It's Sunday morning and I have arrived in Bari, Italy. About 320 nautical miles south of Venice and the first port of call on this Mediterranean Itinerary. The ship has docked close to the old town, in fact you can walk from the terminal building, should take you about 20 minutes.

If you have purchased an excursion from the ship then you will be directed to your waiting coaches for your scheduled excursions.
If you feel like exploring on your own then there is a city bus which stops directly in front of the cruise terminal with a price of 1.50 € per person.

Just outside of the port entrance you will find the popular Bari Hop On Hop Off Bus a double decker tour bus that will get you to all the main sites around Bari. Cost of this tour is about 16.00 € per person. Considering you are in Bari for only half a day this may be a good option, saves walking but if you are energetic then walk around, you wont get lost and you it's great exercise.

Walked around the old town which is bounded by the Adriatic Sea on 3 sides. It is a mixture of Norman, Arabic and Roman cultures, plenty of little restaurants and bars.

At the center of the old town is Piazza San Nicola- the Basilica of St. Nicholas founded in 1087 and the first Norman church in Bari. Not too far away from Piazza San Nicola and this is for all the medieval history enthusiasts, you will find find the massive Castello Svevo a quadrangular structure that two medieval queens held court in, Queen Isabella of Aragona and Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland. That's your history lesson for the day.

You will find plenty of other Churches, theatres and restaurants located in the area as well. Make you way over to via Sparano the trendy shopping area of Bari. It is a pedestrian mall with all that latest fashion and accessories stores. As it was Sunday morning these stores were closed and it was a bit of a disappointment not to be able to pick up the latest in Italian fashion design, but hey, there will be more ports of call to spend you money in.

At the end of via Sparano I reached the train station of Bari and from here I took the city bus back to the port. All in all, the time spent in Bari was sufficient being a Sunday many shops were closed and in retrospect I probably would have taken the Hop On Hop Off Bus for a more complete tour of Bari.

It's 2:00 pm and the ship is preparing to sail to the next port Katakolon Greece, 311 Nautical miles away
.
For those of you interested in taking a guided excursion that the ship offers I have included the following listing to assist you with your time in Bari.
Info is from excursions folder onboard

CITY TOUR (half day) The tour consists of a walking through the historical centre leading to a visit to the renowned Church of Saint Nicholas and then on to an external visti of the Norman Castle. Free time at disposal, then concluding the tour with a quick glance by coach of modern Bari.

ALBEROBELLO (half day) a quick ride by coach to Alberobello, located in the Murge region and famous for its distinctive cylindical houses with pointed conical dome roof tops generally known as “trulli”. Guided walking tour through the narrow streets of this UNESCO preserved village continuing to the church of St. Antonio, the only example of a “trullo” church in the world. Return to the port and short panoramic tour of Bari before reaching the port.

THE “SASSI” IN MATERA ( about 4 hours) Drive to Matera, the city of the “Sassi”, the first site in the world to be declared world heritage by Unesco. These caves were inhabited since Neolithic times up to 1952. The atmosphere, as you walk through the “Sassi” is very surreal. We will visit either the typically furnished old cave or one rocky church that are symbol of the local civilization. Masters of cinema set films in this evocative place, one of the latest was “The Passion of the Christ” directed by Mel Gibson.
Note: The tour includes about 1 hour and 15 minutes transfer each way. The guests will find the guides directly in Matera ; the bus drive does not include guide service. This tour is not suitable for passengers who experience mobility problems; long walking involved.