Puglia, Italy = pretty rough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

Stick to Mykonos, snob! Apuglia is beautiful and draws visitors from all over Italy, Europe, etc. Maybe OB is just a rude bigot.

OP here. Never been to Mykonos (or Santorini), but have loved every other corner of the country, from Epirus to Crete, Macedonia and Thrace to Athens and the Peloponnese to the Ionian Islands. It’s a fantastic place, and in my experience, Puglia can’t hold a candle to any of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

Not the OP, but believe it or not, some of us can both be on our phones, and enjoy a vacation, all at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

Fair enough, but I did start the thread. If you would prefer tips on any other corner of Europe (or the world), let me know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Why would anyone go to you for travel tips? You name drop a lot about a few places you’ve been, but I have yet to see you write anything of substance that would lend credit to any of your recommendations.

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

Fair enough, but I did start the thread. If you would prefer tips on any other corner of Europe (or the world), let me know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

Fair enough, but I did start the thread. If you would prefer tips on any other corner of Europe (or the world), let me know.

You may have some decent suggestions but you come across as so smug why would anyone ask you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

Fair enough, but I did start the thread. If you would prefer tips on any other corner of Europe (or the world), let me know.

You may have some decent suggestions but you come across as so smug why would anyone ask you?

Then don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

Ah, a passport stamp collector…

Not really. We go the places that interest us, and have been to most of those countries multiple times. Now in Spain for at least the tenth time. We are no Italy experts, but Puglia was our fifth time in the country, and by far the worst. As I had seen it mentioned on this board, I thought it was worth a discussion. It’s not a contest.

For an immersive traveler claiming to be on yet another amazing trip, you are spending a lot of time on DCUM trashing a place you aren’t even currently visiting.🤔

Fair enough, but I did start the thread. If you would prefer tips on any other corner of Europe (or the world), let me know.

You may have some decent suggestions but you come across as so smug why would anyone ask you?

Then don’t.

OP living her best life on one of her many cultural tours with nothing better to do than hang out on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are Naples and the area around Pompeii?

Horrible. Horrible in the 90s, horrible in the teens, still horrible. Dirty, nasty, crime riddled, nothing works, everyone is trying to cheat you. Shall I continue?


(Pompeii is amazing, but don't linger around Naples.)

OP here. Interesting. We were thinking about visiting Naples on the same trip, but I’m glad we didn’t. I really wanted to see Herculaneum, Capua, and Paestum (we were at Pompeii years ago), but after Puglia we just lost the desire. By contrast, I had always heard bad things about Marseille, but recently visited for the first time and loved it. It had given me hope that Naples would be like that, but apparently not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

You may have visited 110 countries. But you have not actually seen them. I know travelers like you. They are despised by the locals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

You may have visited 110 countries. But you have not actually seen them. I know travelers like you. They are despised by the locals.

Absolutely we know those countries. We have lived in ten of them. And spent weeks (not days) in countless others. We have been doing this for more than 30 years. So sure there are some countries that can be visited more quickly (like our recent three days in San Marino for example, which is still three times longer than most visitors spend), but we are not country counters and do not go places just to check places off. We have been to two thirds of them more than once (including some pretty obscure places), and could have visited many more if that was our only objective. So yes, I know that some people jump from country to country for pure bragging rights (which I also think is ridiculous), but that’s not us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

You may have visited 110 countries. But you have not actually seen them. I know travelers like you. They are despised by the locals.

Absolutely we know those countries. We have lived in ten of them. And spent weeks (not days) in countless others. We have been doing this for more than 30 years. So sure there are some countries that can be visited more quickly (like our recent three days in San Marino for example, which is still three times longer than most visitors spend), but we are not country counters and do not go places just to check places off. We have been to two thirds of them more than once (including some pretty obscure places), and could have visited many more if that was our only objective. So yes, I know that some people jump from country to country for pure bragging rights (which I also think is ridiculous), but that’s not us.

I’m surprised to hear you have lived overseas for so many years. Most career ex-pats I know come across as more worldly, able to pickup on nuances of other people and cultures. You present yourself as a judgmental person who goes on a lot of vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

You may have visited 110 countries. But you have not actually seen them. I know travelers like you. They are despised by the locals.

Absolutely we know those countries. We have lived in ten of them. And spent weeks (not days) in countless others. We have been doing this for more than 30 years. So sure there are some countries that can be visited more quickly (like our recent three days in San Marino for example, which is still three times longer than most visitors spend), but we are not country counters and do not go places just to check places off. We have been to two thirds of them more than once (including some pretty obscure places), and could have visited many more if that was our only objective. So yes, I know that some people jump from country to country for pure bragging rights (which I also think is ridiculous), but that’s not us.

I’m surprised to hear you have lived overseas for so many years. Most career ex-pats I know come across as more worldly, able to pickup on nuances of other people and cultures. You present yourself as a judgmental person who goes on a lot of vacations.

OP here. I haven’t liked one place out of 110+ countries, and have spent years of my life outside the USA. If that makes me a judgmental vacationer (your words) then so be it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

You may have visited 110 countries. But you have not actually seen them. I know travelers like you. They are despised by the locals.

Absolutely we know those countries. We have lived in ten of them. And spent weeks (not days) in countless others. We have been doing this for more than 30 years. So sure there are some countries that can be visited more quickly (like our recent three days in San Marino for example, which is still three times longer than most visitors spend), but we are not country counters and do not go places just to check places off. We have been to two thirds of them more than once (including some pretty obscure places), and could have visited many more if that was our only objective. So yes, I know that some people jump from country to country for pure bragging rights (which I also think is ridiculous), but that’s not us.

I’m surprised to hear you have lived overseas for so many years. Most career ex-pats I know come across as more worldly, able to pickup on nuances of other people and cultures. You present yourself as a judgmental person who goes on a lot of vacations.

OP here. I haven’t liked one place out of 110+ countries, and have spent years of my life outside the USA. If that makes me a judgmental vacationer (your words) then so be it!

I’m not that PP but I agree with the assessment of you as a judgmental vacationer. I was genuinely horrified at the overtly racist language you used to describe southern Italians, which Jeff thankfully deleted. I cannot trust the opinion of anyone who engages in that sort of language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if Puglia is the first time you’ve encountered scammers or fake smiles, you aren’t as well-traveled or worldly as you think yourself to be.

OP here. Of course I have encountered scammers. But usually on the street, and not inside restaurants with staff looking to pad the bill in every way possible and not even trying to hide it! As for fake smiles, not so much, as usually we avoid the obvious tourist places. But when that’s all you have, and the locals clearly don’t want you in their spots, then it’s a different thing entirely. That’s what we encountered in Puglia at nearly every turn, which really surprised me given Italy’s supposed hospitality culture. Honestly, I vastly prefer Greece where the smiles are real and they won’t let you leave without a dessert or drink (even if it’s factored in).

OP, if Puglia was the first time you encountered scammers in a restaurant, you just proved my point. Truly, you aren’t as well-traveled as you believe yourself to be. It’s fine not to have that depth, but maybe don’t paint an entire area so grossly when you have clearly sampled only a small part of the world.

Ha ha, so 110 countries visited isn’t that much? OK dear….

You may have visited 110 countries. But you have not actually seen them. I know travelers like you. They are despised by the locals.

Absolutely we know those countries. We have lived in ten of them. And spent weeks (not days) in countless others. We have been doing this for more than 30 years. So sure there are some countries that can be visited more quickly (like our recent three days in San Marino for example, which is still three times longer than most visitors spend), but we are not country counters and do not go places just to check places off. We have been to two thirds of them more than once (including some pretty obscure places), and could have visited many more if that was our only objective. So yes, I know that some people jump from country to country for pure bragging rights (which I also think is ridiculous), but that’s not us.

I’m surprised to hear you have lived overseas for so many years. Most career ex-pats I know come across as more worldly, able to pickup on nuances of other people and cultures. You present yourself as a judgmental person who goes on a lot of vacations.

OP here. I haven’t liked one place out of 110+ countries, and have spent years of my life outside the USA. If that makes me a judgmental vacationer (your words) then so be it!

I’m not that PP but I agree with the assessment of you as a judgmental vacationer. I was genuinely horrified at the overtly racist language you used to describe southern Italians, which Jeff thankfully deleted. I cannot trust the opinion of anyone who engages in that sort of language.

OP here. I can say without equivocation that race did not factor into my assessment of Puglia in any way, and I find it laughable you would bring it up. I assume you are the same poster who started the Website Feedback post accusing me of being a fascist troll, when I readily pointed out that one of my concerns about the region was its apparent sympathies with Italy’s new right wing government, and apparent sympathies for Russia in the unjust war against Ukraine.

So did I find Puglia dirty and polluted and the people rude and unconcerned about their physical environment and soeciety? Yes, I did. Did I find it surprising that a region of a longtime Western EU country that has been given lots of money and resources by Brussels is so clearly far behind more recent Eastern EU countries and developing countries I have visited in Africa, Asia, and Latin America? Yes, I did. But that is an entirely objective first hand assessment that has absolutely nothing to do with race. So please stop trying to create an issue where it doesn’t exist.