Life in Spain : Babes in Bari, ITALY!!
There were a pair of beautiful babes in Bari, Italy last weekend. [SPOILER ALERT:] I'm talking about us. Bari is an absolutely magical place along Italy's Adriatic coast that doesn't get enough credit for everything it has to offer visitors and those who want to become locals for a while.
Overall there were several parts that made Bari feel like my long lost home. First, the deliciously fresh seafood reminded me of our annual Marchetti Tradition where we eat seven types of fish to start the Christmas Eve celebration.Practically everything we ate during this trips was tasty and tasted similar to some of the foods we've eaten as a family throughout my life. Another familiar part were the faces we saw around town. During these three day I saw countless doppelgängers for my mom and her cousins. It was great, but strange at the same time, to be in a new place that felt so familiar.
Stay:
Hotel Adria gets 5 Stars from the Hunters. Our normal rhythm for stays in the states or internationally has always included AirBnB accommodations. However this time; we experienced our first AirBnB SCAM! (Basically we rolled up to a property in the boondocks that we thought would be a quiet nature retreat with stellar amenities at a killer price. WE WERE WRONG.
We ended up getting out of that AirBnB scam jam because of our cab driver, shout out to Mario. When we all realized the scam, he immediately hopped on the phone with a pair of hoteliers he knows personally and told us to look up the rooms we thought would suit us most online. His recommendations led us to the Hotel Adria, a centric location with a rustic entry that would make our time in Puglia more enjoyable and eventful.
This classically decorated immaculate accommodation provided a handful of amenities that made our stay memorable. The Adria gets so many things right from guest rooms to common spaces: the strong wifi and free breakfast are two basic reasons why we'd book a stay here on our next trip to Bari. The literal crown jewel of our stay was the rooftop Terrazza! This rooftop features comfortable seating and hanging gardens that create a social media moment that is perfectly suited for an evening pre-game situation, daytime work space, or game night at the hotel. Our AirBnB turning out to be a scam meant having the Hotel Adria serve as our home base as we explored Bari and we couldn't have been happier with the switch.
Experiences:
Bari Vecchia: We took a stroll to explore the cityscapes under the night sky with monuments lit up along the sea and Muraglia di Bari. Bari Vecchia's charm shine through day or night. Hidden stairs carry you to a seaside wall that leads you to the Basilica, the Archeological Museum and more. If entering these monuments doesn't grab your attention a walk along the top of the city wall at nightfall surely will. Each archway and rustic stay that lights up the landscape combines ancient architecture with signs of our contemporary time. Marvel at the city of Bari and how locals perch on each nook to give the vibe of a slower pace and a simpler way to enjoy nights out for little to no cost at all.
Cuisine:
If you decide to get a bite and sample local fare options abound. After exploring on night one, we popped over to Paninoteca de Rossi on our way back to the hotel. It's open until 12 am and you can easily feed two for 10 euros at this greasy spoon food truck setup close to the sea.
Venezia 40 was my easily favorite meal during our time in Bari. It was recommended by a pair of locals and panzerotti was on the menu. If you've never had panzerotti think the airiness of a fried pasty and the heft of a calzone filled with your choice of the freshest ingredients possible. Venezia 40 is the address for this restaurant atop the city wall facing the sea and the order window opens 8pm. Every bite was worth the wait especially since our six turnovers only cost us 10 euros.
L'ancora Ristorante near Piazza Mercantile was perfect for our luxurious early dinner on day three. Everything that came to our table was excellent including the service, drinks, and appetizers. Delicious food at this popular centric location was the perfect way to end our time Bari.
Botas en Bari: (a drinking game is born 'with style')
"En nuestro aventura italiana aprendimos una cosa: Las Botas Vaqueras de mujer en Bari son casi todas negras y son la leche. Se hacen ondas (o Son que onda) y se quendan y no piden disculpas."
Piazza Mercantile offers prime people watching that taught us one thing about Italy: Women's cowboy boots are are a big deal in Bari and they're almost always BLACK. They're making waves , they're here to stay, and they're not apologizing for it. For night two, we grabbed some drinks and took to the plaza for a quick drinking game we invented around seeing this style flourish.
Rule 1: Since women's cowboy boots are almost all black in Bari, cheers and take a sip of your drink every time you see a someone wearing a pair.
Rule 2: Pass your drink to someone else every time you spot a pair of cowboy boots of a different color.
Rule 3: Finish your drink if a group of 3 or more boots come trotting by. Bring an extra bottle if you're playing with three or more people; you'll need it!
Pane e Pomodoro (Bread and Tomato) Beach: A short walk southeast a of Bari Vecchia you'll find a solid strip of sand with plenty of space to get a little sun or take an outdoor lunch. The locals seem to spread out along all sections of the space taking advantage of the grassy and dock areas as well. If sun bathing isn't your jam, take a swim in the Adriatic and on a calm you'll be able to walk out to the break water island without even spilling your drink.
Your Social Media Moments:
Jérôme Chocolat - Hearts
Piazza mercantile & Piazza Ferrarese
Negatives & Misses:
AirBnBs Vetting Process: A few tips that we learned and will be implementing going forward will be: checking the AirBnB Google street view to make sure there is an actual building that matches the listing and that there are at least 25 reviews. When you know you've found a solid spot, always plan on a taxi rather than public transit if it takes more than 30 minutes to get from the airport to your accommodation. This keeps you from having to cart your luggage while waiting on platforms and at bus stops with everything you packed. It will also give you a direct route to your accommodation with a guide you can ask about the area along the way. If things turn sour or your host isn't present then you can have an easy out via the cab you came with. During our trip we originally bought tickets to take a train that would take us to another train, but then found out that the train would not be coming for another hour. We decided to sell our tickets and taxi to our AirBnB. Our driver drove us to the address and there was nothing there. He was then able to help us find another accommodation and drive us to it without missing a beat.
Getting Around: Uber and Cabify haven't arrived here yet so get used to beating the feet with the pavement or snagging an old fashioned cab. Other options include putting a few euros down to sling a bike or a scooter around town. Getting around is a must, especially at night.
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