OK, so first of all, we had a great stay in this apartment in Bari. Any problem or question we had, Daniela, our single point of contact dealt with quickly and effectively. The apartment is just as the images suggest and it was our great pleasure to have stayed there.
With that said, there are a few words of advice to the next travellers:
1) This is a very narrow building with no elevator (no chance to fit one in), so if you are a wide person, you will struggle quite a bit. No offense, this is reality.
2) Our apartment was on the 3rd floor, so by the time I managed to get our luggage up there, I think the neighborhood learnt a few Hungarian idioms and impossible metaphors.
3) South-Italy comes alive after the sun sets. This apartment is literally on one of the busiest streets of Bari. Please add 2+2, because I certainly did not, so it was quite a surprise for me to listen to all of Bari having a party right under our windows.
4) Speaking of windows, the building and apartment are old. They have an atmosphere that I'll never forget, it's so authentic, you can touch history. But for the same reason, soundproofing is literally non-existent. The window blinds are excellent at keeping the sun out and the flat was reasonably warm during a September heatwave, even without A/C. With the air conditioning on, it was outright fantastic. But it's noisy. Not the A/C, the neighborhood. People are loud, cars are loud, people in cars are especially loud. I slept about 4 hours every night. Not a complaint, I should have known that I'm a wuss when it comes to sleeping. My wife and kids slept like a log. I slept like a log on fire.
5) Water - as I mentioned, this is an old building. Probably pre-dates central water piping regulations, so Italians did what they do best - they found a way around. (And that comes from a Hungarian, another world champion nation in "doing it clever".) However, this means there is a bit of chance that water pressure will drop or the water just cuts off. Not funny when you want to have a shower after a long day at the beach. If this happens, contact Daniela and she will do her utmost to have it rectified soon. We had such an issue and she got it sorted by next morning.
6) Pane e Pomodoro beach is freakkin' far when you want to go there on foot. It's measurably farther when you try to go there with kids. The distance back to the apartment is about 2x of what you would expect. Take the bus. Bus no. 12 is your friend. The bus loves you. The bus needs you. And if it leaves right in front of your face, wait for the next one.
7) Bring cash. The old town occasionally has card terminals only for show, because there is just no signal there. Thick walls, buildings upon buildings... Visually appealing, an absolute blast, but not a friend to wireless tech.
8) Please enjoy this marvellous apartment, the fantastic neighborhood, the even more fantastic city, and if there is any problem, don't hesitate to fire up the bat-signal, so Daniela can come to the rescue. (Yeah, really, she is a national treasure.)
8+1) There is a cloth dryer outside the building, if you open the window on the far side of the apartment, near the washing machine. You can dry your wet clothes in the original, Mediterranean way, as it was meant to be - on the street, above the head of unsuspecting passers-by. Absolutely hilarious, I died when I saw it!
Dear Valentina, Daniela,
Thank you for the chance, we had an absolutely fantastic time in your apartment!