Dig, Lazarus, Dig (Bari and Lecce)

Our last full day in Bari was marred by the weather, dear reader. It was windy, and chilly - for here; the locals were all wearing coats and jumpers. Squalls of rain swept in intermittently and without much warning. It was not going to be a day to stray far from the hotel.

In itself, that was ok because we had done most of the things on our list. The only outstanding item was the opera house, Teatro Petruzzelli, but in all honesty I wasn't that keen. We did La Scala in Milano last month and we've seen houses of opera in Paris, Barcelona, Oslo, Vienna and Sydney of course. The idea of turning up in the hope of getting a ticket for the only time slot of the day in this weather, with a couple of cruise ships in port ... yeah, nah.

Ok, before I forget, we have crossed the 'beer line'. How to explain ... back in the day, Tasmania had two brewers, Boags and Cascade. There was an invisible line across Tassie and when you crossed it, you changed to the other beer. It appears there is a similar thing in Italy. At some point, we switched from drinking Moretti to Peroni. I mean they're both good and I'm not going to argue the virtues of one over the other.

The only site I wanted to revisit was the "stunning wire mesh installation" of Edoardo Tresoldi. We walked past it on our first day, not really knowing what it was or the story behind it. It is located in the aptly named archaeological precinct San Pietro. And I assumed, incorrectly, that access would be more open and revealing there.

The mesh makes it look blurred.

We walked the 15 minutes to the site, located on the edge of the old town, to find it is still a work in progress, after four years. The piazza side of the site is boarded up the same as it is on the road. There is a series of boards explaining the work and its significance, but no access for a closer look.

It looks like a cathedral from a distance and is not blurry at all. The eye can see through the mesh which creates a clear image. The camera can't adjust like our eyes do. 

A logical conclusion would be that a cathedral stood on the site. But, no. It is on the site of a former hospital that was collateral damage when the Germans bombed a US ship moored in Bari during WW2. I don't think Trump has claimed credit for ending that war. Yet.

Being the intrepid travellers that we are, we walked back into the maze of streets that is the old town and chose streets at random. We ended up back at the castle and then decided to check out the local street markets. It was like a garage sale at your nanna's place. Lots of kitsch from the '70s and objets d'art that no-one ever found a use for, old books, second hand records and hand made jewellery. Nothing to hold my interest for any longer than it took to walk the length of the market.

Not worth the walk.

Back at the hotel, we researched some of the other restaurants recommended by Adriano and prepared a list of things to do in Lecce.

The day ended with a bottle of rosé made from a grape we've not seen in Australia. It is now Jayne's new favourite. And left over pizza from last night's dinner.

Grape variety: bombino.

The locals are very proud of their wines, particularly rosé, so I imagine I will be seeing more of this on the table over the next couple of weeks.

Monday

Another transit day, a relatively short train journey to Lecce, the sworn enemy of all people from Bari. Lecce is sometimes referred to as the Florence of the South because of its baroque architecture.

The day began with probably the best weather we've had. A pity we weren't staying around to enjoy it. Breakfast over, we returned to our room to pack and wait. We had a midday check out and our train didn't depart until 12:45pm. If it was on time. Bahahahahaha.

The view from the breakfast terrazza.

Shortly after 9:30am, we could hear what sounded like a protest rally. A quick internet search revealed it was the striking public transport workers, meeting in the government square not far from our hotel. Their chanting and singing carried very clearly to us. The strike concluded at 12:30pm and we would be on our way by then, but would be sure to stay away from the rally.

Trenitalia continued to defy belief and the train arrived early. I should have become suspicious when we tried to board the train and our door was blocked with serving trolleys on board. Down to the other end of the carriage and we push our bags through to seats 14C and 14D to find ... nothing. They didn't exist. We ventured through to the next carriage to be told to return to our seats. I said they didn't exist, nor did seats 15c and 15D also assigned to two other Australians. The trolley person forced me back into carriage 3 and walked us to one of the attendants who looked at our tickets and said we had been re-assigned. I'd like to re-assign a few Trenitalia workers.

This is the second time this has occurred. I understand changes happen when carriages are switched in and out, but they have our details, they knew there was a problem because we were assigned new seats. Why couldn't they email? Or send a message in the App?

Anyway, we had seats in carriage 2. The trip was uneventful. We arrived in Lecce on time, walked the 20 minutes to our apartment and then had to wait 10 minutes until 3pm because all access was electronic and linked to that magic hour.

There were two other groups of people waiting for their access to be granted and at 3 pm, all doors opened and we were inside a very spacious second floor apartment with a living room, kitchen/dining area, bedroom, bathroom, balcony and a European laundry - with no washing machine in it! Not happy since we specifically seek out apartments with decent showers and washing facilities. We had passed by a laundry off the main foyer on the ground floor but it was being used by the building cleaners to launder linen from vacated apartments. 

Upon sending a message to the apartment guide robot function, the only reference to laundry facilities was this common room - permitted hours of operation: 9:30am to 3:30pm. Pretty rich considering the commercial washing was being done in that time period and there are probably upwards of 15 apartments in this building. Luckily, we are not in dire straits and will probably delay our washing until Matera. When you are on the road for over two months, however, laundry is a thing and we are not impressed.

Anyway, we had less than an hour until we were to meet our guide for a hidden gems and tasting tour of Lecce. We were to do this on the morning of the second day but as we have already found out, arrangements made from Australia can be, and often are, changed. Instead of 10am Tuesday, we headed into the old town for a 4:30pm rendez-vous with Clothilde, our guide.

A fountain outside the Castle of Charles V (from somewhere).

On the walk from our apartment into the old town, we had to make a slight detour as one of the roads has been entirely dug up. It looked like typical roadworks, until I noticed one of the workers using a trowel, not a bulldozer, to do the excavation work! I mean over-employment is a thing, but that is ludicrous. Interesting, but no time to stop and ponder this strange observation. 

Our initial walk into Lecce revealed a town uniformly built out of a very light coloured sandstone that gives a golden glow to the place in the late afternoon sun. (Best viewed in the early morning and late afternoon when the light is softest). There were still tour groups around as we found ourselves in one of the main squares, en route to our meeting place, outside the Basilica of Santa Croce.

What? No Lions?

Immediately, as we entered the piazza, in front of us was the Roman amphitheatre, enclosed in the middle of the square, going down below street level. A little further along was another smaller excavation site with a number of different levels of ruins revealed. 

Towards the end of our tour, Clothilde actually explained that the ruins had all been accidentally uncovered when various development works were being carried out. The amphitheatre brought a building project to an end and in fact, only half of the colosseum (and it was a colosseum with massive arches, well before the one in Rome) has been unearthed because the rest lies under multiple buildings around the piazza and into the dug up street that we had passed. Again they had decided to do some improvements and found the other end of the amphitheatre - hence the trowel. Assume that street is not reopening anytime soon. 

Expect the unexpected. Like the Spanish Inquisition.

The other fenced off ruins were supposed to reveal more of the amphitheatre but instead uncovered layers of buildings going back to Norman and Byzantine eras, all built on top of each other. Oops. Gives a whole new meaning to "Dial before you dig."

Anyway, we made our way past the excavations, through the narrow streets to the "Queen of Lecce Baroque" as our guide labelled Basilica Santa Croce at the commencement of the tour. The façade is so ornate, you could stand to look at it for 10 minutes and not take in all the detail that has been worked into the exterior. It is overwhelming in its intricacy and we had not looked inside. That will happen in the days to follow.

It is too big to capture in one photo.

With the doors.

The levels of the building have been added over time and the progress has been date stamped and  carved into the decorations. Because it is so busy, you need to know where to look though to see these details. 

A short look at the Prefecture next door gave us an inkling into the recurring theme of religious palaces being acquired as public buildings - convents, monasteries, seminaries all now housing the department of justice, the prefecture etc. All of these grand buildings are adjacent to various churches that adorn the old city, all of them testaments to the Lecce Baroque style. In his time Napoleon influenced these changes.

As part of the tour, we actually only went inside one of the many churches, Chiesa di Sant'Irene. This church has multiple side altars that again capture the intricacies of this particular style with depictions of fruit, flowers, ornate spiralling columns, and creatures, all contributing to a complex symbolism and story telling of both Christianity and the history of this ancient town.

A side altar.

Another one. Not too busy?

Lecce was in fact originally called Lupiae by the Romans and the city's emblem is a she wolf under an oak tree, many of which are planted around the old town. The wolf features frequently as does Saint Oronzo, who, during the plague which devastated populations across Europe, is credited with the miracle  that allowed Lecce, Ostuni and Brindisi to be spared. Oronzo features in most churches as well as being captured in bronze (twice) in the main piazza.

Lecce is a city of artisans of all types, jewellers, painters, iron workers, tailors, designers, potters but the standout craft is papier mâché. No, I'm not talking about the sort of stuff you produced in primary school art classes (ah, the memories, all bad). This is serious business with multiple layers contributing to an art form that is sold in multiple shops but also adorns most streets and features heavily in church interiors. This also an inter-generational endeavour, passed down through families. The accident of birth can be cruel.

Paper mache (in Australia).

Papier mâché (in France).

Of course, our tour took us to the Piazza del Duomo and the Cattedrale of Maria Santissima Assunta with its bell tower, 73 metres, the highest point in the town. This was a spectacle of Baroque buildings on all four sides of the square, beautiful in the twilight but magically transformed when the lights suddenly came on while we were looking at the cathedral. The ethereal quality was even more present since we were almost by ourselves after the departure of the day tripper groups (and some swift editing work of the photos).

The Cathedral, actually a side entrance.

The bell tower.

The Bishop's house.

The Cathedral in less flattering light.

To cap off this special experience, we were then led over to a shop on the piazza, run by the most joyful man, who plied us with rosé and then introduced us to ... limoncello balls!!!! OMG - imagine jaffas but made of limoncello. But better. There were variants with orange and chocolate but bags of these are coming home with us. (Well that is the theory, if they don't arrive, forget you ever read this).

Soon we were back in the main piazza, having criss-crossed the old town and, as the rain very lightly started to fall, it was time to bid Clothilde a fond farewell after 3 wonderful hours of introduction to her city. It's now over to us to explore for ourselves with a context and a history behind this ancient town.

On our way home, we felt we needed to eat some dinner but the place Clothilde had recommended was closed on Mondays. We went to the place next door because it was open and it was raining. The less said about that experience the better.

Oh, the title? I'm too tired to explain, surely you get it, dear reader. Here is the link for Dig, Lazarus, Dig! by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Home was only minutes away in the light drizzle. Bed was welcome.

Alla prossima.

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.

All the Single Ladies (Bari)

Today, dear reader, we have a walking food tour of Bari. I booked it through the same company that gave us the Bologna lecturing guide. We shall see what transpires.

Unusually our hotel package includes breakfast. Normally, I would not waste the money on a hotel breakfast. Who needs cold soggy bacon, bad coffee and a toaster that can't live up to it's name? Not us, so we approached the breakfast room with low expectations. They were dashed immediately. Excellent breads and pastries, proper coffee, a selection of cereals ... who knew? Well done, Mövenpick.

Our tour wasn't commencing until 1pm and the sky couldn't decide whether to be sunny or cloudy; it occasionally threatened rain as we ventured out explore part of the old city. 

Captain Cook or Piccinni?

We set out from our hotel, about 500m from the Teatro Margherita. It stands majestically at the end of the street, a full stop before the water and the fish market.

Teatro Margherita.

Tourist information sits at the beginning of Piazza del Ferrarese across the road from the theatre so Jayne dropped in to procure a better map than the one supplied by the hotel. Apparently the theatre was originally built on stilts in the water because the government of the day had decreed there could only be on theatre built "on public land" and Teatro Petruzzelli already had that sown up.

Behind the theatre, across the water, is the fish market, but not as you would expect. It is a long sheltered  area built near where the fishing boats, not trawlers, moor. The local fisherman bring their daily catch up to the shelter and sell it. You can also buy oysters and urchins, opened in front of you and sold with a squeeze of lemon.

The fish market. Open air. Good move.

Possibly the most interesting or disturbing sight, you decide, was one old fisherman slapping his octopus. No, dear reader, that is not a euphemism for ... anyway, much seafood is eaten crudo in Bari and octopus needs to be tenderised. That is accomplished by smacking it on a stone slab, which was being carried out with great gusto. It was clearly thirsty work as well because someone offered him a beer as he was working. In fact, as they sold out of their catch, all the fishermen were gathering for a chat and a beer at 10:30am. Well, that would be knock off time if your day started at about 3am.

It's up.

And down.

Rest, rinse, repeat.

Returning to the promenade, we turned away from the main beach, Pane e Pomodoro, (funny name, eh?) to commence a circumnavigation of the old town. The old town was built by the Normans and the new town by the French. One is a labyrinth, the other an ordered chess board.

We walked towards the main dock and the car ferry that could have been heading across the Adriatic to Albania, Croatia, Greece, or up the coast to Venice. I noted the number coaches parked in the port bays. Sad face. Lots of tour groups.

This is an installation. It looks like a Cathedral from a distance.

The stone bridge outside the Castello Svevo di Bari was the meeting point for our tour. It was all of 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Across the way from the castle is the Strada del Oriecchiette where all the ladies make the semolina based, ear-shaped pasta at tables set up in the street, outside their homes. The original pasta is small, but there is now a large size as well. You can also purchase it in different colours, just for tourists. It is a narrow street lined by the oriecchiette makers and tour groups.

The castle. A former Norman fort.

We hurried through, knowing this would be on our list later in the day and found the San Domenico church. Never one to walk past a church ( I said that with a straight face), we popped inside for a couple of photos. There are many, many churches and chapels in Bari, not all of them open. Some without walls or a roof. More on that later.

Oriecchette street. Alleyway really.

San Domenico had a chandelier. Unusual.

The next trick for the day was to locate the church with the rose window that shines the sun on the rose mosaic on the floor of the church at 5pm on June 21, every year. It's a solstice thing. Another example of a pagan ritual being christianised. You would think that an easy task, dear reader, but no. The church has many names. Google maps unerringly directed us to Cattedrale di San Sabino, however the paper map read Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta. The sign outside the church actually had two other names, one dedicated to the Archangel Michael and I can't remember the other.

The rose window.

The floor mosaic of the rose window.

Anyway, tickets secured, imagine paying to go to church, we ventured inside, once again to be mistaken for Italians until I said Australian and the other guide relayed the information in English. We visited the crypt first because mass was about to start in there in 10 minutes. It was, as you would expect, beautiful with low ceilings, decorated arches, an ornate altar and a side altar with bones, specifically skulls. The altar on the opposite side of the crypt contained the mummified body of Saint Columba from the 3rd century. She was Spanish, a virgin (of course she was, doesn't the Catholic church love a virgin?) and martyred by decapitation. Her head looked like it was attached when I saw her. Sorry, no photo, the glass case kept flaring in the shots but you can google her if you are interested.

The crypt.

That was enough for our morning and we headed home briefly before meeting our guide at the castle. Adriano was everything you would want from a guide. He was friendly, knowledgeable and answered all of our questions as well as supplying ideas on how to spend our next two days and where to eat.

As expected, we commenced our tour with the oriecchiette ladies, most of whom it appeared, know Adriano. There were a lot of ciaos and conversations along the way as he explained the recipe, the production technique, deftly demonstrated with a single sharp knife, and the cooking procedure of the different sizes. Not only are the coloured ones for tourists but so are the big ones - locals prefer the original small size.

Cheers big ears.

The regular oriecchette.

Happily it was noticeably less crowded by now as we wended our way up to the top of the street and back down to a restaurant, opposite our starting point. Here we enjoyed our first taste of Bari, no surprises - oriecchiette with cheese, cherry tomatoes and fresh arugula. The only part of the dish cooked was the pasta. Oh so tasty!

Then we wandered off to see more of Bari Vecchia's tiny streets with its 6,000 inhabitants, its piazzas, its family altars on numerous buildings, its washing hanging on lines, covered by plastic sheets, in case of rain. It may be a tourist destination but it is maintaining its sense of community and lifestyle in spite of the influx.

The doorway to the salumeria.

Next taste stop was a restaurant/delicatessen where no tables were free but suddenly a table and three chairs were set up to accommodate us while we sampled an antipasto plate. Clearly, it's not what you know ... Anyway, this stop included three types of cheese, a magnificent creamy burrata, a pecorino and a ricotta, drizzled with fig syrup. There were also capocollo (cured meat), olives, taralli rings, fried fava beans (no liver or chianti) and croutons with sundried tomatoes - all accompanied by a Nero di Troia for me and a Bombino Rosé for Jayne. Wow! And this was only stop number 2 ...

We returned briefly to the outside of Cattedrale San Sabino before our next food stop - panini with 3 types crudo fish, tuna, swordfish and salmon with pepitas and sundried tomoatoes. Fresh, zingy and tasty.

A typical laneway.

After that, we headed to the Basilica San Nicola, the patron saint of Bari who has many claims to fame including being revered by both the Roman and Orthodox Catholic church (he started out life in Turkey), looking after fishermen, single ladies and children - yes, he is the Saint Nic who gave us Santa Claus. 

The single ladies pillar.

The pillar is called the miraculous column of Bari. Legend has it that if a single woman circled the column three times she would be married within a year. Many people attempted to souvenir pieces of the column so it had to be encased for its protection. The single ladies of today who desire a husband are no longer able to circle the column and have resorted to writing messages that are pushed through the metal bars.

And so we are at today's title, All the Single Ladies by Beyoncé. Too obvious?

The ceiling has the wow factor.

Anyway, San Nicola's bones have been moved around several times between Bari and Turkey but they now rest under the altar of the basilica and happily, and unusually for us, his feast day is December 6, not while we are here.

The crypt where the bones are kept.

The basilica's diverse interior reflects the domination of the city by various groups including the Normans and the Spanish and it also has several not square arches that were added after an earthquake in the 1500s to stabilise the roof.

Not quite straight.

After the basilica, we ventured to another iconic church, Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio, the church without walls or a ceiling, just columns and a mosaic floor, partly demolished to make way for urban improvements but then preserved and never fully reconstructed. It is listed as a monument on the map of Bari. If you didn't know it was once a church you would not recognise it as one.

Not a parishioner in sight.

Our final two tastings were of local fruits, fresh and perfect and then Tette della Monarche, also known as Nun's breasts, light fluffy sponge cakes filled with chantilly cream. There is much that could be written here, but discretion is best. No nun jokes.

In between the last two courses we walked part of the city wall, behind the Cathedral, looking across to where we had ventured in the morning. Then it was down to the two major piazzas that adjoin each other. After a three hour meander, not needing dinner, we bid a fond farewell to Adriano, who promised to email me more information tomorrow.

Towards Bread and Tomato Beach.

As the clouds tried very hard to rain we walked back down Victor Emanuelle II to the hotel. The marble footpaths can be slippery in this weather, but we made it without issue. The forecast for the next two days is not looking promising, but we've had excellent weather throughout the trip. No complaints. It is what it is and we will deal with it.

No dinner required tonight, just some wine.

Alla prossima.