Bari, Italy

Dear Grace,

The next stop on our cruise was to Bari, which is the second biggest city in Italy for its number of inhabitants. The city is divided in two parts, a modern part, developed from the beginning of the 19th century, and the Old part that gathers the most important Medieval and Renaissance monuments. How funny- the modern part was built in the 19th century! The Old City is filled with narrow streets, closed courts and tower houses. It is known to be the city that carries St. Nicholas. That privilege has made Bari and its Basilica one of the most important Orthodox centers establish in Italy. We spent the day exploring both parts of the city, St. Nicholas Church, walking along the beach, enjoying a delicious Italian meal, and stumbling into a graphic and exotic art display. Don't worry blog followers, I took pictures. I'm keeping the blog PG, so email me if you're interested in a peek. Enjoy! 

Love, Mummy 

This was one of the many 'Ns' all over St. Nicholas Church. I made Daddy take a picture so I could frame it and put it up in our house. I just need to find a cool 'K' and 'M' to complete our monogram. Adair- any ideas? 

N = Nierengarten

St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children. He was known for secret gift giving, like putting coins in shoes that were left out for him. Because of his generous gift giving, he became the model of Santa Claus. Grace, it should be interesting explaining to you, and hopefully your sibling(s) that we have seen the place where Santa Claus was buried.    

I read in one of our travel guides that we should try "orecchiette" with turnip tops. It's a type of home-made pasta and it's known as having the shape of small ears. It was described as being part of the "gastronomic tradition and culture of Bari." I'm glad we all tried it, including you, but I do wish Daddy's gnocchi was an even larger portion than it already was! I will give it another chance. Maybe I just didn't care for their particular sauce. 

A bright picture of part of the square the restaurant was located. 

Bari is a seaside town and the old town overlooks the sea front which is the longest in Italy.

Mommy kisses!

Next stop...Katakolon (Olympia), Greece. Home of the first Olympic Stadium.