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The southern Italian city ranked among Europe’s best summer destinations by Lonely Planet

The world's largest guide book publisher, Lonely Planet, has released its annual list of Europe's top summer destinations, and only one Italian city made the list: the Pugliese capital of Bari.

Published: 21 May 2019 09:48 CEST

The southern Italian city ranked among Europe's best summer destinations by Lonely Planet

The atmospheric streets of Bari's old town. Photo: Depositphotos

The southern Italian region of Puglia has long been a favourite summer destination for travellers in the know, but most head straight for the beaches and overlook its capital city, Bari.

But Bari has now become a travel guidebook favourite. popular with those seeking a slice of “authentic” Italy, with fewer crowds, lower prices and a slower pace of life than that found in many better-known Italian cities.

Photo: Depositphotos

Bari was chosen because of its efforts to revitalise its “formerly battered” seafront, as well as for the regional cuisine, including the local orecchiette pasta famously made in the street by grandmothers.

Photo: Depositphotos

The city is also known for its raw seafood – baby octopus is eaten raw, with just a squeeze of lemon – as well as the narrow streets of the old town, and the grand Cathedral of San Nicola.

Beyond the city, the region of Bari encompasses a long stretch of scenic, rocky Adriatic coastline, including the famous seaside towns of Monopoli and Polignano a Mare.

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Inland, the area's iconic rural landscape is filled with olive groves and dotted with white masserie (fortified farmhouses) and conical trulli houses.

Lonely Planet's list of European travel hotspots was topped by the High Tatras in Slovakia, and also featured Iceland, the Swiss town of Vevey, and the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Last year's ranking highlighted the central Italian region of Emilia-Romagna as a must-visit destination.

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German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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