Day 115 - From Sicily to Bari, And a Surprise Race on the Waterfront

Day 115 was a travel day as we moved from Sicily across to mainland Italy.

The alarm went off early at 5:30am so we could pack the final bits and pieces, tidy the apartment, and get the rubbish sorted before leaving. Our goal was to be out the door by 7:30am, but somehow we were completely ready by 6:30.

That never happens.

Usually we're scrambling at the last minute, but this time everything was packed, the car was loaded, and we actually had time to slow down, double-check things, and make sure everyone had gone to the toilet before hitting the road.

We eventually left around 7:15am for the one-hour drive to Palermo Airport.

For the first time in a very long time, we were actually early for something.

The drive was smooth, although I had the car drop-off location wrong at first, which sent us briefly in the wrong direction. It turned out to be a happy mistake though, because we stumbled across a cycling race that was just about to start. Cyclists were everywhere preparing for the event, which was pretty cool to see.

We found a petrol station, filled the car, corrected the navigation, and quickly located the correct rental return area.

As we were unloading the bags, I ran over to reception to ask about the airport shuttle. The guy behind the desk pointed and said,

"There's one leaving now."

We waved to the driver and he pulled straight over beside us. We handed over the keys, threw the bags on board, and within minutes we were on our way to the terminal.

It couldn't have been easier.

At the airport everything moved quickly. I'd already checked in online, so bag drop had no queue, security was fast, and before we knew it we were through to the gates.

We found a spot to sit down and grabbed some late breakfast / early lunch paninis, which were ridiculously good. After the early start it was nice to just sit quietly for a while before boarding.

When the plane started boarding it was raining, so we caught a bus out to the aircraft.

Emmett and I were sitting together in the middle and aisle seats, but the woman at the window kindly offered to swap so Emmett could sit by the window. Small moments like that always make travel easier.

Our plan was to do a bit of schoolwork on the flight.

Instead, about five minutes after take-off, we were both asleep.

The flight from Palermo to Bari is only 1 hour and 5 minutes, but it genuinely felt like about ten minutes. We woke up just as the plane was descending.

Once we landed, the next leg was simple.

We walked straight from the airport to the train station, bought tickets to Bari Centrale, and jumped on the train that was already sitting on the platform.

Emmett travelled free, so the whole trip cost us €15.

Within minutes we were rolling into the city.

Our accommodation was only a short walk from the station, but we hit one small snag. It was only around 12:30pm, and check-in wasn’t until 5:00pm.

So we had some time to kill.

We walked past the accommodation hoping for a message saying we could check in early, but no luck. Instead we found a local café, ordered coffees for Kia and me, gelato for the kids, and sat down to relax.

The kids played card games, we chatted, and I started researching accommodation along the Puglia coastline.

The plan is to head south toward the coast near Roca, San Foca, and Torre dell’Orso, an area known for dramatic limestone cliffs and beautiful turquoise water. I found a couple of great places, but the prices had jumped quite a bit, so we held off booking anything.

Eventually the kids got restless, so we packed up and went for a wander.

We found a small park along the way where the kids played for a while, then continued walking until we came across a restaurant that looked good. We sat down for a late lunch / early dinner and ordered some pasta.

While we were eating, we noticed what looked like event infrastructure along the foreshore nearby. Curious, I looked it up online and it seemed like there might have been some car racing happening earlier in the day.

When we asked the restaurant staff they told us it had already finished.

Emmett was pretty disappointed. He was keen to see it, and honestly I was too.

But as we stepped outside after lunch, we heard something.

Engines.

Emmett and I decided to go investigate, leaving Kia and Maddie with the bags.

When we reached the waterfront we realised the race was still going.

Right there along the Bari foreshore, a temporary street circuit had been set up and small open-wheel race cars were blasting past. Some of them looked like mini Formula-style cars or lightweight racing buggies, and they sounded incredible echoing off the waterfront buildings.

It turned out we had stumbled onto the opening race of a local motorsport series held in Bari using the seaside circuit.

Emmett and I stayed there for about an hour, watching the cars scream past.

It was one of those completely unexpected travel moments that ends up being a highlight of the day.

Eventually the race wrapped up and we walked back to meet Kia and Maddie.

From there we headed to our accommodation, checked in, unpacked the bags, and settled in for the night.

It had been a big travel day, but also a good one.

New city.
New region.
And a surprise race on the waterfront to welcome us to Puglia.