Kiwi Roaming

Back in Italy proper where people drive too fast, double park everywhere, aim for pedestrians crossing the road and toot incessantly, all felt so very familiar. As did the sweltering weather with heat bouncing off the stone buildings around you and the footpath below. Wonderful chaos.

We arrived into the airport and followed the crowd into the new AirPort Express station with tap and go machines on the gates and lovely cool air on the platform. The train was surprisingly less frequent than expected so we waited half an hour. Our room was about 15 minutes walk following the train corridor where many unhomed people live.

The buildings are all low rise and there is a hive of activity with crews working on the streets, up in apartments, moving furniture via a crane system was amazing to watch. Our building has these incredible ceilings making our room twice as high as the small bathroom built into the side. The same ceiling in the common areas as well. We were on the first floor, in a wing (for want of a better word) with 4 other rooms. Three security doors (our Cagliary apartment had 4 doors we had to use keys for to access it).

The old town of Bari is about 20 minutes walk away which we did via long (many many blocks) pedestrianised streets. Like many European cities the old town is built with no straight lines, winding their way to the castle. It’s all very flat and there is a large modern port.

As ever we were amazed at how well dressed Italians are, how late they go out in the evening, seeing small children running around at 10/11pm is perfectly normal. In the old town where the homes have no outdoor areas there were groups of people sitting outside their doors chatting, laughing, eating and drinking. We assume these old old buildings lack air conditioning so this is one place to go for cooler air.

Even though Bari is a port town the density of buildings means the heat gets trapped and we found it became more humid as the day went on. Our host (who we communicated with via What’s App) suggested walking routes which took us through piazzas and green parks. Our room was near the university and we think it must have been capping week as we saw tens of young women wearing evening gowns with floral wreaths, carrying huge bouquets of flowers and popping champagne corks with their families in these parks. Then the strangest thing happened, one by one after their beautiful photo shoots, each young woman donned an inflatable costume over their evening dress and still wearing their high heels.

We really enjoyed walking around the city at night. It is alive with people – even on Monday and Tuesday evenings. There were large gatherings as well, we found a concert in one piazza, a large shared meal setup in another, and so many small children. We went to find where the stolen bones of Saint Nicholas are interned but the basilica had just closed. Our food tour guide spoke extensively about how proudly Bari celebrates their ownership of Saint Nicholas or Nicholas of Bari – aka Santa Claus. We also found the Column of Shame which was used to expose people who are late with their debts in the 16th century, by the time we got there it was covered in people so hard to photograph.

Mike and I stopped into Bari on our way back from Corfu (or was it going there) eons ago, I don’t remember anything about the city but didn’t think of it as a place to visit unless transiting through. So it was great to spend a few days experience the food culture and enjoying a very walkable city.

On our final day we had a couple of hours to fill before our bus to Matera so we took a long lunch in a dumpling restaurant and ate a feast of bao, goyza, chicken katsu and a salad. Yum.

Misc below. 29C at 10pm! Wine vending machines open 24 hours. Gucci store for Rach. And some of my yummy lunch. Other pics from around Bari as well.