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Wed 3 Jan and we are on our way south from Treviso to Bari, but not before saying goodbye in Mestre to Sarah as she takes the bus to Venice’s Marco Polo airport and heads off to catch her flight to Dubai and then on to Melbourne. 😭😢
Leaving Mestre and passing by the edge of the Colli Eugani where we spent many enjoyable days bike riding, the 8 hour train trip to Bari on a Frecciarossa soon passed and we arrived in Bari in what seemed positively tropical. At 10:00pm the temperature was still in double numbers so the down parkas, scarves, hats and gloves were quickly discarded as we headed to our accomodation.
The next day and it was clear blue sky and a balmy 18C. The plan to come south to thaw out was proving to be a good one.
Bari is a city on the Adriatic with a substantial commercial port and an old fishing harbour. Once again we are staying close by the old town, which is an easy walk, even after negotiating the significant distraction of parks, wide pedestrian malls that stretch for 10 or 11 city blocks, all lined with credit card depleting shops, pasticcerie and cafes.
This part of the city around the port is laid out in strict grid form after much of it was laid waste in WW2. Bari was one of the principal staging ports for the allied landings and was fiercely contested by both sides. Now it has the air of a very sophisticated and yet laid back city centre where the slowness of the passeggiata seems to be present from dawn to dusk. What better way to soak up the vibe than a coffee or two and the occasional foray into a clothing store. The bathroom scales when we get home will tell the story of the pasties and pasta that have been consumed.
Having been to Bari once before, there was no question of where to eat, so when darkness fell, it was time to get out and soak up the atmosphere.
Strolling through the old town, we came across a lady sitting in her doorway making orecchiette, and she was churning them out faster than we could count. Then it was dinner in a fisherman’s bistro with the most amazing plates of lightly fried calamari finished off with spaghetti and vongole and spaghetti and cozze (small sweet mussels). What a way to end the day.
Day 2 in Bari and it was on the bus for a day trip to Alberobello, another UNESCO World Heritage site, famous for its multitude of conical stone huts known as Trulli. Originally built as temporary shelters or houses for farm workers, they are built using dry stone walls and a conical roof, also made of stone. Originally mandated by the local Count at the time, Trulli had to be built without the use of mortar to hold the stone slabs in place. This decision by the Count was to avoid having to pay a tax to the Kingdom of Naples, which applied to all permanently inhabitable buildings. As the Trulli were intended to be temporary, the absence of mortar meant that they could be quickly deconstructed when the tax collector was in town.
Another day and another side trip, this time to Trani, a small coastal town 45mins by train from Bari. To learn more about this, you will need to check out Jean’s photos on her fb page because I chose to take the day off.
Not so today, and it was Polignano A Mare that captured us. We last were here on our Puglia bike trip in 2019 and were fortunate to see the world cliff diving championships. By comparison, today the place was deserted so once again, it was good to just roam the streets and soak up all that we missed last time, including spending time in the “old town” that is perched high on the cliffs overlooking the sea.
Inhabited since Neolithic times and visited, invaded and ruled by different powers ever since, Polignano A Mare is now one of the many popular seaside destinations on the Adriatic coast.
Of all the places we have been to on this Christmas market adventure, Bari has to take first place for its Christmas lights. They are stunning, and although the Christmas markets seem to have been packed away for another year, the lights and crowds in the streets have kept the festive mood well and truly alive.
So with that, our time in Bari has drawn to a close and tomorrow it’s up bright and early to take the train to Rome. After our long winter sojourn further north, coupled with the urgency to see “everything”, and there really was so much to see, spending time here has made for such a welcomed and restful change.
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