Tuesday October 26 was a travel day. Mix of sun and cloud with a high of 20C. We had to check out of our Airbnb in Lecce at 10:00 a.m. as the host was expecting new guests. Our train was at 11:47 a.m. We had arranged for the cabbie that had taken us in from the train station to pick us up in front of the Caffè Alvino in Piazza Sant'Oronzo.
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At the caffè with the treats-- it was full of people having their morning coffee and pastries
Our train was already in the station. It was not very crowded and once we left the station, we were given a bag with water, a mask and sanitizer wipes. There was a note inside apologising for not yet being able to provide food service. |
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| Our health and safety pack |
We got to Bari on time at 1:07 p.m. and then had another transportation adventure. The cabbie took us a bit of of a wild goose chase to a street with the same name as ours but definitely not in Bari Vecchia (old Bari), where I knew we were staying. I kept saying "Bari Vecchia", but he ignored us. Finally, we called our host Claudia who gave the guy an earful and we were taken back to the correct street. Needless to say, we did not pay him the price on his meter.
Claudia met us at the apartment which is on the street where the women make and sell orecchiette. It is a pedestrian only street, so very quiet at night. All the very small apartments have a shuttered entrance on the street. While smaller than some of our other apartments, Claudia has done a good job of modernising the flat in a 18th century building. Lots of light too and well equipped.
What is amazing is that for most of the time the other apartments on our street have their shuttered doors open and one can see into their living spaces.
Bari is the capital of the Apulia region on the Adriatic Sea. It has a population of around 325,000 and is also a university town. Bari is made up of four different urban sections. To the north is the old town on the peninsula between two modern harbours (where we are staying). To the south is the Murat quarter (erected by Joachim Murat (1767-1815) -Napoleon's brother-in-law), the modern heart of the city which is laid out on a rectangular grid-plan with a promenade on the sea and the major shopping district (all walkable from our apartment). There are also modern residential zones surrounding the centre of Bari built during the 1960s and 70s, replacing older suburbs. Finally, there are the outer suburbs, which developed rapidly during the 1990s.
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| Corso Vittorio Emanuele II |
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| Looking the other way on the street |
The Tourist office gave us a map, that was very helpful in showing all the streets in the newer part of Bari. It only had a few streets shown in the old town.
We passed Teatro Margherita which is a former theatre that opened in 1914. It was used as a theatre and cinema until 1979 and is now a museum.
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| Teatro Margherita -- they had a display of the World Press Photos |
Across from the Tourist Office was the Puglia Design Store that showcased objects made by local designers and craftspeople. It is part of a development project for the city's future Centre for Contemporary Art and Culture.
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| Puglia Design Store |
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| Ruins found in Piazza del Ferrarese (where the Tourist Office was located) |
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| The Piazza |
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| First look at the port |
We decided to take a walk down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to find the lab where we will have our COVID test before returning to Toronto. We were able to make an appointment for Thursday early evening.
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| Teatro Comunale Piccinni- opened in 1854- named in honour of 18th century composer Niccolò Piccinni who was born in Bari. |
There was a nearby statue of Piccinni, an Italian composer of symphonies, sacred music, chamber music and opera.
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| Nearby statue of Niccolo Piccinni (1728-1800) 1884 |
We stopped in at a wonderful music store with a lot of LPs and CDs with a great jazz and classical collection.
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| Alonso outside the store |
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| Great selection and great sound system- haven't been in one of these stores for a while |
We headed out to find a bakery that had reopened at 6:30 p.m. There is a maze of streets in the old city and our map was not too helpful. Luckily, a number of stores had very good maps outside their doorways with a "you are here" notation. All part of a 'slow walk' initiative.
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| Our street at dusk |
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The orecchiette
We found the Santa Rita Bakery, which is very popular. Only two people were allowed inside the bakery at one time, so we waited in line with a number outside. We bought some of the wonderful focaccia Barese (with olives and cherry tomatoes) for dinner, as well as some bread for breakfast. |
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| Waiting to get into the bakery |
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| Back to our street-- we feel we're in a different century in Bari Vecchia |
We had a light dinner at the apartment as we were very tired. Tomorrow we will explore both the old and new parts of town.
Love the feel of Bari - a complete other world.... bakery is charming.
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