This morning we drove back into Bari, the capital of Puglia and where we flew into. It is a bustling port city sitting on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The drive was just over an hour with the usual Italian shenanigans on the road; I think Mark actually enjoys the weaving in and out and definitely the speeds they travel at.
Mark has been using a podcast “The Big Gay Podcast from Puglia” to find great parking spots and so far it has been incredibly accurate at finding spots close to where we need to go. If you’re ever traveling in this region, this is the link:
https://www.gaypugliapodcast.com
We parked by the port and once we figured out how to use the parking with the help of a kind local, we wandered and checked out the fisherman and their daily catches of octopus, sea urchins etc.
First stop was a coffee for Mark and a gelato for TJ and Greer – apparently it is never too early for gelato. We wandered the streets of Bari Vecchia (the old town) and saw the ladies of the old town making orecchiette on Strada delle Orecchiette as it is known. Here the ladies sit and chat with tables outside their front doors making homemade orecchiette. I could have stood and watched them for hours. We purchased some of their pasta to make for dinner one evening.
Across the road is the Castelo Normanni-Svevo which was built, destroyed in 1156 and rebuilt in 1233. Mark gave a quick history lesson and then we had a look around although unfortunately it was not all open on the day we went.
We continued through the narrow streets and alleyways of Bari Vecchio until we came across the Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale San Sabino (aka the Bari Cathedral), a Romanesque style church dating back to the late 12th Century. We took a look inside and down in the Crypt which was beautiful.
We did some people watching, checked out the shops in Piazza dell’Odegitria and continued on our way.
We followed the narrow lanes to the Basilicia Di San Nicola. There was clearly a wedding about to start as there were lots of well dressed people hanging around outside but we decided to try and go in anyway as it had not yet started. We entered the basilica and had a look, although I was more interested in people watching those coming in for the wedding. Before long the organ started up and in came the Bride and her father with the page boy and flower girl. We stayed and watched for a little (along with a lot of others), and although the kids were horrified we were doing so they actually enjoyed it as well.
We went back to put some more money on our parking ticket and then headed into the newer part of town and had a look at a few shops before our reservation at Urban l’ assassineria Urbana for lunch. We had seen this place in a series we watched, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (a worthwhile series to watch on Apple TV). In that show he tried their spaghetti all’assassina, a spicy and charred dish made by putting the pasta in a pan with olive oil and spices — but no water — until it’s burnt and crispy. Mark, Sophia & I all tried variations of the dish and TJ and Greer had bao buns and chips. The spaghetti was delicious although not as spicy as I was expecting. Definitely worth a visit.
After lunch we went for gelato at Crema & Cioccolato Dante 99 before walking back to the car.
Next stop was Polignano a Mare, about 20 minutes south of Bari, best known for its small pebble beach edged with limestone cliffs and numerous caves. It was most definitely picturesque and well worth the stop.
It has hosted the Red Bull Cliff Diving series for the last 9 out of 11 years. Part of the spectacle here is that the divers must exit the water, negotiate the crowded beach, walk barefoot through the bustling town and arrive via a private living room, at the platforms mounted on a private rooftop terrace.
We wandered into the old town stopping to look at the beach, Carlo Porto. The town itself and the beach were very busy – it must be crazy here in the middle of summer. We took our time wandering the maze-like streets of the old town, checking out the various stores.
We took a peek inside the Chiesa Matrice di Santa Maria Assunto which was well worth it.
We ended up at Terrazza Santo Stefano, probably the most famous viewpoint as it looks back at Carlo Porto and has views of the stunning turquoise waters of the Adriatic.
We headed back to the car via Pietra Piatta for another view of the beach and the surrounding cliffs and watched people jumping off the cliffs.
It was then time for home, and a relaxing evening back at the villa.