Roman Holiday

In October 2024, my husband and I had the opportunity of a lifetime. My parents took us on a whirlwind trip to Italy. What some of you readers may not know, is that I am 100% Italian, with my father being born and raised in Ceglie del Campo, Bari and my mother’s grandparents being born in both Naples and Rome.

 Experiencing Italy, with someone that knows so much of the land, the history and can travel everywhere securely is priceless. We had our trip planned out for a few months, detailing how many days we wanted to travel and how many places we wanted to see. My parents asked us if there was any place we’d love to see, and my husband Christopher who has never stepped foot in Italy, let alone Europe didn’t have much of a preference. I, on the other hand, being lucky enough to travel to Italy three times seeing Rome, Bari, Assissi, and Pompeii, have always dreamed of seeing Venice. A city floating on water sounds like a dream. My dad went to work and planned itineraries for every day of our trip filled with train rides, museum tickets, etc.

We left on a Friday night and flew into Munich, Germany and then had a bit of a delay getting into Naples, Italy. My parents had gone to Bari ten days prior to us leaving so they came to pick us up at the airport. The very first thing my father asked when we got in the car was, "Are you hungry?” And being that we hadn’t had any food since breakfast at 8am, and it was now 4pm, we both enthusiastically said, “yes!” We pulled into the first rest stop we could find. This wasn’t your ordinary rest stop. This was a gourmet deli. It was filled with fresh bread, meat, and all different kinds of pre-made food from that day. We both settled on sandwiches. I hesitated after I got my prosciutto sandwich, as I am dairy and gluten free. I never had dairy in Italy during this trip, but that first bite into real Italian bread was indescribable. I couldn’t believe we were finally here, and the first stop I was already consuming gluten. Everyone who has gluten issues that knew I was traveling to Europe told me to eat all the gluten as it wouldn’t bother me. Europe doesn’t use tons of chemicals, pesticides and glyphosates on their gluten (like we do in America to make our foods last longer), which is what I’m actually very sensitive to. We got back into the car, which I might add- the view from the rest stop was Mount Vesuvius which was so awesome to see that just from a roadside gas station deli- and then we made our way to Bari.

We arrived pretty late in Bari. We were lucky to have been able to stay in my parents’ place, after a long journey it’s nice to feel a little bit at home instead of a stuffy hotel room. We showered and fell right asleep. Now, there is one weekend in Bari in October when the town celebrates the Blessed Mother. I believe it is called the “Feast of the Blessed Mother”. What my parents failed to tell me is that every morning at 8:00am they let off fireworks to celebrate the feast. It was not the wake up call I was looking for, but we were in Italy, and I was grateful to start the day off early. 

My cousin Giovanni came to see us and wanted to take Christopher and I around town. We ate, got dressed, and started our walk. The beauty of Bari is that you can walk everywhere. He took us to the cemetery of my grandmother and other relatives, the nearby church that kicked off a parade for the Blessed Mother, and all the different areas of the town that you would miss if you drove past. After witnessing the parade, (which is where they take the Blessed Mother out of the church and walk her down to another church to dress her up and put her inside a float for the big parade at night), we went to my family’s house for dinner. And yes, dinner was set for 1:00pm. Typically in Italy dinner is early, you have your biggest meal in the middle of the day and then have something smaller later on. We arrived at my father’s cousin’s house where everyone had made a different type of lasagna, along with braciola, bread,  and some appetizers. My husband said it was the best home cooked meal he ever had. Everything was made from fresh ingredients. Then they brought out pastries and chocolate, which was also delicious. 

Giovanni then asked if we’d like to see the city of Bari, which of course we did. We drove to this very crowded area along the water with palm trees, stores, restaurants, and cobblestone streets. We walked in and out of giant historic churches, looked in a few stores, and basked at the beauty of a city in the middle of Italy that had palm trees lining the streets. There is so much history in Bari, but also so much culture. There is a street where women sit at a table and make fresh pasta right outside. Orecchiette was originated in Bari and is what most of the women are making when you walk by. You can also purchase a bag of the pasta after watching them make it.

 When we arrived back, we then walked over to watch the parade to conclude the “Feast of the Blessed Mother”, where the statue is then walked back into the church it originally was housed, but this time it was in a beautiful float that my father’s cousin built. They had children and adults dressed in costumes doing routines with flags, marching bands parading down the streets, and the big finale was the Blessed Mother statue making her way down.  It was a beautiful night filled with music, culture and tradition. 

That day, out of all the walking we did, was the most steps I had walked-20,000! It was a very productive day. To say we were tired was an understatement. 

We got a good night's sleep and planned to do some sightseeing in different cities near Bari. The first stop was Polignano a Mare. This spot was located along the Adriatic Sea. We had a beautiful sunny day and we were able to spend a good amount of time walking all along the water. This place also had some shops, churches and restaurants. But, this spot is mostly known for their cliff side location and beaches. I imagine it gets really crowded in the summertime.

 From there, we went to my favorite place in the world, Alberobello. Alberobello, is what people probably called a hidden gem years ago, but is now pretty widely known by tourists. The town is known for their trullis. The story goes that in the 14th century as a way to avoid paying taxes, people made these unique cone shaped homes made of dry stone without mortar. This process allowed the homeowners to easily dismantle the structures when tax collectors came around, preventing the assessment of property taxes. All the buildings are white stone, with gray dome roofs. Centuries ago, people lived in these trullis, and now it’s a tourist attraction. Majority of these trullis have been turned into little novelty shops and restaurants. Some have been turned into Air BnBs and Bed and Breakfasts, but most of them are businesses. We had our lunch in a place called, Casa Nova Ristorante, I had their orecchiette pasta and it was the first taste of real pasta for me, in what felt like a lifetime. The restaurant was incredible. The inside looked like an igloo all white stone walls and the dome shaped roof, added such a unique vibe to the experience. We did some shopping and then headed back home to Bari.

Make sure to check out Part 2 of my Roman Holiday!