Day 15, Friday, Rome to Bari

After a lovely closing dinner for the Melton Seminar on Thursday night, we said good bye to old and new friends and packed once more to start our trip to Apulia.  It is now Friday morning and we are on the train from Rome to Bari.  Six of the Seminar participants, the Birkens and Poleshucks from Rochester and Sheila & Peter Philippsohn of Sidney, Australia are taking a Classic Journeys walking tour of Apulia.  I should point out that 5 of the 6 people want to walk, while I may spend a lot of time in the minibus with the driver.  

We checked into the hotel in Bari (quite lovely), grabbed a quick lunch, and went back to the hotel to meet our guide, Ido Brunetti.  Ido gave us an overview of the week, but emphasized that this is a vacation, not a hiking tour, which were just the words I wanted to hear.  We then spent the afternoon exploring the new and old parts of Bari, learning its history, and discussing politics, religion, and other topics over gelato and cappuccino.  We were treated to a sumptuous welcome dinner at the famous La Pignata restaurant, where course after course delighted our palates.  Tomorrow we don't have to get up early and won't start the day until 9:30 - a true treat for the six of us.  Below are some pictures from our extensive walk through Bari.

Ladies making orecchiette pasta by hand