The Adrenalin Zone in Bari, Italy

There are a lot of fun things to do in the Adriatic port city of Bari, Italy: there's the Church of St. Nicholas, the Centro Storico and the LungoMare. But if you are an adventure-seeker who thrives on thrills and potential spills, those cultural pursuits pale in comparison to the Adrenalin Zone: an "urban acrobatic park" on the outskirts of town where visitors can challenge themselves and in the process overcome fear, build confidence and have a great time.

Its extreme fun in every sense of the word: once inside the city of Bari's Adrenalin Zone the comfort and security of having your feet on the ground takes a back seat to being in the air. High in the air. For the two or three hours you'll spend at the Adrenalin Zone you'll be relying on your concentration, equilibrium, strength and agility. And not necessarily in that order!

The Adrenalin Zone in the city of Bari, Italyis comprised of 6 towers that stand 15 meters in height and offer a variety of courses that challenge your balance and determination.

Sometimes you just gotta get back in touch with what raises the hairs on the back of your neck: for some folks it's open water, for others it's spiders. For me it's height. I've dealt with it effectively over the years by meeting the fear head on. Whether it's leaping off the high-dive or climbing a sheer rock face. Activities of this sort let me know I'm in charge or my self.

It was with that in mind that I found myself up in the air at Bari's Adrenalin Zone. With 60 different among 5 different course levels, the Adrenalin Park let's you master your limits. And you know, there's nothing like balancing on a high-wire 15 meters in the air build confidence and character.

The great thing about the Adrenalin Zone is that it appeals to different age groups from kids to teens to tweens to adults. I'd wager to say that most participants are having too much fun to even think about how high up they are.

And the Adrenalin Zone is perfectly safe: all activities are carried out under the supervision of instructors and lest you think visitors are just turned loose after paying the admission fee think again: everyone is briefed on safety. And extreme fun mean extreme foolishness. It's only after learning the different climbing techniques that you're able to tackle the 5 levels of skill that make up the Adrenalin Zone.

Onward and Upward

The five skill levels are meant to enable visitors to increase their confidence and skill. I didn't quite understand if return customers can just jump ahead to their favorite part of the Zone. I think so. But newcomers like me are taken through their paces.

Level One: Curiosity
Step one is called "Curiosity" and places you low on the learning curve. Without giving too much away, I was learning all the necessary skills while only being about 3-4 feet off the ground. That was o-k with me. It was here that I got a taste of the high wire and what it like to maneuver hand over hand. I don't think I'd done anything like this since I was in Army basic training. And trust me it was a lot less fun in the Army because making mistake was not an option.

Level Two: Surprise

This level places you about 5 meters up in the air where I found myself balancing on steps and on my hands and knees as I maneuvered through a net and more

Level Three: Ambition
The bar keeps getting raised as I found myself about 10 meters up in the air and doing a variety of balancing and side-stepping. You also have to get up to this level on your on via a hanging step ladder. By step three I was more concerned with finishing and less concerned with height.

Level Four: Pride
Again you're still at the 10 meter mark and by now I was getting a workout.

Level Five: Delirium
You're 15 meters up on this last stage. And it comprises a bit of everything. I found myself having to move forwards, backwards and over obstacles. Going-over- hand was especially rewarding and at the end clipping myself to a sling and sliding 35 meters back to the ground made me realize the previous 2 or 3 hours was worth it.

In the end I can say I have no desire to be 20 years old again. I do however like to remind myself that there's still a little fire burning in the 'ol basement. And a couple of hours spent at the Adrenalin Zone is all the opportunity I need.

The nitty gritty:

The Adrenalin Zone is open daily from 7pm-midnight. Tickets are € 18,00 for 12 years old and above. Tickets are € 14,00 for ages 6 - 11. The park can be reserved for birthdays and special events.

No matter what direction you come from - either north or south of the city of Bari - just stay on the autostrade (SS369) and get off at the Noicattaro exit.