Grand Tour of Italy: Bari

In case you were wondering, no, I am not necessarily posting any of these Italy stops in the order of when they happened on our tour.  Just in the order of my momentary whim, to be honest.

So, today it's Bari, which we visited on Day 12 (of 19), a Friday.

The previous 3 days we were on the west coast, in Montecassino, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast.

On Day 12 we drove across the ankle of Italy 177 miles, west to east, to Bari.

That's the Mediterranean Sea on the left and the Adriatic Sea on the right.

This was one of the first photos I took, from the bus, as we entered Bari along the coast.

Once off the bus,
how can you resist views like this on the Adriatic Sea!

However, we were there on a mission with our tour guide, not to see the Adriatic Sea,
but to see what the city is known for:  the St. Nicholas Church.

Of course, the journey along the way is as important as the destination, if not more so, right?!

Don't you love the impressions you get of a place just by looking!

What surprised me most was this little dab of Roman ruins as we passed through the old city.

It's the former site of a Byzantine church from the 9th-10th centuries

on the Square of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Street people...

with an invitation to observe this lady, sitting there with her door wide open!

There were many indications of religious importance in this city.

Perhaps this is one of them, just before turning the corner to see what we had come for...

...the Basilica of St. Nicholas, from 1197.

Do you know why it's so important for the Dutch people to see this?

It's where St. Nicholas, the historical figure of the the Dutch legendary Sinterklaas, is buried.

Yes, you heard me.

Sinterklaas, who arrives in homes all over the Netherlands on 5 December, is buried in Bari.

WHO KNEW THAT?!?!
(Technically, of course, St. Nicholas is buried:  Sinterklaas is not!)

No question at all about who was of utmost importance here.

We were ready to enter the church....

The nave.

The altar.

The organ and pulpit.

And then the crypt.

One of the tombs.

And then where St. Nicholas himself is buried behind the fenced barrier.

This basilica "holds wide religious significance throughout Europe and the Christian world...

an important pilgrimage destination both for Roman Catholics 

and Orthodox Christians from Eastern Europe."

In the outer courtyard is the statue bearing witness to his fame.

St.Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves,
brewers, pawnbrokers, students and children across Europe.
Sinterklaas is the patron saint of children.
They really are connected at the hip.

So now you know why this city was on our Dutch tour of Italy!
We were there for only 1.5 hours. but we saw what was most important.

Il Violino Magico: Busker Riccardo Morsilli in Rome

My disclaimer for this post is that it happened while Astrid and I were on our Grand Tour of Italy in April.  However, because it was not technically part of the tour, I'm making a special post on its own...because, to be honest, it's my birthday.  :)

And because this was the most soulful "eternalized moment" of the entire trip for me!

You may remember that we had two days in Rome on the tour, first visiting "Classical Rome" and then, the second day, on our own away from the group to explore what we wanted. Since I had been to Rome twice before, I had a feel for what I wanted Astrid to see for her first time.

After standing in line for 45 minutes to visit St. Peter's Cathedral (for only 30 minutes inside), we went off towards the Castel SantÁngelo en route to Piazza Navona.

Those of you who've been to Rome will recognize the castle, from 123 AD.

(It was also in Angels and Demons, remember?)

Almost at mid-point in the above image, at the base of the castle, we saw him:

Riccardo Morsilli, from Il Violino Magico (Facebook page).

See the sign in his violin case (middle image)? It says (in both Italian and English):

"The secret of happiness is freedom; the secret of freedom is courage."

You can hear more on his Facebook page, of course, but he clearly knows how to play the violin!

So, why the stilettos (sometimes also red)!!

I had a back-n-forth with Riccardo once we returned home.
I can't say I know much more than that day in Rome, except that I did find out this:
He's a strong advocate against violence to women.

If we want to know anything more, he is simply willing to let us wonder.
And because of that mystery...with unanswered questions...he leaves us in tears.

I have seldom been more touched by anything,
which is why I gift this experience to me again, on this my birthday.

A second blessing....

Grand Tour of Italy: The Republic of San Marino

At the get-go, it's important to say this was NOT a scheduled stop on the Grand Tour of Italy, so don't get your hopes up if you're here because you wonder what you will see if you go on this tour.  This was a last-minute decision by our bus driver and guide after a long day of driving from Bari to Rimini, 563 km.  Since we were so close to San Marino and had made good time, they spontaneously decided to do it!

And are we ever so glad they did!

Talk about scale.  That wee dot is the size of the Republic of San Marino!

It's a country within Italy that's only 24 sq. miles with a population of ca. 33.5K.

And at only 20 km west of Rimini, it was a no-brainer.

So, yes, San Marino is a wee country within the country of Italy...

kinda like a wheel in the middle of a wheel!

In fact, "San Marino is one of the only three countries in the world to be completely surrounded 

by a single other country (the others being Vatican City, also surrounded by Italy, and Lesotho.)  

It is the third smallest country in Europe, with only Vatican City and Monaco being smaller.

It is also the fifth smallest country in the world."  (Wiki)

The City of San Marino is the capital, sitting on the country's highest point, Monte Titano,

with the Guaita Fortress at the top.  It's population is ca. 4K.

[Max Ryazanov photo]

That was our destination that late Sunday afternoon, where we had free time from 4-5:15p.m.

This was my very first shot once we got inside the walls of the capital city.

All I wanted was to look out across the countryside from which we had just slowly climbed to the top.

See what I mean?

I felt like a Peeping Tom. It was breath-taking.

We actually arrived as a festival of sorts was in its last act that Sunday afternoon.

The temptation was to linger and watch...but we only had an hour!

While others from the tour found places to celebrate Happy Hour (in a new place!),

Astrid and I walked the winding streets up and up and up...

and I mean up...

and still up...

till we reached the Guaita Fortress at the top, built in the 11th century.

There was an entrance fee to get into even the courtyard, but not to worry 

because we immediately turned around to return back to where we had started in time.

Our goal was simply to get to the top, the highest point in the country, at 2,457 ft above sea level.

Back where we started, the lift on the right took us down to our awaiting bus...

but not before we checked out the Church of St. Quirino from 1549 at the end of the street...

and then grabbed an Italian gelato to share. That was OUR Happy Hour.

Want some trivia?

San Marino is one of the wealthiest and most economically stable countries in the world,

"with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus, 

and has the highest rate of car ownership, being the only country with more vehicles than people." 

(Wiki)

It shouldn't surprise you that the City of San Marino and Mount Titano

became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

Grand Tour of Italy: My "Collections"

You know me and how I love to "collect" things via photography, right?  So, as I've been trolling through all my images, each in their separate files, I've come up with the following categories to group together as collections of this Grand Tour.

Where to start!

Let's start with TUSCANY, since that area of Italy happened in the first 2-4 days after arriving in Italy, right after Turin (days 4-6 of the trip).

We're talking about the area around Lucca, Pisa, Florence, San Gimignano and Siena.

The olive trees and poplars were everywhere, as well as the vineyards in their early growth.

No wonder everyone loves Tuscany! 

Aster Tuscany we spent 2 days in Rome, the capital of Italy.

SPQR quickly became collectible.

It's Latin for Senatus Populusque Romanus = The Roman Senate and People.

It refers to the government of the ancient Roman Republic.

And since we're talking about Rome, remember ROMULUS and REMUS from Roman mythology?

Lillian Geiger, my high school Latin teacher, would be so proud of me.  HA!

It's probably strange to collect MANHOLE COVERS, but I do, if they have city names on them:

Roma, Firenze (2), Napoli (in Pompeii), Amalfi, Sirmione (at Lake Garda), Alberobello and Verona.

And WEATHERVANES, of course, even though all were on churches/public buildings.

Then there were the buildings we saw from the bus while going from here to there...

...like CASTLES and CHURCHES, usually from afar on the horizon.

My zoom was often at 1200 mm, which made focus difficult, but you get the gist.  

Because these were in passing, I have no clue what/where they are.

Sprawling CITIES dotted the landscape, like Naples (top-right) which we only passed.
The middle image is Cassino, looking down from the mount above (Montecassino).

Do these HOUSES look like Italy to you?

How about these:  APARTMENTS, FARMS.

Sometimes an "unfinished" building looks abandoned but isn't, we were told.

One small area of the house is lived in without having to pay taxes...because it's "unfinished."

But clearly some, often in ruins, are ABANDONED STRUCTURES.

They bear testament to a country facing bankruptcy and a bailout from the EU.

Where is all that Mafia money when you need it!

However, it's an entirely different story when you do see the magnificent VILLAS along the seas,

the Mediterranean Sea on the western side and the Adriatic Sea on the eastern coast.

Like Tuscany, it's what we think of when most of us "see" Italy in our mind's eye.

All of the above...in "collections"...to give recollections of this Grand Tour!