Bari, Italy

Bari is in Puglia, on the Adriatic Sea and just across from Albania where we were last fall. It's been a major trade port for millennia, and was Europe's largest slave trading port in the past. Slav = slave and Turks and Arabs especially bought many conquered Slavs from here.

Today, it's a large, modern city with the old city on a peninsula facing the sea. There's a well-kept castle museum that had great interactive videos to keep things interesting.

Bari draws in Russian tourists who venerate St. Nicala, AKA Santa Claus. His bones were stolen from his tomb in Myra, Turkey by Bari sailors/ crusaders and brought here for some reason. They're now in a crypt under the Basilica San Nicola. I happened upon a mass full of these tourists. Check out the video.

We've been to Myra in the past to see St. Nick's home town. He was a Byzantine bishop there and the stories of his giving to the poor led to him being canonized. I'm not quite sure how or why northern Europeans created the modern myth of Santa Claus.

The old town is full of narrow, curved streets that are fun to meander through. One street has old ladies selling fresh pasta in front of their houses.

We're using Bari as a base to visit about 3 other nearby towns on day trips. Once again, we found an amazing, newly remodeled apartment for under $70 in a convenient location. We definitely notice a difference from Sicily. It's cleaner here and a little less chaotic.😂

More photos and videos are here.

St. Nicola mass:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/b4rN58YK1PFLEGNh8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yCHzDLRaVjVLYpbaARead more