Bari

Bari's old town, La Città Vecchia, is a tangle of narrow alleys where women still roll orecchiette pasta on tables outside their front doors. The Basilica di San Nicola holds relics of St. Nicholas in its crypt, drawing Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims. The Castello Svevo, a Norman-Swabian fortress, sits at the edge of the old quarter. The port is about a 20-minute walk from the old town, or you can take a shuttle. The wider Murattiano district has proper shopping along Via Sparano and the evening passeggiata along the seafront. Day trips from here go to Polignano a Mare, a cliff-top town with a famous swimming cove, or Alberobello, where the cone-roofed trulli houses are a UNESCO site. For food, orecchiette with cime di rapa is the local dish, and the Mercato del Pesce sells the morning's catch directly from fishermen.