Discovering History and Heart in Bari, Puglia—It was time to continue our European travels and meet back up with Mum and Dad, following our last adventure together in Prague, leaving a memorable segment to the end of our trip. We planned to visit Bari in Italy and Valetta in Malta to pay our respects to family members, our fallen heroes who tragically lost their lives in their early 20s in WWI and WWII.
The first stop is Bari, where a War Memorial Cemetery is located for all those who lost their lives from 1939 to 1945; also the place my Great Uncle (my Dad's Uncle) was stationed with the RAF for some time upon returning from a mission. At the young age of 20, Sergeant Edwin Emberson, when returning from operations on the night of 15/16th April 1944, Wellington HE344 collided in mid-air with No. 104 Squadron Wellington LP146 when circling the Foggia Main aerodrome, and HE344 crashed two miles to the west of the drome. All crew members were killed, including all five RAF crew aboard LP146.
We spent the morning at the cemetery paying our respects, and this has been on my Dad's Wishlist for years, too many to count, so to have the opportunity to visit the grave finally was a special moment, and together with family.
The CWGC Bari War Cemetery is a memorial resting place for all these brave people. It is tucked out in the farmland. It is very peaceful and immaculately maintained, and it is comforting to know that our fallen heroes are not forgotten.
The remaining days in Bari were spent exploring the city, with a day trip to the stunning small local coastal fishing village of Trani. We stayed in the heart of it in a beautiful apartment called II Pallazzetto on the main pedestrian street, designed as Italians know best—beautiful!
You walked in and were super impressed with the spaciousness, modern and clean design, high ceilings, and quality of furnishings and all fittings. The location was tranquil, too.
Bari is a large coastal city with a thriving port and a historical and modern centre. It is the capital of the Puglia region of Southern Italy. The attractive old town, Bari Vecchia, dates from the 12th century.
Bari is the second most important town after Naples in southern Italy and the capital of Puglia. It is on the southeastern coast just above Italy's 'heel'.
Bari Vecchia is only a ten-minute walk. We enjoyed getting lost amongst the cobblestone alleys and watching the locals who live amongst them go about their day, from selling fresh homemade pasta (Orecchiette, a pasta typical of Apulia, a region of Southern Italy. Their name comes from their shape, which resembles a small ear, bread and catch of the day from the nearby Adriatic).
Restaurants are abundant in Bari, so you really need to research, bypass the tourist spots, and find the places the locals frequent. We were disappointed with a few options, mainly due to service and food quality, such as R45 and DROP, and only on the last day did we win the lottery at L'Argenteria. We also found an excellent coffee shop across from the II Pallazzetto apartments. Be sure to sample their delicious coffee, called Caffe Cognetti.
We were grateful our last meal at L'Argenteria left us with a positive impression of the food and service in Bari. While some were overrated and underdelivered, L'Argenteria's food, cocktails, and warm service were spot on.
Bari is the gateway to the quaint coastal villages of the Puglia region of Italy. When we find our way back, we will focus on exploring the smaller villages and avoiding the large city of Bari, which is home to 300,000.
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