Day Seven. Bari. The capital of the Puglia region. Between driving on Italian roads and visiting churches where I lit candles and listened to hymns and attended the wedding of a stranger, I prayed a lot today. An attractive port city on the southern Adriatic Coast with about 350,000 residents. We visited here to see the various architectural styles starting with Roman ruins, Medieval churches and amazing Baroque buildings . Modernity arrived in the early 20th century with Art Noveau and stark Fascist architecture. The streets of the old town are jammed with residents and tourists and in the doorways sit women making pasta, the local orecchiette, to sell to the passerbys. The newer Corso Cavour is full of beautiful upscale shops and restaurants. Basilica di San Nicola (Basilica of Saint Nicholas) is one of the most significant local landmarks. Dedicated to the patron saint of the city, it is an 11th-century Romanesque-style church where the remains of Saint Nicholas lie. I wore the wrong clothes today and the shirt I thought was cute in the morning felt thick as a sweatshirt in the beating sun. We had a long walk back to the car and I had a choice to make, buy a 35 euro lightweight top or get a cab back to the car. We chose the seven dollar taxi. Tonight we are packing to be ready in the morning for our next leg of the journey. Tomorrow we are going to “Italy” as Caesar keeps saying, returning to his hometown in Abruzzo about two hours north of here.
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