So much water so close to home (Bari)

The rain that has been tracking us south finally caught up with us around 5:30am in the form of a massive thunderstorm. Thunder and lightning, very, very frightening. Well, not so much frightening as extremely loud. It actually rivalled the emptying of the hotel's bottle bin at 4:30am. That would have woken the dead. Still, it was pleasant laying in bed, listening to the rain as the lightning crackled through the sky before the thunder rumbled.

Yesterday was such a big day there were things that I forgot to mention. First, Adriano was the consummate guide. If you are down this way WithLocals is the tour company.

Second, Bari has a 'lover's arch', a bridge built across a laneway between two houses. It is quite an unusual feature and the legend surrounding it is akin to Romeo and Juliette. The arch, or wonder bridge, was supposedly constructed in one night to allow the passage of the lovers from one house to the other. Today it is only the romantics who subscribe to the theory. Otherwise it was built by the rich Milanese people who lived on either side of the lane.

The Lover's Arch.

Third, you know my hatred of tour groups, dear reader, even accepting that sometimes they are a necessary evil. However, there is a limit. In the Cathedral yesterday there was a group, I assume from the ship that is in port, that numbered well over 50 people. Imagine the issues a group that size creates in an old town with narrow labyrinthine laneways that are supposed to accommodate people on foot as well as the locals on motor scooters. Chaos.

Finally, I applied for a refund from Trenitalia because our train arrived 50 minutes late. they kept making the announcement about compensation, so I thought, why not. I expected nothing beyond recognition of my application. Surprise. I received a 25% refund, €32,95. I have to return to Italy to use it, but hey, we were coming back next year anyway.

Today, breakfast was at the hotel and the rain had stopped by the time we were due to head out to the Palazzo dell'Acquadotto, the Cathedral of Water or the headquarters of Puglia's waterboard, to draw an Australian equivalent. Its origins date back to the original plan to bring water to Puglia. The name Puglia means 'dry land'. 

Need a smaller lens to get the whole building.

We actually wanted to do the tour because of the architectural descriptions we had read about the building being designed, built and decorated to celebrate all things aqua. In fact it is only one of two buildings in the world dedicated to water. It was the first building in Puglia to be connected to running water - as recently as 1934!

When we were trying to book our tour, we couldn't work out why the site was asking us to book an appointment with someone until we worked out that Monday to Friday, this is the waterboard offices so you go there if you have an issue or need something related to your water supply.

The marble staircase.

Therefore tours only happen on the weekends and are limited to 20 people. Anyway, we managed to book the last 2 tickets today at 11am; a leisurely 20 minute stroll into the Murat district away from the old town. The only snag was the tours are only conducted in Italian.

An insurmountable problem you think? Not at all. No, our 4 weeks in Italy have not miraculously resulted in us becoming fluent speakers; aside from ordering caffé or birra. We are however, the proud owners of ear buds that, when connected to the translation app on my iPhone, simultaneously translate, both orally and in text, whatever language is being spoken. Well, not an unlimited number of languages but Italian is certainly in the repertoire. So, one bud each was the plan.

Water motifs everywhere.

We were uncertain about the weather today as the weather app said, like yesterday, that umbrellas would be needed. We headed out to the Murat and wandered through the clearly French influenced streets to the Palazzo, arriving with 5 minutes to spare.

People were milling around in the front foyer and we walked up to the official to show our tour tickets to be told it was not necessary and to just wait. Meanwhile, we observed various examples of how this has become known as the water cathedral - wall decorations, floor mosaics, light fittings, door handles - everything reflected something to do with water. The attention to detail was astonishing.

Snakes on the downpipes.

Then people from the previous tour descended the staircase and our guide appeared from no where. She began to tick off names from a paper list until she came to us - Apologies but the tour is only in Italian. No worries said we and indicated our ear buds and phone. She was a little surprised but launched into her opening spiel in the foyer, outlining the focus of the tour and the floors we would access - only ground, one and two since the other floors are offices for the waterboard workers.

The tree of life.

Our ear buds were working a treat except that there are only 2 choices of English - UK which is almost bordering on a Cockney accent and US which we were clearly not having. Anyway, Jayne held the phone and stayed relatively close by the guide to pick up the commentary and we heard that the tour would not only focus on the building and its furniture, but more importantly on the project that was conceived to bring underground water via aqueducts to Puglia.

Then we were off across the street to consider the grand exterior of the building and its features before heading back inside to the ground floor courtyard and then up to floor one to the museum exhibits and photos that chronicle the inception of the 'utopian' project that no one believed could become reality and the steps that saw it realised in the 20th century, under the patronage of Victorio Emanuele II.

Amphora in the window.

Basically on the surface, Puglia seems dry but in reality, it lies on top of a network of underground water sources that needed to be brought to the surface using pipes and aqueduct systems that relied on the force of gravity to move the water to where it was needed. 

Water themed inlays in the furniture.

The building contains the general offices along with those of the president of the waterboard and its members who meet there to control all things water in Puglia. It also contains living quarters for important water people and their families and guests, although the beds did not look comfortable and the rooms were stiflingly hot on a relatively cool day. It wouldn't have been much more than 20°C.

Waves for door handles.

Everything, and I mean everything, is designed to reflect the core business, including the furniture, the frescoes, the windows, the light fittings, the floor ...

In the stairwell.

Anyway, the building lived up to the hype we had read about and the ear buds are a game changer. We thanked the tour guide after the tour was concluded and she was clearly delighted by our use of technology to access her commentary. A fabulous investment which we will definitely continue to use - not sure if its repertoire includes Egyptian for our Cairo/Nile leg.

On the floor.

There were really only one or two last things to check off Jayne's list, aside from the day trips which the weather has ruled out. One was the witches' arch. The Masciare were figures from Bari Vecchia who, legend says, were not proper witches. They were 'ordinary women' who went about their daily lives but at night rubbed special oil into their bodies to transform themselves into black cats, after which they would gather under the arch to perform nocturnal rites (Not sure about what, use your imagination. On second thought don't). Anyway, the locals still have a script they say if they come across a black cat, to protect themselves from the evil eye.

It was complex getting to the arch. Jayne's paper map has icons plastered all over it which makes guess work as relevant as map reading skills. We combined that with my iPhone map and found a local brewer that we saw yesterday near the lover's arch. Clearly that was a message. Beer o'clock at Birrificio Svevo. We had a chat with the owner and settled down for a Bari beer and some olives. Our timing was impeccable. We were comfortable when people arrived form everywhere. No outside tables vacant.

We crossed referenced our maps as we enjoyed our beer and were certain we could find the witches arch. As it was nearing time to leave, a couple arrived with a baby in a pram, clearly looking for an outside table. I signalled to them that we were leaving and we cleared our table and went inside to pay. They were most grateful and I understand why, it was very hot inside.

Eventually we found the witches arch, unspectacular as it is. But we found it. Then it was back to the hotel to see if the weather really was going to close in.

Not a witch or a black cat in sight.

Remarkably, it didn't, so we decided a walk along the Lungomare, this time towards the Bread and Tomato Beach would be a good way to spend the afternoon. The seats along the promenade were full of locals enjoying the afternoon. There were yachts out on the water, in training, supported by motor boats.

Learning to race.

The walk along the promenade towards the beach is very French. The buildings are French provincial, the lamp posts would not be out of place on a bridge across the Seine. It was easy to forget where we were. It was a lovely stroll and we sat down where the seats stopped and acted like the locals.

Very French.

Today's title is relevant to the palazzo and also to the view across the water. You can choose, dear reader. The Australian story teller, Paul Kelly, penned So much water so close to home. It s a classic from 1989.

There was lightning on the horizon over towards Albania and the clouds behind us looked threatening so it was time to head back to the hotel for an aperitvo before deciding on tonight's dinner venue.

Despite threatening all day, the rain held off and we ventured down towards the city centre for dinner at a restaurant recommended by Adriano, La Baresana. It's a pizza and pasta place, no surprise there. It opens at 7:30pm and, being unable to book unless you phoned, we arrived at 7:25pm with a mass of locals and secured a table on the corso under one the large umbrellas.

Orders were quickly taken and drinks arrived and the queue to get a table grew longer. Some people gave up. More tables were procured from inside and set up away from the shelter. Fortunately for the people seated there it did not rain. The pizzas were excellent, not quite Napoli or Romano, but somewhere in between.

We made it back to the hotel to discover chocolates on our pillows. A nice touch. It is supposed to rain most of tonight and into tomorrow. We shall see.

Alla prossima.