I know nothing about Bari itself, but for travel in Italy I always look at the airport of arrival for transport information - here for Bari. Any train I've used there you have always had to have your ticket BEFORE getting on the train. If you follow the link you will find another to train ticket purchase online. I've found all the regions I've been to in Italy to be different, some very much more than others.

 

The further south you go the more you'll want a car. That's even more the rule away from the coasts. If you stick with the train and buses you'll be limited to places they go .


My general suggestion is to decide what sort of life you want. Don't pick a place then figure out if you'll like it. Decide what you want to do. How you want to live your life. Think about the climate.

More than a region I'd say type of town. You might be a small hill town person. Or you might be a big city person. You might like the beach. You might like skiing.

 

Thanks, Nick, I generally would like to try living by the sea or ocean for a change. After living on the Danuhe a landlocked city should have a very big river for me to consider it. My vibe is more walking on a promenade by moving water - the sea, ocean or a very wide river.

For the 3 nights and 2 full days in addition to Bari itself I might do day trips to Polignano a Mare and Alberobello, maybe also Monopoli. Or is Monopoli skippable if I visit the other two?

Language is very important as I struggle with language learning. I know English of course, I seem to pick up Spanish the easiest, could pick up Italian, Galician, Asturian-Leonese, Slovak or Serbo-Croatian.

All other languages are not at all easy for me.

 

Two full days isn't a huge amount of time, but you can definitely get a good first impression of Bari and squeeze in a day trip.

Polignano a Mare and Alberobello are definitely popular for a reason and give you very different flavours of Puglia – the dramatic coast and the unique Trulli houses. They are great choices, especially for a first taste. Monopoli is also lovely with its old harbour, but if time is tight between Polignano and Alberobello, you might find Polignano gives you a strong dose of that beautiful Adriatic coastal town vibe already.

Since you're looking for seaside spots and maybe something slightly less mentioned than Polignano, have you considered heading north from Bari for a day trip to Trani? It's easily reachable by the same train line that serves the coast south of Bari.

Trani has a really stunning harbour and its famous Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Nicola Pellegrino) is built right on the water – it's quite a sight! I wandering around the harbour there one sunny afternoon, feeling quite relaxed as it felt a bit less crowded than some other spots. We stumbled upon the Cathedral almost by surprise, looming right over the sea, and it was genuinely breathtaking. Afterwards, we found a little trattoria right on the harbour front and had some incredibly fresh grilled octopus overlooking the fishing boats bobbing in the water. It just felt very authentically Puglian maritime.

 

Had to change my plans and I will be going to Milan instead and will probably visit Verona as well.

I might not like the North as the South but realistically if it comes to it finding a job or clients for your business up North would be easier for an expat. Also, needing a car is not my idea of a vacation and I think trains in the North might be more reliable.

As I will be far away from the sea I might visit lake Garde, on some photos it looks almost like a sea.