A JOURNEY FROM BARI

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 42, 21 January 1944, Page 3

A JOURNEY FROM BARI

(Official War Correspondent) ITALY, Dec. 13

Italy is still a land, of contrasts to the New Zealander, and nowhere are they more marked than in the course of a journey northward through the rich . pastoral lands of the Adriatic coastline. The reality of war breaks upon one. unawares after seemingly endless panorama of farm, field and. coastal town. Leaving the cathedral city of Bari on a clear sunny morning, we proceeded on along the coast road past the. little seaside resort of San Spirito. We were in the midst of a province full of the massive remains of Norman —Swabian times, vvhen the glimmer of the renaissance l first began to show itself. Along the road many signs of past glories were apparent—here a thousand, year old spire, there the double tower of the Moll'etta cathedral, and again the gloomy Norman tower at Bisciglie. Near this landmark stands an ancient relic wheih makes even the tower seem contemporary with modern times—a dolmen which antedates all known history* We. were soon bouncing along the cobbled streets . of Trani, where we bore right to catch a glimpse of what must surer ly be the painter's dream of a Southern Italian harbour. Lichened stone walls surround a still blue basin in which glide the bright .sailis of the fishing boats. As a background the stone and plaster walls of the town rise in tiers, while ©n the northern side a spit of land* is dominated by old forts and by the graceful spire of the cathedral. Like so many other towns of this country. Trani has refused to recognise the passage of time. The iine main highway passes through the heart gf it without disturbing its mediaeval complacency. lai the. grape country between Trani and Barletta the byways lead off to such varied sights as the tombs of the Swabian Empresses at Anuria,, the frowning Castle del Monte, the ruins of Canosa,. and the site of the battlefield of Cannae, ancestor of the technique of modern war. < From Barletta the main road runs •west to 1 Cerignola across a fertile plain, with a view seaward to the extensive reclamation of an old lake, and thence tends north again towards Foggia. As Ave. approached this once thriving j>rovincial' capital of over 6300 people, we were suddenly reminded of the fijerce fighting which recently took place in the. vicinity by the presence of the remains of road, blocks and of blown bridges. By that time the day Avas avx.ll advanced for the time: of the year, and more rain was threatening We arrived in Foggia about 4 p.m.., with dusk already adding to the. general gloom of the countryside. Foggia presented an atmosphere of desolation novel to New Zealanders * w r hose war has been fought until * hoav in the. AA'astes of the. desert. In the poor light many of the line new ferro-concrete buildings appeared; to be unharmed, but on closer inspection they proved to be mere shells—gutted by the blast, of huge demolition bombs. Twisted shutters bulged out into the streets., and "tangled AVires mingled Avith piles of debris.- The station buildings on this important raihvay centre were piles of rubble scattered across pitted roadways. In all this desolation the army machine functioned smoothly, and the. trucks went rolling northwards, on the. road, to Termoli and the Sauline. Quite a number of. citizens Averc still in the toAvn—probably they had never left, it—and more Avere returning to their home as Ave looked around the Avreekage.