Bari Weekend Trip

This weekend, we took a trip to Bari, which is two hours north of Ugento, to learn about the Cuisine and Culture of Puglia. Along with cuisine and culture, comes the many different forms of Architecture that influenced Italy. From Greek to French, Italy has had many different factors playing into their culture.

The trip was a beautiful tour of the cultures of the past and present, starting off with a drive and a walk. We drove to one of the many castles of Frederico Von Hohenstaufen, Castello del Monte, which is situated on a hill overlooking Andria, one of the many different small counties in Puglia. This Castle was built with the number eight in mind, either for the fact that it is an Octagon, or the fact that the castle is built in a circle, as to represent infinity. Frederico started as King of Sicily, then Ruler of Germany after his father passed away, then Ruler of Italy/Holy Roman Emperor. He was given the nickname "Child of Puglia", as he had an everlasting love for the Region.

Next, came my favorite, Tormaresca Winery. To be honest, I had no clue what we were getting into until after we got off of the highway, and into the vines. We drove a solid 30 minutes through grapevines and Olive trees, and arrived at the Estate of the Tormaresca Winery. I was going through both stages of Shock and Awe as we went through the front gate, as this is where I get to spend three weeks for an internship. We were given a tour of the Fermenting and Aging rooms, and all I can think about is how excited I was to begin my journey here. After our tour, we ate lunch with the owner of the Winery, and are given a taste of some of the wines that they make.

After the winery, we are carted off to Bari, in which we are given the tour of the city from Francine, our teacher for the history portion of our concentration. We learn about the many different cultural influences in the art and architecture of the city, ranging from the Messapians to the Greeks, and of course, our favorite conquerors of the known world, the Romans. Through learning about this architecture, we can see the many different periods of art that Italy went through, which ranged from the early romanesque, to renaissance and baroque; Roman being very minimal and Baroque being way-too intricate. Overall, this weekend trip opened our eyes to what Italy can prove to us, and much, much more.