Bari

San Nicola, the sea walls and a train to the trulli

Two days in Bari give one to the city and one to a train trip. Day one covers the Basilica of San Nicola, the cathedral of San Sabino, the Norman-Swabian castle and the sea walls. Day two takes the Ferrovie del Sud Est to Alberobello's trulli or the FAL line to Matera.

Day one, morning: walk up Via Sparano from Bari Centrale into Bari Vecchia. Start at the Basilica of San Nicola, with its gilded ceiling, the medieval throne of Bishop Elias and the saint's tomb in the crypt, then look into the Palazzo del Catapano on the same square before crossing to the cathedral of San Sabino.

Afternoon: circle the Norman-Swabian castle, then climb onto the old walls and follow them along the sea past the Fortino di Sant'Antonio and the former monastery of Santa Scolastica. Evening: drop into the Murat quarter for a stroll, then head back for a drink around Piazza del Ferrarese or Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

Day two: take a train out. Ferrovie del Sud Est services from Bari Centrale reach the trulli of Alberobello, while the FAL line leaves from its own station beside Bari Centrale for Matera. Back in town by evening, ride the train to Torre Quetta in summer for a swim before a late dinner.

Hand-rolled orecchiette and old-town fried snacks

Bari's signature dish is orecchiette with cime di rapa, often rolled by hand in the lanes of Bari Vecchia. Street food fills the rest: focaccia barese, panzerotti, fried sgagliozze and baked calzoni. Eat snacks in the old town, sit-down meals in the Murat streets, and drink around Piazza del Ferrarese.

Barese cooking rests on Apulia's wheat, olive oil and vegetables, and pasta is where it shines. Orecchiette, small ear-shaped pasta, come classically with cime di rapa (turnip tops); look also for cavatelli and the larger chiancarelle. In the lanes of Bari Vecchia, women still roll orecchiette by hand at tables outside their doors and sell them by the bag.

Street food is the other half of the story. Focaccia barese is baked with tomatoes and oil, panzerotti are fried half-moons filled with mozzarella and tomato, and sgagliozze are fried slices of polenta sold from old-town doorways. Bakeries also turn out baked calzoni stuffed with onions, anchovies, capers and olives, along with crunchy taralli and friselle.

Eat in Bari Vecchia for atmosphere and street snacks, and in the Murat streets for sit-down meals. For drinks, Piazza del Ferrarese and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II are where the evening crowd gathers.

The 7 to 9 May feast of San Nicola

Bari's biggest festival runs from 7 to 9 May and marks the arrival of St Nicholas's relics from Myra in 1087. Expect a sea procession with the saint's painting, a costumed historical parade through the old town, the statue taken out on a fishing boat, and Masses at the basilica on 9 May.

Sailors from Bari carried the bones of the bishop of Myra home in the spring of 1087, and the Basilica of San Nicola was built to hold them. The saint is revered by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians, which is why you will see pilgrim groups from Russia, Ukraine and the Balkans in the crypt, where Orthodox services are also held. The basilica, consecrated in 1197, set the model for Apulian Romanesque: a plain stone front between two squat towers, with carved animals around the doors. Inside, the bishop's throne is carved from a single block of marble. Entry to the church and crypt is free.

On 7 May a painting of the saint goes by sea from San Giorgio bay, and the evening corteo storico, a costumed parade recalling the sailors' return, winds through Bari Vecchia. On 8 May the statue of San Nicola is carried through the lanes and out to sea on a fishing boat, with a crowd of small craft following it, then returned for Mass on the pier. On 9 May, the anniversary itself, the rector draws the manna, a clear liquid collected from the tomb, in a service in the crypt.

The old town is packed for all three days, and the seafront fills for the boat procession. Book rooms well ahead, keep valuables close in the crowds, and check the current programme with the basilica, as times shift from year to year.

The saint has a second feast on 6 December, his day in the church calendar, with Masses at the basilica and a quieter mood in the old town, and Orthodox pilgrims arrive in large numbers. It is a good time to see the crypt without the May crowds.

Polignano a Mare and Monopoli on the line south

The railway south from Bari Centrale towards Brindisi and Lecce stops at Polignano a Mare and Monopoli, so two of Apulia's best seaside towns are a short regional train ride away. Polignano sits on cliffs above small coves, and Monopoli has a walled old town around its harbour.

Polignano a Mare is the busier of the two, built on limestone cliffs with houses right on the edge. Its small pebble cove, Lama Monachile, fills quickly in summer, so arrive early. A statue on the seafront honours Domenico Modugno, the singer of Nel blu dipinto di blu, who was born in the town. Allow a full day if you want both towns. From Polignano, Monopoli is one more stop down the line, and its old port, castle and cathedral are a few minutes' walk from the station.

Further along the same line, Ostuni stands on its white hill a few kilometres inland from its station, so you need a bus or taxi for the last stretch, while Lecce, at the end of the route, deserves a night of its own for its Baroque centre. Brindisi, on the way, is the port for ferries to Greece.

Trains on this line are frequent, but summer weekends bring crowds heading to the beaches. Travel on a weekday if you can and buy tickets before boarding.

Bari has its own waterfront to enjoy on a slow evening. The Lungomare Nazario Sauro runs south-east from the old town past grand public buildings from the 1930s, and the Teatro Margherita, built on piles over the water at the edge of Bari Vecchia, now hosts exhibitions. A few streets inland, the Teatro Petruzzelli, the city's opera house, burned in 1991 and reopened in 2009 after a long restoration; its season of opera, ballet and concerts is a good reason to dress up for a night.