We hadn't planned to spend more than one night in Bari, which our Lonely Planet describes as "an exasperating city", and "completely un-touristy". I kind of like the sound of "un-touristy", but Rick doesn't like the look of the teenage punks that are hanging around the dock in the Porto Vecchio, where we are tied side-to. A couple of them even try to board the boat, but fortunately Wally spots them and chases them away. Thinking we should at least get a glimpse of the historic centre, Martha and I take a walk into nearby Bari Vecchia. I am grateful for Martha's unerring sense of direction as we wander through the maze of narrow streets and dead-end alleys. After a quick cappuccino in a little café crammed with university students, we make our way back to the boat for barbecued pork chops, roasted vegetables and a rubber of bridge. After dark, we are surprised when a display of fireworks lights up the sky above the art-deco tower on the opposite shore.

We are all up early the next morning, hoping to set sail for Vieste. The Italian weather site has not been updated since midnight, but diminishing winds that will begin more or less on the nose and gradually back to a broad reach with speeds in the 15-20 knot range are predicted. Rick walks up the hill to get a better look at the conditions outside the harbour, and decides we should give it a try. At 9 a.m., we pull away from the dock, raise the sails and head toward the Gargano. Within minutes, Aisling is heeled sharply and bucking like a broncho in the steep seas. Below decks, the coffee pot goes flying. It is not an auspicious start. I make my opinion known, and we return to the dock. At least now we will have a chance to see the church of St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas of Myra was a 4th-century bishop whose kindness to children and penchant for gift-giving formed the basis of the modern-day Santa Claus legend. In the 11th century, his body was stolen from its former resting place in Myra by fishermen from Bari. (This theft was later justified by claiming that St. Nicholas "chose" Bari as his resting spot.) A basilica was built to house the remains, and today, it is an important site of pilgrimage.

As we enter the basilica, we hear wonderful music drifting up from the crypt below. A choir of Russian Orthodox pilgrims, complete with a director, is singing beside the tomb. The sound of their magnificent voices soaring in the small space is almost other-worldly. When their song ends, each of them kneels and reaches through the grate to touch the altar over the tomb that holds the remains of St. Nicholas, which are said to have miraculous powers.



Outside in the courtyard, a small figure presents the more secular side of St. Nick! Wally snaps this photo with his Iphone.



We continue through the streets of Bari Vecchia, checking out a few ceramic shops and peeking into alleyways along the way.





Then onward to a café with a view of the Norman Castello Svevo, where Wally introduces us to his new favourite, the Aperol spritz.



By then, the guys are ready for a small siesta and some time with their books, while Martha and I do a little shopping in Bari's upscale shopping district. The day ends perfectly with an onboard meal cooked and served by Wally and Martha: a platter of delicious bruschetta, asparagus and pine nut pasta and an arugula salad, accompanied by a wonderful bottle of Brunello that Wally has brought with him from Tuscany. It's a sad moment when Wally realizes that the last of the Brunello is gone!



But later, there are more fireworks to cheer him up. Does this happen every night?

The next day, the wind is still against us. Let's take the train to Trani for the day! Martha and I gather our belongings and walk to the train station, passing through the beautiful Piazza Umberto and Piazza Aldo Moro (named for the Italian Prime Minister who died at the hands of the Red Brigade in 1978). Rick is uneasy about leaving the boat unattended, so he and Wally opt to stay in Bari for the day.

Our train is leaving from platform 3 at 12.39. When we arrive at the platform at 12.30, there is a train on the tracks, but we are not sure whether it is ours. Intending to ask one of the passengers where the train is headed, I climb to the first step of the train, think better of it and step back down. A few seconds later, the door closes and the train pulls away. Yikes, that was close! I wonder where I would have ended up?

Leaving the train station at Trani, we walk down a beautiful oleander-lined street, following signs to the "centro storico'. We have a cappuccino near the waterfront before beginning our sightseeing in earnest. We initially think that this beautiful church is the cathedral, but it isn't.



When we eventually find the cathedral, it is closed for the lunch break and there is hardly a soul in sight.



Two newlyweds are having their photos taken by the sea though. In Italy, weddings seem to take place any day of the week and at any time of the day.



We wander over to the 13th century castle built by Frederick II , but the young woman at the information desk suggests that it may not be a good time to visit, since they are preparing for a cultural event. Time for lunch, then. We head for a nearby restaurant, the Pietra Bianca, and share a delicious selection of antipasti (the mussel soup is especially memorable) and a shrimp pasta (served very "al dente"). By then the cathedral has opened.

This Norman style cathedral, built between the 11th and 14th centuries, is dedicated to another St. Nicholas, "St. Nicholas the Pilgrim". Oddly, we enter through a crypt on the lower level, and a small flight of stairs takes us into the beautiful but simple cathedral.



The original 12th century cast bronze doors are on display inside and an interesting fragment of mosaic, similar to the ones in Otranto is set into the floor near the altar (sorry, my photos were a bust). We take a few quiet moments to enjoy the peace of our surroundings, then climb up up up, high into the campanile, where I am able to overcome my vertigo long enough to take this photo of the town and the marina below by poking my camera through a hole in the grate.



Now it's down, down, down...Martha takes this photo- I can't bear to look!



We're not sure when the train leaves, so we hustle back through the town. Thanks to Martha's expert navigation, we arrive at the station with just 10 minutes to spare. In the main station, I briefly lose sight of Martha, and an Italian man points toward an archway. He is gazing at Martha admiringly, then smiles at me and says "belle signore!" (beautiful ladies!). A few minutes later, we stop to buy water and I realize that he is still staring at Martha. He smiles sheepishly, shrugs and says "ancora bella!" (still beautiful!). But it begins to get a bit creepy when he is still staring at her from the other side of the platform as we wait for the train. When the train finally arrives, we are happy to depart.

We've just bought two large cones of gelato near the Piazza Umberto when my cellphone rings. "Can you pick up a couple of pizzas for supper?" Rick asks. But it is still too early; no one has their ovens on yet, so we return to the boat empty handed. Later that evening, we walk over to Bari Vecchio and eat in a small pizzeria near the piazza. In every bar and restaurant, the televisions are tuned in to the Euro 2012 football game between Italy and Croatia. The game ends in a 1-1 tie.

There'll be no wine to accompany our pizza tonight. With the weather forecast finally in our favour and lots of able crew to share in the watches, we have decided to do an overnight passage to Vieste.

As we walk back through the piazza, a local symphony is striking up the opening bars of a Strauss waltz. We'd love to stay and listen, but it is time to leave. Arrivederci Bari, I hope to see you again!

Cruiser's Notes by Rick:
We tied along side in Porto Vecchio on molo Sant Antonio and there was no fee. It is well protected from all directions. We stayed 3 days and were concerned the first day when some young kids (hooligans) were throwing rocks at some poor old fisherman on the wharf and at our boat. They also tried another time to climb aboard the boat when they thought no one was aboard. After that we had no problems. There is a marina (Sail club) opposite the molo Sant Antonio where friends of ours stayed. They hit one of the mooring anchors on the way in when circling around back. Otherwise they said it was a good stop. Small grocery stores nearby and a larger one near the train station. A fish market on the wharf. Fuel available further in the old port. It looked shallow but we did see a large fishing dragger go in there. There is a busy airport which is convenient for crew changes.