Puglia - Bari in April - Polignano a Mare

Our second day in Bari gets off to an excellent start because we head straight for the local covered food market in Via Mazzini called Madonna del Carmelo. This is an ordinary market where local people buy their fresh fish and fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese, taralli, olives..... nothing specially for tourists.... and it is spectacular. An enormous variety of fruit and vegetables, great piles of strawberries at 1€ a kilo, artichokes, all kinds of green vegetables, an amazing range of fish at cheap prices and of course shellfish which local people eat raw.

Actually this market totally disrupts our plans. Plan A was to spend a few days in Bari and the others in nearby towns along the coast easy to reach by train for day trips. But the market is an invitation to cook, not to eat out, so we decide on some very early lunches followed by a trip somewhere by train getting back for a late supper. Up where we live in the mountains lunch is normally at 12 o'clock so we make it even a little earlier and by 1.30 we're already at our first destination. Bari makes an ideal base to visit the pretty towns along the coast just a few stops away by frequent trains.

Polignano is about 30 kilometres from Bari and the train takes about forty minutes. Apart from looking at the scenery we take advantage for a digestive snooze. Polignano has a very pretty historical centre built right on the cliffs above the sea which makes for some dramatic views. 

We wander around the centre, traces of its Arab, Byzantine, Spanish and Norman past, and even though it's not yet even low season one or two things are open and we find a pleasant café for a coffee to wake us up. After that we walk south along the coast out towards a more modern part of town, there are a few flowers near the shore.

However the other direction attracts more people, there's a small bay where a few brave sunbathers have stripped off, 

 as well as the statue of Domenico Modugno, who became famous in Italy for his song Nel blu dipinto di blu (“In the Sky, Painted Blue”), and behind access to some rocks near the sea. In my wimpish state I'm not so sure that sitting in the sun is a good idea but it's just too nice to resist a short rest on the warm rocks with views of blue sea and Polignano behind.

When it starts to get cool we had for the train station and after a short wait are soon back in Bari. The walk back to the apartment takes almost as long and we are quite tired and hungry by the time we get back. Fortunately the artichokes are ready, together with delicious local ricotta.