Thursday 7th April 2026. Bari, Puglia, Italy
After an early evening burn-up show from some of the local youngens we had a very peaceful night…well, until it started raining, which had me hot footing it out of bed closing the skylights.
It was dry when we rose and we hoped for a pleasant day.
Our next port of call was Bari, perfect visit when the weather was a bit dodgy. So off we set.
We took the coast road instead of the motorway which took us through olive tree country. I checked the internet and we were indeed on the plain of olives 
. Some of the trunks are so big we couldn’t guess at their age.
The approach to Bari city was a bit scrappy, there is evidence of improvement work to enhance the area.
Our stop was inside a big Car wash area. The owner is really friendly and parks you according to how many nights you plan on staying. It can get very intimate as you’re parked very tightly together!
The sun was out as we strolled towards the seafront to walk into the old town.
The annual festival of St Nicholas begins today. It lasts 3 days starting with the re-enactment of bringing some of the saints relics ashore and a parade this evening of St Nicholas’ effigy through the town.
This meant there were lots of garland lights up, loads of road closures and a street food market on the promenade.
We were pleasantly surprised at how pretty Bari is, even outside the old town. The new town has some beautiful grand buildings and the old town is just that, old and lovely. It doesn’t take long to wind through the small lanes and alleyways and you don’t seem to get lost as you suddenly recognise something you’ve seen before .
We found the lane where the ‘Nonas’ – grandmas- make their Orecchietti – semolina pasta shaped like ears to hold the sauce. So cute, you can glimpse inside their little homes as well if you are lucky.
Old Bari is an intimate place itself, buildings opposite each other rise on an incline, giving you the impression that neighbours on the upper floors could pass the sugar across the alleyway .
Chairs and tables are placed in the smallest courtyards and caverns, great for when the heat gets intense. We actually found it difficult to secure a free table for refreshments!
As we approached the castle we nabbed a table at a cafe opposite. It was in the shade too as the day was warming up nicely. We resisted the urge to order food 
and wandered back through the lovely cool lanes.
Coming out through an old city gate we made our way to our last stop, Palazzo Mincuzzi built for the owners of the department store it housed. Beautiful 
.
Winding our way back to the seafront we stopped at the food village and shared a beef ragu Orecchietti bowl and some polenta fries while watching the world go by.
Now we needed the loo and didn’t fancy searching for public ones, so stopped at a posh cafe along the front. We ordered a beer and a coffee, and when offered cake, I said yes, got very excited when she advised what flavours they had and opted for strawberry.
Well, out came this strawberry flavoured chocolate, strawberry shaped cream and jam filled bomb! Omg! It was €7 but it was Deelisshhussss. Haha, another reason to learn Italian 
.
Anyway back at the van, as it was still early we thought we’d move on. Being rammed into a parking spot is ok when necessary, but we’d done what we needed and didn’t fancy sellping that close to everyone else.
There are free spots along the seafront further out and even a park and ride so you don’t actually have to pay to park to visit Bari. The only issue was today was the start of their annual festival and as there were a lot of parking bans in the city, free spots filled up fast.
So we headed instead a short trip down the coast to Polignano Al Mare.
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