Despite almost being put off by the guide books we liked the city of Bari with its mazy old town and eclectic night life and one thing I would say to anyone thinking of going to Puglia then do not miss out the capital city of the region and don’t be scared off by the reviews.
We especially liked the old town in the evenings where the pavements were flowing with people like lava spilling from a volcano, the piazzas were packed, the pizzerias overflowing and the gelaterias noisy with babbling chatter. With some difficulty we found a traditional trattoria with a vacant table and enjoyed a first simple but excellent meal and then walked it off with a stroll around the moody streets of the old town lined with bars and restaurants and late night diners lingering over a final espresso.
Those unfavourable guide book descriptions need to be reviewed.
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Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments’ on Norm’s site, anytime between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American Eastern Time).
Have Bag, Will Travel 
Aren’t evenings in southern Europe among the best pleasures of a holiday – just mooching, people-watching, stopping by at a bar, and generally enjoying the moment? I do hope it’s not too long before such pleasures return.
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I always enjoy an evening in the Plaza Mayor in Spain but Bari sticks in my mind as the most vibrant place that I ever spent an evening in Europe. All local people, so few tourists.
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Wonderful. My kinda place then.
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now moving up, our best friend family in NJ was from Bari !!! My family on father’s side married from Como lol! Ciao Italia!
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I really liked Bari!
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I had a motion picture job on Sardinia in the early 1970s. after we finished filming, ewe decided to take a break for supper. It was that time of day when Italians take a walk, filling the sidewalks.
At one point one of the still photographers in the car gave the passing residents a power to the people sign, which one young woman in the crowd mistook for an Italian hand sign with a less friendly meaning! Her friends had to hold her back, and we were concerned we were about to be swarmed by unhappy Italians with murder in their hearts!
Then, we came to a dead end as far as restaurants were concerned, realized we had to turn around and retrace our path if we were going to get something to eat that day. OMG! We had to pass the enraged woman again, and she showed us how to make the uniquely Italian raised arm thrust correctly! LOL!
Oh, yes, we found a restaurant, and I had a huge bowl of the best, most authentic minestrone soup I ever ate before or after. Though I recommend trying unfamiliar foods when travelling – brains is the only one that gagged me, also eaten in beautiful Cagliari, Sardinia – it’s instructive and fun to try familiar dishes to see how they are made and presented in the places where they originated.
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Thanks for adding these great memories to the post Doug.
I draw the line at brains as well.
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Oh wow, like these doors, and the ‘mazy old town’, Andrew,
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Thanks Sue, Bari is well worth a visit.
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Well, my friend and I flew into Bari, but hotfooted straight off to other parts!
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That is a shame because you missed a real treat. Were you scared off by the reviews? Where did you hotfoot it to?
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Matera, and later Alberobello
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Alberobello, what a place, did you stay in a Trulli?
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I find guide books a bit like critics, too opinionated and not objective enough. Fabulous doors and I echo margaret21’s comments.
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Bari does seem to divide opinion. I liked it. No cruise ships visit Bari.
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That’s a big point in its favour
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Wonderful images. The textured door detail is my favourite
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Thanks Derrick.
What a day here in the north – non stop precipitation!
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a minute or two’s drizzle here.
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Ahh yes, you can’t wrong with old Italian villages that have been there for centuries. Excellent shots 🙂
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Thanks Norm!
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Always better to read bad reviews and find out they’re wrong than the other way round! Having an excellent meal also helps. 🙂 Sounds like it worked out well.
janet
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Interesting information. My mother comes from a village called Bari in India. In fact there are nine adjoining villages called bari with different suffixes and all are located next to each other. The name of my mothers village is Bari Khas which means in urdu Bari Main.
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Thank you for adding this information to the post.
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Beautiful! I’m so glad I’m not the only door geek!
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