The essential Bari is Bari Vecchia, the old town on the headland — visit the Basilica di San Nicola, the Swabian Castle, and Strada delle Orecchiette where local women still shape pasta by hand in front of their homes. The Lungomare promenade along the seafront is one of the longest in Italy. For culture, Teatro Petruzzelli, Italy's fourth-largest opera house, reopened in 2009 after a notorious arson. Bari is also an excellent base for day trips into Puglia — Alberobello, Lecce, and Castellana Grotte are all reachable within an hour.