By: Marcia Abramson
The first time I heard of Bari was when I was the public relations director of the Queens County District Attorney's Office. One of the young assistant district attorneys told me about his grandmother who was the mayor of Bari. He loved telling about how his grandmother would travel to New York by ship and actually smuggle loads of Italian sausage, Pepperoni, and cheese into the United States for her children. When asked to open her trunk for customs, she would turn over a batch of literally hundreds of keys to her kingdom or city of Bari. Luckily for her and her children, the customs' inspectors could not take the time to find the trunk key and the contraband. Thus, her children and grandchildren got their fill of Italian delicacies when their little old grandmother came to visit.
The Silversea's shuttle bus took me to Bari's new city for some shopping. My fellow passengers couldn't wait to get to the popular Todd's shoe store to shell out $200 for a pair of these distinctive shoes, rather than the $350 it cost in the U.S. However, I was intrigued by the Romanesque churches and castles I passed in the old city of Bari, built by the 13th century Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Swabia.
I chose to leave the bus to explore the narrow streets of this medieval part of town and visit the Basilica of San Nicola, which became famous as the final resting place of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus). I was told that local legend believes that sailors from the port of Bari went to Myra in Turkey and stole the remains of St. Nicholas, who was the popular bishop of Myra and the patron saint of sailors, virgins and children and brought these relics back to Bari. This took place in the 11th century. It was built so sturdily that it was the only building to withstand the destruction of Bari by the Normans in the 12th century.
Another very popular tourist attraction about two hours southeast of Bari is the
