The last time I went to Italy, I chose the southern Adriatic Sea port of Bari - capital of Apulia (known as Puglia in Italian), the "heel" of the Italian "boot" - along with two nearby resorts. Why Bari? Frankly, mostly because it's home to the famous Basilica di San Nicola - St. Nicholas - top left), and my name is Nicolae. There also happens to be a direct flight on the low-cost carrier Wizz from Timisoara, in my country Romania.
So in just an hour I was in Bari (pop. 327,000), and for 1.50