I went to the restaurant "Enzo e Ciro". I found it while planning at home because of the opening hours. As an aperitif, I ordered the Scamorza alla brace and I have to agree that it was really fantastic. It's a grilled cow's milk cheese served hot. It was also served with bruschetta, and together it tasted delicious.
I also ordered limoncello. I have to admit that after whole day on the road, this alcohol worked. Actually at this point, I was almost full, but by ordering, I had overestimated my capacity so there was still Margherita pizza to eat. Of course, I wasn't able to eat whole one even though it was served on a thin bottom. It was served on one piece, so it was left to eat with a knife and fork, although I could see that some people were eating by tearing.
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| Scamorza alla brace |
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| Pizza Margherita |
After the meal, I followed the routeq set out for the day. Walking down Largo Luigi Giannella street, I admired the Adriatic Sea, La Ruota meaning big wheel that on that time was glistening in variuos colours and presented very nice. It was still Christmas time in Bari, so it was easy to see the lights on the palm trees. Personally, I have to admit that I love palm trees, maybe because there are none in Poland, and decorated with lights they look amazing.
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La Ruota |
I arrived at a place I often see in pictures, when I was looking for information about Bari. Colourful, mostly blue boats along the water. In the evening I could see the city reflected in the sea. The view was amazing. Of course, the Italian Aperol Spirtz wasn't to be missed! Despite the cold, I refreshed myself with a cold drink. Maybe at this point I should say if I had started to get scared, abroad... evening... But there was still nothing to be afraid of. I think the same now. People sometimes look at you, and that's it. Let's think if we look at every person we pass, we don't even pay attention. After my trip I can say that a group of tourists attracts more attention than one person; they tend to behave louder. I felt at home there. I even sometimes had to remind myself "Hey you, you're in Italy!". It was February, off-season, so there're more locals than tourists; for them it was a normal day.
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| Bari by night |
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| Aperol Spritz |
The second day 02 February, 2023
Next day, I got up at 6:45, because the schedule was tight. First, around 7:50 am I took the train from the central station to Polignano A Mare. I had planned a typically Italian breakfast for the day: espresso + cornetto. I eat it in an atmospheric restaurant called Bar "L'arciere", there were palm trees around me and, as you can see from the photo, nice weather.
After a quick meal, I followed along the route of the day and headed towards the Adriatic Sea. The streets looked very atmospheric. The sun was shining and I could tan my face. So I walked to reach the viewpoints along the promenade, taking photos of interesting views.
I had to find the place you usually see when looking for information about Polignano A Mare. It wasn't easy as I started from a different direction, but in the end I reached the Ponte di Polignano bridge and I saw Lama Monachile beach. I wanted to go downstairs. In that issue one woman helped me. Not only did she point me in the right direction, but she also accomapanied me to the stairs so I could go to the famous beach in Polignano a Mare, which you can see in the photos below. It was a little windy, but the shining sun compansated for this.
Next point to see was Pane e Pomodoro beach. To get there more quickly, I took a train journey with two stops. I got off at Bari Parco Sud station. This took about one hour. I continued walking along the promenade to get to Bari Central Station. On the way, I bought arancini, an Italian delicacy; rice ball with mozzarella and meat. I ate it during a short break.
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| arancini |
Being in Bari again, I went to my apartment to freshen up and recharge the battery on my phone. At around 3 pm I went to the centre of Bari with my next route with the sights I want to see. At first I walked, passed the Teatro Margherita and so reached the Piazza Mercantile. On the way I stopped because I have to admit that I always have to restrain myself not to take a photo of every palm tree. I have the same during every trip to countries where such grow. For me, they are amazing. However, the number one thing for me, right from the planning stage of the trip, was the sight of the beautiful boats lined up on calm water with a cloudless sky. As you can see below, my expectations were fullfilled. I'm already planning to return to this place, but next time in the summer.
O.k. so it was time for another Italian delicacy. This time I chose panzerotti cime di rapa, which is with broccoli turnips and mozzarella. I had planned eat it, because I knew that broccoli turnip was famous in this region. It was the second dish which I enjoyed so much. Unfortunately, I can't recommend the place, where I bought it; it was somewhere on my way. Althpugh it was very hot, the taste was so amazing that it dissappeared quickly. The delicacy is worth to recommending.
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panzerotti
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I moved on. I didn't follow my route excatly as I had mapped it out. Sometimes I was distracted by something, so I'll now list the hightlights I saw. I walked through the Piazza Mercantile and then headed towards Bari Vecchia. There was the Castello Normanno Svevo in full sunlight.
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| Castello Normanno Svevo |
Further, I saw the Dumo Chiesa di San Sabino and the Duomo Chiesa di San Nicola.
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| Chiesa di San Nicola |
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| Chiesa di San Sabino |
I also walked along the famous Arco Basso street, where you can women making orecchiette, the regional pasta. Walking there, all I saw were two women sitting in their houses with the doors open, watching TV and quietly working. It's really fun to walk these streets, everthing is delightful until you want to snap a picture. But I think it's better to just enjoy the atmosphere. I also took a walk along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II park.
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| Corso Vittorio Emanuele II |
Then it was time for another meal. I went to the Borgo Antico R45 restaurant, of course looked the place up beforehand, as I wanted to eat the regional dish Orecchiette con cime di rapa, a regional pasta with broccoli turnips, that day. For dessert, I ordered the tiramisu. Everything was very tasty. I chose to eat outside because the restaurant was indeed atmospheric, as you can see in the photo below.
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| Orecchiette con cime di rapa |
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Tiramisu
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After the meal, I decided to take another walk around Bari. It was already dark, so I wanted to take a photos. Teatro Margherita amazingly reflected in the water and the boats were still making a good atmosphere. Then, I returned to my flat.
The third day 03 February, 2023
Next day, I also got up at 6:45 am. The following stay was planned in Alberobello, so at 7:30 am I checked out, said good bye to my flat's owner and went to the central station. At 8 am I took the train and an hour later I was in Locorotondo. Locorotondo was in my plan because I'd read that it was good to see Locorotondo and Alberobello in one day. I thought I would spend a couple of hours there and finally go to the town of trulli. However, I only saw a few streets and they delighted me.
After some time, I decided to get out of town. Locorotondo is built on a circle, hence the name of the town. I noticed that there was no sense to use my map, because it was going crazy; going straight also turns on the circle, so I had to commit more time to reach next point. I wasn't convinced by it, as the route looked really inconspicuously, but the map showed I supposed to follow it to reach an interesting viewpoint. In a moment I was to find out what views were waiting for me. The weather was amazing, and I had the following view in front of me.
Whereas, when I reached to road, I saw a beautiful Locorotondo in the sunshine. I have to admit that I hadn't noticed the town in such a perspective in photos before. When I saw the whole town, I was fascinated by it. In that moment I released other emotions, namely the fact that I had got there, that the weather was good for me and, in general, that I was in Italy. This moment was the most emotional for me during the whole trip. If it wasn't for the rest of my plans for the day, I could have sat there and admired the view. I grasped the charm of Locorotondo and was glad that this point had appeared on my schedule. Even the photos can't give us the beauty what I saw there. I think I was enchanted by the place and this moment will stay with me for a long time.
For the rest of the day I planned to visit Alberobello. First, however, I decided to have a snack, as I hadn't eaten anything since the morning. In addition, it was difficult to find somewhere to eat at that hour and the restaurants were closed. However I found a place, where I could try another Italian dish i.e. focaccia. It was a pizza-like bottom with various food toppings. For me it was good, my hunger was satisfied. Later I went to the central station and at 1:30 pm I took the train to Alberobello, which took about 15 minutes.
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focaccia
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Finally, I arrived in the town I had chosen Puglia to see for this reason. I had seen the trulli houses before when I was on the bus. There were several in Locorotondo. Due to the fact I had to check in at around 3:30 and knowing that it was about a 30-miniute walk from center, I quickly set about viewing. First I went to the Vista Panoramica dei Trulli viewpoint, where I could see interesting view of the houses. I felt like I was in a fairytale land. Then, I walked over to Belvedere sui Trulli.
Later, I went to Rione Monti, which is the largest trulli zone. The weather was still fine, and the photos looked nice. In this town you can also walk around and admire. The houses were charming, but some time later, in my case too soon, I got used to the view and unfortunately the fascination, dissipated. However, it was nice walk around the place.
Walking towards my new apartment, on the way I saw Basilica S. Cosma e Damiano and Trullo Sovrano, which is the only two-story trullo.
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| Basilica S. Cosma e Damiano |
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| Trullo Sovrano |
Drinking coffee and eating pasticcino, a filled pastry, I walked to my last stay. The sun had almost gone down and the views were still amazing.
As I mentioned at the beginning, when I planning my trip, I chose the last sleep in one of the trullo. The interior was amazing, the owner was a really welcoming and helpful woman. What suprised me, was that the flat cools down quite quickly. It's a good idea to heat it up a bit beforehand. The atmosphere was unique.
After checking in, I wanted to go back into town and explore further. The owner of the flat was so nice and so concerned about me that when she found out about my plans for the evening, she offered to give me a lift as it was going to be dark and chilly. I agreed and now I'm very gratefull for it because I was able to save time, and it was really a cold evening. I even walked around the same places, but already at night, they were lit up and I even see the Christmas decorations. I'll post some photos from the evening.
As supper, I had a pancake with some vegetables. Then, thankfully, I was picked up again at my flat, so I was back in my atmospheric trullo.
Departure day 04 February, 2023
Next day I had an Italian breakfast with espresso in my trullo. After saying goodbye to the owner of the trullo, I headed to the central station in Alberobello. In the morning, the views were beautiful again.
I arrived in Bari by train. The flight was at 5 pm, so I had time to walk around Bari again. I walked around the Murat district, where it was quite crowded. People were sitting and drinking coffee or vine in front of restaurants, others were shopping. I decided to go to see my favourite view in Bari on the water. On the way I bought a souvenir and then, I bought a panino baresano with mortadellą, sun-dried tomatoes and provolone cheese. I ate my last meal saying goodbye to Puglia and seeing the sea.
After some time, it was not possible to stay any longer, and I had to go to the central station for the train to the airport to Poland. It's worth knowing that the trains to the airport leave from different place in the station. Usually when you go back to Poland, suddenly there are only Poles around you, so you can always ask something if you have any problems. At the airport, I had to switch to a "post-holiday" mood, which isn't easy for me. However, when I was waiting for a flight, especially a delayed one, I was getting used to this state. And a new plan for my next trip was forming in my head.
Summary
Costs:
flights - 46 €
accomodations - 180 €
food - 75 €
public transport - 23 €
other - 43 €
Łącznie: 367 €
Could I have organised a cheaper trip?
Yes, if you choose cheaper accomodations such as hostels. For me, as was the first time, I preferred to organise in that way I did it. I think on future trips I will choose cheaper options. About food, I think that if you want to taste the regional dishes, there is no way to save money.
Could I have visited more places?
Probably yes, but to feel the atmosphere of the city, of Italy, you have to stop sometimes, eat slowly; feel the famous la dolce vita. As this was my first solo trip, I am really happy and proud of myself. I know, that if I had chosen to many places to see I would have felt that I hand't paid enough attention to each of them.
What suprised me?
One thing I expected, but nevertheless pleasantly reassured me, was the civility of the Italians. I can confirm this with certainty, because whenever I asked for directions (it happened several times), they not only pointed me in the right direction, but also escorted me to the place and then asked if I still needed help. It's very heartening to experience such kindness.
What about the Italian language?
Because I learn Italian, I tried to use it in every situation. Sometimes, however, I had to use English because this one is more advanced, so it's easier and faster. There were times when Italians started speaking English because they saw that I was a tourist and wanted to explain something to me. A few times I mixed the two languages;) The most important thing is not to pay too much attention to how we speak, but to speak simply (by the way, it took me a long time to come to this conclusion, but now I know that it is so)
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"Tutto accade per una ragione"
(Everything happens for something)
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Finally, I'll share with you my digression, because during my trip I became convinced of a phrase I saw on a bench in Alberobello. And now I think it's true; everything happens for something!:) I hope I didn't bore you and that you enjoyed reading this post. I had a lot of fun while writing it. I'll be pleased if anyone takes my advice and experiences. I would appreciate if you leave your comment:)
After a quick meal, I followed along the route of the day and headed towards the Adriatic Sea. The streets looked very atmospheric. The sun was shining and I could tan my face. So I walked to reach the viewpoints along the promenade, taking photos of interesting views.
Walking around, followed the plan, at first I went to the Belvedere di Locorotondo viewpoint. It was a bit cloudy and the view didn't make a big impression on me, especially as the day was quite windy.
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