Bari, Apulia

I arrived in Bari on the final day of a three day city-wide celebration of their patron saint, San Nicola, or Saint Nicholas aka Little Saint Nick. It was a little intimidating because it was like showing up to a college football gameday when you went to art school but also it’s in another language. I didn’t even bother attempting to find a restaurant for dinner and grabbed focaccia and a Peroni to go at Panificio Fiore and ate on my terrace as the sun went down.

View from my lovely terrace in Bari Vecchia hosted by Frank who was so sweet and for some reason could not remember my name, first calling me Virginia, which I’ve gotten because I pronounce my name softly or something, and then GINEVRA which I’ve never gotten but kind of like!

God damn instagram aesthetic really gets a grip on you

I loved how everything stuck with the pastel theme - walls and laundry. This was drying on a promenade along the harbor, like foundation garments just out in the open. Usually laundry on a rack evidently belongs to a certain house/apartment but this was just…some kind of commons situation?

Ceiling view at Basilica San Nicola, which was built after some fishermen took the remains of St. Nick from present-day Turkey and brought them to Bari which coincidentally was where Saint Nick said he wanted to be buried. And now it’s a big deal and his bones miraculously emit a scent of myrrh and Christians and Eastern Orthodox travel here on pilgrimage.

A representation of San Nicola that factors heavily in the three day celebration - this is flotilla-ed down the coastline in a procession and then spends some time in Basilica and some time in the Cathedral.

and this was the seaside carnival in honor of San Nicola; the street was closed and vendors were selling and people were drinking and hollering.

Good patterns on some old stoneware, don’t ask me ages, they were in Roman numerals! Old but not that old.