I have had the privilege in getting to know my local region Calabria better through exploration, but now I want to extend my boundaries and see a new Southern Italian region. Enter the region of Puglia, a region rich with unique culture, fantastic sea views and new bustling cities! Now that I have grown more accustomed to the transport links, I felt more confident in going further in general.
For my friends and I, the locations we had our hearts set on in particular were the bay-side city Bari & the country town Alberobello. Alberobello's unique attraction are the local houses called 'Trulli' which has a distinctive design of stone-coned roofs. The glorious sunny day made wondering these historic streets even more of a fantastic experience. I have heard of many Italian highlights but this town truly was a brilliant discovery. Whilst the weather was still positive, we savoured every moment with as much exploration as possible and photo opportunities.
From a town of great heritage, to the big city that is Bari. The city despite the size isn't as well-known as locations such as Napoli, Milano & Roma but that only meant for me that there were interesting things to discover. In the centre of Bari hosts a bustling and authentic city square which has a fantastic atmosphere. It was perfect for an Italian coffee stop as the surroundings had a relaxing aura. It was also another opportunity to see the sea and with the weather on our side, the feeling of the smell of salt water whilst relaxing with the views was pure perfection.
To finalise the experience of Bari, we soaked in the local nightlife and saw the city really come to life. The bustling streets and the peach sunset brought about a new atmosphere to this bay-side city. Witnessing the change of scenery was also a fantastic photo opportunity for me. I also had the chance to visit a traditional Catholic church service. Despite the language barrier, it was still interesting to witness how the Italians treat their Catholic services in comparison to back in England.
I am of course aware of the growing concern of the novel coronavirus in Italy and on my way back to Terranova, the thought of this potentially being my last travel experience for a while dawned upon me. I hope it isn't the case but the most important thing for Italy is to stay as strong as possible and do whatever it can to fight the virus. Maybe my visit to Puglia is the last experience I have for a while, in which case it was even more worth making the trip across to a new region with my friends.
