I thought it was time to update you on my shenanigans in Bari, especially as a few people thought there’d be a few stories to tell given Lucy was joining me! Fortunately, there’s nothing too crazy to report back on, other than Lucy receiving quite a lot of attention, and not of the Italian variety (shock, shock horror) and generally having an awesome time!
On first impressions, Bari is a lot cleaner and more residential than the likes of Naples and Palermo, but seemed almost ghostly quiet. It makes you wonder, what do people do?! I realise it’s not tourist season, but the city (given it’s the second largest in Italy, after Naples) is residential, so you’d think it’d still have people milling around the streets. It did feel safe though, which was the important thing. And, I got to stay in an apartment! Which, after almost three weeks of hostel living, was just a luxury in itself – fresh sheets, towels and complimentary bath oils was just a dream come true for me. Also, the thought of having an uninterrupted night sleep filled me with joy.
Lucy and I have had a fairly relaxed week, we’ve definitely walked out the streets of Bari whilst being in search of something to eat and drink. For such a big city, there are hardly any restaurants or bars. You won’t struggle to find a café, but a glass of wine – no. Ah well, it’s probably good for me as I think a combination of pizza overdose and lack of sleep has led me to become a little run-down so I felt pretty horrific for a couple of days whilst in Bari. It’s always the way though, as soon as you let your body relax, it all catches up with you.
We’ve visited the one sandy piece of beach Bari seemed to have on offer – Pane e Pomodoro, went on a cycle ride along the coast in an attempt to stumble across a new town, only to find nope, there really isn’t anything for miles and went to Monopoli for a day trip. Dressed in shorts and probably looking the epitome of an English tourist (any sign of sun and the skin comes out), we braved the slightly windy spring air. Despite being pretty vacant and on the surface, not the most aesthetically pleasing of places, when digging deeper, we found a cute older town, complete with castle, port and churches where we enjoyed an espresso, Italian style.
We obviously did a lot of eating. Lucy had come with the intention to eat salad, but I squashed any chance of that happening – there was no chance I was letting her leave the same dress size. We had a lot of delicious gelato (pistachio and fondente being my favourite), frozen yoghurt (it’s not quite the same is it?!), arracini (possibly the best I’ve had since being in Italy) and a lot of bread based products. Bari is known for its pizza barese, aka focaccia – usually cooked in a circular shape and topped with tomatoes and fresh herbs, with a lot olive oil, it’s actually pretty good. We also tried panzarotto, which is essentially another word for a calzone as it’s just a folded pizza. I can imagine these being perfect as a lunch-time snack on the go though, as they’re self-compact and easier to eat than an open slice of pizza. Oh, and we’ve obviously tried the arrancini (essentially deep fried risotto balls) – check out the video of Lucy reviewing it here!
We ate out most evenings, and like all restaurants – you win some, you lose some. And we only lost once, so I think we did pretty well. I’ve written a review for Il Rustica and I’m in the process of writing one for the restaurant where we spent our last (sob) evening together. We finished off our eating spree with the most amazing ciaccolata caldo – literally melted chocolate in a cup, with chocolate soufflé. We were floating on clouds, it was that good! So yep, I think I made inroads in my mission to make Lucy put on a few pounds 😉
Now, Lucy’s gone and I’m writing this on my lonesome once more. After having such intense company for a week, the next fortnight by myself is already feeling like it might be a struggle. I enjoy solo travelling for many reasons, being able to come and go as you please, eat what you like and be selfish at times, but there’s nothing better than sharing experiences, tastes and conversations with someone else. Oh well, the focus is MYO now and working out whether to spend more time in Puglia, or fly out earlier to Milan. Catch up soon!