Bari

Bari needs 2 days: the Basilica di San Nicola, which holds the relics of Saint Nicholas of Bari -the historical origin of Santa Claus, venerated by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians-, and the white maze of alleys in Bari Vecchia, the old town on the peninsula, on one, and the Lungomare Nazario Sauro, one of Europe's longest seafront promenades, on the other. April-June and September-October bring the mildest weather. It's mid-priced for southern Italy. It's Apulia's capital and main port since the Middle Ages, a historic crossroads between East and West that still draws Russian Orthodox pilgrims every May for the feast of Saint Nicholas.