Bari, Italy - April 3rd

Bari was our first port in Italy.  We were forewarned that most everything would be closed for two reasons:  first, we would be arriving on Sunday, and, second, a marathon would be run. 

We did not book any excursion so, after talking to a very nice young lady who was onboard from the city and gave us a city map, we went off the ship and walked along the waterfront.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and, although we were told by friends, Ken and Mary, that fishermen were clubbing octopi and anything else they caught, we were spared that experience.  Perhaps, it was too late in the morning and the fishermen were finished catching, clubbing and selling their catch. 

The marathon, indeed, was being run but it apparently hadn’t started until 10 a.m. (rather late we thought) but there were a lot of runners along the Lungomare Augusto Imperatore where we walked. 

We didn’t have any plans but stopped for a peek inside the Basilica San Nicola, where a Mass in Italian was being said.  There were quite a few people attending. 

We continued our leisurely walk and found ourselves in the Piazza del Ferrarese where a huge cinematic exhibition was taking place.  In the square, a long red carpet was rolled out with huge posters of scenes from Italian movies starring Marcello Mastroianni and numerous leading ladies including Sophia Loren, Anouk Aimee and Ursula Andress. 

Onwards we walked to Via Sparano da Bari, the shopping area and found one of my favorite stores, Desigual.  Of course, we had to stop in to see the latest and, of course, I found a beautiful leather jacket and Michael got another wonderfully colored shirt. 

As I said, it was a lovely, leisurely Sunday for strolling in this little city in Italy and with our purchases wrapped in the brightly-colored shopping bag with the Desigual logo, we headed back to our ship having visited the 20^th port on our world cruise! 

Michael’s Observations:   I enjoyed the walk into the town as it was as flat as it could be with no hills or stairs to climb.  I was amazed that a marathon would start so late, but, again, this was Italy.  The city had a blend of low cost kiosks with the typical touristy fare and all the way to high end stores into which I only peeked.  Again, our luck held out and the weather was beautiful – sunny, cool and not a spot of rain.  I really enjoyed our visit.