Much as I love Italy, in recent years I have tired of the beaten paths: Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice . . .

Some years ago, I read about a region I’d never heard of … and was hooked. But only recently did I get an invitation to check it out for myself. An email from the Italian Government Tourism Office in New York referenced a Travel Agent Symposium in “Puglia” – and I jumped at it.

So here I am, in a crappy hotel in Bari, Puglia – with 199 travel “agents.” I paid for this trip, too – about $1,000 for the week. I’m not complaining about the money – but if you’re going to charge me and 199 travel agents – you better get it right.

Normally, I am invited by incentive suppliers on a familiarization trip of “incentive quality.” I have always known there was a difference. And, boy, is there a difference!

For starters, when we arrived at our hotel (crappy, by the way), the room keys were all laid out in envelopes in alphabetical order. Nice touch – except that the organizers had given this hotel the rooming list for the Sheraton – and vice versa.

Okay, mistakes happen.

My hotel room in Bari, Puglia

So, we went and enjoyed lunch (delicious, by the way) and the key packets were all corrected by the time we finished. Problem solved.

My room is horrid.  But it doesn’t matter because I’d never put my customers here.  There are charming towns all around … but none large enough to house this large group.  These things, I understand.  They are part of every traveler’s experience. (Except those of my customers, of course!)

But other things … I don’t understand.  Like the 4:00 bus into the New Town (they call it “new” because it’s only 200 years old). The bus came at 4:45 – in a different place than we were told to wait.

Okay, okay . . . so there are miscommunication and traffic delays.  These things happen.

Once in the new (old) town, I window-shopped but was dissuaded once I added 40% to the prices on display. But I did find an open-air market where the Afghans were selling Chinese-made soccer shirts and baseball caps, and bought a nice, warm (and cheap) pair of gloves for €4. It’s cold here in the evening. And, I bought a hot chocolate for €3.  Yum.  I consider that a successful shopping outing!

Back at the hotel, dinner was delicious.

An Ambien puts me out for the night.  I don’t even hear the trains.  (Did I tell you about my view?)

This morning we left the hotel at 8:30 AM for a “Symposium” at the Congress Center. It was supposed to start at 9:30 AM. At more or less 10:15, the first of a LONG line of speakers and public officials spoke to us about how happy they were that we had come from America. And how excited they were to show us their beautiful region. And how much we would love it.

At least I think that’s what they were saying.

Eventually, someone remembered that we were supposed to have been given headphones so that we could listen to a translation of the Italian speakers and public officials speak to us about how happy they were that we had come from America, and how excited they were to show us their beautiful region and how much we would love it.

If they ever let us out of this damn Symposium, that is!

The Governor of this region was sporting a very large earring. Otherwise, we were bored beyond words. The woman to my right was snoring.

Their pictures of Puglia look lovely. Maybe they’ll actually show it to us one of these days!

To be continued . . .