Bari

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Bari Travel Guide

Travel Author

Stig Albeck

City Map

City Introduction

Bari on the Adriatic Sea is the second largest city on the southern Italian mainland. It is an active port city with an international profile and many sights, beaches and lovely promenades along the Adriatic Sea, which the city has expanded as a result of the expansion of Bari from the old town.

Bari is very varied from district to district, and it is almost like visiting two different cities. The labyrinth of narrow streets in the old town is a great contrast to the wide boulevards of Joachim Murat’s 19th-century city, and on the border is the street Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, which is worth a stroll in itself.

Bari’s churches, headed by the Basilica di San Nicola and the cathedral, are some of the most visited places. You can e.g. visit the relics of Saint Nicholas, who is the inspiration for Santa Claus. Piazza Mercantile, Castello Svevo and the lovely promenades along the sea should also be seen.

There are many good excursion destinations from Bari. The region of Puglia is full of beautiful nature and exciting cities. Here you can see, for example, the trulli houses in Alberobello, the excavations in Egnazia and the town of Altamura with the Romanesque cathedral and the good bread. Matera in the neighboring region of Basilicata is also a good choice.

Top Attractions

Saint Nicholas Basilica
Basilica di San Nicola

This large church was built in the Romanesque style in the years 1087-1197. The church was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, which was due to the fact that the church’s crypt had been consecrated in 1087 as a resting place for the saint’s relics. They had come to Bari when they wanted to move the relics from Myra in Asia Minor. Several cities wanted to be home to the important relics, and Bari was chosen in competition with, not least, Venice.

The Basilica di San Nicola was built as a monumental building that almost resembled a castle. It was a stylistic feature from, among other things Byzantine architecture, which can still be seen. The church room is impressive and spartanly decorated with the ceiling as the decorative highlight. The ceiling originates from a rebuilding in the Baroque period. In the church you can also see Bishop Elias’ chair from the 11th century, and of course the relics of Saint Nicholas are in the crypt under the basilica.

 

Saint Sabinus Cathedral
Cattedrale di San Sabino

San Sabino is Bari’s cathedral and it is also known as Duomo di Bari. The church was built in the 12th-13th centuries, consecrated in 1292 and dedicated to Saint Sabinus, who was bishop of the town of Canosa di Puglia, located northwest of Bari.

It is believed that there was already a cathedral from the 6th century in Bari, and below the current church there are remains of earlier buildings. There are i.a. an old mosaic from the first cathedral, which was destroyed in the 8th or 9th century. The following cathedral was also destroyed. It happened in 1156, when Wilhelm I of Sicily laid large parts of Bari in gravel.

The current cathedral was remodeled in the Baroque style in the 18th century, but most of this remodeling was reversed around 1950, so that you can once again see a church room in a Romanesque style that was typical of Apulia. In the church’s crypt, however, you can still see the decoration of the later rebuilding. It is also in the crypt that Saint Sabinus’ relics lie. They came here in 844, where the then bishop of Canosa had rescued them after the destruction of Canosa by the Saracens.

 

The Swabian Castle
Castello Svevo

Bari’s Swabian Castle is an impressive fortress built in the 13th century by Frederick II of Swabia. The castle stands beautifully in the cityscape today, where it is one of Bari’s best-known landmarks.

After the construction of Frederick II’s castle, the facility was expanded several times over the following centuries. This happened not least with the military development, where Isabella D’Aragona and Bona Sforza built bastions and walls around the Norman-Swabian core in the 16th century. This was done to adapt the castle to contemporary heavy artillery.

Over time, the castle’s military significance faded and the site was used as a prison and barracks before being used for administration from 1937. In 2017, Castello Svevo was restored and the old facility is open to the public. Behind the outer walls you can, among other things, see the original entrance, Portale Federiciano, and a series of exhibitions with plaster reproductions, ceramics, etc.

 

Old Bari
Bari Vecchia

Bari’s old town lies almost like an oval on a small peninsula on top of the magnificent 19th-century town to the south and west. And the contrast is great from the rest of Bari to the narrow streets and small squares of Bari Vecchia.

There is plenty of charm, cafés and restaurants in the district, where you just have to go exploring and enjoy the impressions from the time when the district made up the whole city. Along the way, there are a number of highlights that you should visit. This is not least about the city’s two large churches, San Nicola and Bari Cathedral, but there are also quite a few other churches. The square Piazza Mercantile is also a must, and several well-known buildings are located here.

On the outskirts of the old town, you can enjoy a walk along the promenade Lungomare Imperatore Augusto or choose to see the old Swabian castle, Castello Svevo.

Other Attractions

Market Square & Seat of the Nobility
Piazza Mercantile & Palazzo del Sedile

In this cozy square there are cafes and restaurants, which make the square a popular meeting place in the city. Historically, however, not everyone was happy to come here. It was here that pickpockets and debtors were tied to a pillar for public ridicule. It happened in the Middle Ages and the pillar can still be seen. It is the Colonna della Giustizia, which you can see in one of the corners of the square.

In the Piazza Mercantile you can see the Palazzo del Sedile or the Seat of the Nobles. The palazzo’s monumental facade is divided into two levels with three arches and a bell tower that originally marked the rhythms of Bari’s trade. The decoration is with allegorical figures and busts of Roman emperors.

Palazzo del Sedile was built at the end of the 15th century, and the tower clock came from Germany in 1604. The three characteristic arches were added in 1722. Since its construction, the mansion has had various functions. Merchants have held meetings here, and it has been both the city’s first public theater and the seat of Bari’s city council. For centuries it was the heart of administrative and political life.

 

Petruzzelli Theatre
Teatro Petruzzelli

Petruzzelli is Bari’s and one of Italy’s largest theaters. The history of the place started at the end of the 19th century, when Antonio and Onofrio Petruzzelli presented the city with a new theater designed by Angelo Bari Cicciomessere. The city council approved the plans and the theater was built 1898-1903.

The opening performance took place on 14 February 1903 and was a production of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. Since then, countless operas, ballets and concerts have been on the program on the big stage.

In 1991, Teatro Petruzzelli burned to the ground as a result of an arson attack. For many years thereafter, new construction and ownership of the theater were discussed. It ended with the city of Bari taking over ownership following an agreement formulated in 1896, and the theater reopening after a new public building in 2009.

 

Piccinni Theatre
Teatro Piccinni

This is one of Bari’s premier theaters. It was inaugurated in 1854 and named after the composer Niccolò Piccinni, who was born in Bari in 1728. Today the Teatro Piccinni is the oldest theater in Bari, but the municipality used to have a stage in the old town.

The municipality’s theater was dilapidated and small in the early 1800s. When Joachim Murat expanded Bari, the construction of new institutions was also thought of, such as a new and large theater that suited the growing city. The result was the Teatro Piccinni, which was built from 1836.

 

Art Museum of Bari
Pinacoteca Metropolitana

The Art Museum of Bari is beautifully located in the impressive Palazzo della Provincia. The museum was founded in 1928, and it exhibits, among other things, a number of artists and works of art related to the region of Puglia. The museum is also known as Pinacoteca Corrado Giaquinto, whose name comes from the painter Giaquinto, who came from the town of Molfetta northwest of Bari.

You can see works by Tintoretto, Giovanni Bellini, Francesco De Mura and others. in the exhibitions, which are divided into several sections and themes. For example, you can see Venetian pictures from the 15th and 16th centuries, majolica from Puglia and a section with works by Corrado Giaquinto.

 

St. Gregory’s Church
Chiesa di San Gregorio

This is one of the smaller churches of the old town and it is also the oldest of Bari’s preserved churches. It is believed to date from the 9th century and is dedicated to Armenia’s patron saint, Gregory the Light-Bearer. The architectural style is Romanesque, and this is repeated in the church space.

Inside, the church has three naves, which are divided by columns and arches. Over time, the interior of the church was remodeled in the style of the times, which not least happened in the Baroque with renovations and the insertion of several side chapels. However, the beautiful church from the Romanesque period was recreated in the 20th century by reverting to the original style.

 

Garibaldi Park
Giardino Garibaldi

Giardino Garibaldi is Bari’s central city park, located at the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Joachim Murat’s 19th-century district. The park was created as a rectangular part of the modern urban plan by royal decree.

The garden has two orthogonal axes that cross at a central fountain, and everywhere there are flower beds, shrubs and trees originating both from the Mediterranean region and from other parts of the world. All in all, the facility is a nice recreational area for a stroll.

 

Margherita Theatre
Teatro Margherita

Teatro Margherita was a theater that was built as a variety show and opened in 1910. Just two years later, construction began on the current theater building, which was opened in 1914 in the Art Nouveau style according to drawings by Francesco De Giglio.

The tower-adorned building was originally called the Kursaal Margherita, and the place functioned as a theater and cinema until 1979, when it had to close. Today, the old theater building has been reopened as a museum of contemporary art.

 

Fizzarotti Mansion
Palazzo Fizzarotti

Palazzo Fizzarotti is one of Bari’s characteristic buildings, located along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The mansion was built around 1900 in an eclectic style by the banker Emanuele Fizzarotti.

The architect behind the design of the mansion was Ettore Bernich, who is considered one of the founders of Italian eclecticism. Today, Palazzo Fizzarotti is home to various events and exhibitions, and the house itself is a must-see highlight with elegantly decorated rooms and halls.

 

Lungomare Imperatore Augusto, Lungomare Araldo di Crollalanza & Lungomare Nazario Sauro

Bari is beautifully situated on the Adriatic Sea, and you can enjoy some lovely walks along the water on the city’s three promenades. The Lungomare Imperatore Augusto promenade runs along the eastern side of the old town, while Lungomare Araldo di Crollalanza and Lungomare Nazario Sauro continue east along the newer part of Bari.

During the trip, you can see several things. You come, among other things, past the old harbor and marina, located exactly where Bari’s old town meets the newer part. To the east you come to the semi-circular square, Largo Luigi Giannella, from where you have a fine perspective over the city and the water. If you go further, you can e.g. see the imposing Palazzo della Provincia, home to the city’s art museum, and the stylistically beautiful building, Comando Scuole A.M. – 3^ Regione Aerea, located as one of several buildings from the fascist era.

 

Government Palace
Palazzo di Governo

The government palace Palazzo di Governo is located on the main street Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and is the seat of the prefecture of Bari. There used to be a Dominican monastery here, which the architect Giuseppe Gimma and the engineer Giacomo Prade converted into an administration building in the 1820s.

In the building, it is the representative hall for various ceremonies that is most impressive. The color of the mansion is the characteristic Pompeian red, which takes its name from the dominant red color of wall paintings in the excavated city of Pompeii.

Day Trips

Altamura

Altamura is new, located in Bari’s hinterland, and the old town of Altamura is quite worth seeing. Here you can see the old entrance gate, Porta Bari, and through it you can start your stroll in the old center, where there are several fine mansions and churches. The highlight is Altamura’s beautiful cathedral, built 1232-1254. The cathedral is i.a. known for the beautiful entrance portal and the elegantly decorated church room.

Altamura is also known for its gastronomy. This is where the Pane di Altamura bread comes from. The bread is a traditional bread from Puglia with a round shape and a crispy crust. The famous bread has obtained a so-called protected geographical indication, which means that the delicious Altamura bread can only be produced here.

 

Egnazia

Egnatia was a settlement that was established in the Bronze Age and which over time grew to become an important trading town. It flourished under the Roman Empire, but was later abandoned. It is not known for certain why Egnatia perished, but it was last mentioned around the year 700.

After being abandoned, Egnatia’s buildings were broken down to be reused as building materials, and so what remains of the excavated area that can be visited today is limited. The area was historically divided into the city’s acropolis and the rest of Egnatia. This can be seen in the excavations, where there is also an archaeological museum.

 

Brindisi

Throughout history, the city of Brindisi has been an important port for trade with Greece and the Middle East. Thus, it was also here that the famous Via Appia from Rome ended, and today you can see one of the two original Roman columns that marked the end of the road.

In the center of Brindisi, you can also see an 18th-century reconstruction of the city’s cathedral from the 11th-12th centuries, several other churches, the castle Castello Svevo and the sea fort Castello Alfonsino. If you have sailed to or from the city, you will also be able to recognize the Monument to Italian Sailors/Monumento al Marinaio d’Italia.

 

Ostuni

Ostuni is one of the Puglia region’s major excursion destinations. It is a city known as The White City/La Città Bianca because of its white walls and many white painted houses that can be seen from afar. And in addition to being famous as a whole for the white houses, there are also various sights that you can especially look at.

Ostuni’s cathedral was built by Friedrich II of Swabia in Romanesque style in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 15th century. With its rose window, it is one of these sights. You can also go to Piazza della Libertà, Ostuni’s central square. Here stands the impressive column, Colonna di Sant’Oronzo, and here is the city’s beautiful town hall.

 

Alberobello

Alberobello is a town where you can see the special trulli houses that have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996. Trulli houses date back to the 15th century and are characterized by thick walls built without the use of mortar and conical roofs.

In Alberobello, the trulli houses date back to the 17th century, when Count Giangirolamo II started the urbanization of the local forest, and thereby he gave permission for the construction of the special houses, which, due to their construction technique, meant that the count did not have to pay taxes to the Spanish Viceroy.

The houses could be completely or partially demolished, whereby they could appear as non-permanent residences, which gave freedom from tax payment. You can see the trulli houses in several places in Alberobello, where they are located, among other things, in the neighborhoods of Rione Monti and Rione Piccola.

 

Taranto, Italy

Taranto

Taranto is one of the largest cities in both the Apulia region and in Southern Italy. It is a city that lies along the coast of the Gulf of Taranto, and in fact the city calls itself the Capital of the Seas. The reason is that the Great Sea/Mar Grande lies west of the center and the Little Sea/Mar Piccolo lagoon lies to the east.

The old center is located on an island, and it was Greeks who built the historic Taranto in their time. You can still see remains from the Greek era; not least with the preserved columns from the old Poseidon temple. The temple ruins are located in today’s center on the border between the old town and the new and larger district, Borgo Nouvo.

Read more about Taranto

 

Matera

Matera is a city in the region of Basilicata, and it is known for the neighborhood of Sassi di Matera, where you can see the city’s ancient cave dwellings carved into the porous limestone rocks. It is an exciting experience, and the cave dwellings are also included in UNESCO’s world heritage list.

The homes are still in use 9,000 years after they were first established. In some places, the dwellings are on top of other caves, which makes the Sassi di Matera a very interesting place to walk. You can also see the city’s cathedral, which literally sits on top of Matera.

Shopping

Barimax

Viale Francesco de Blasio
barimax.it

 

Maximall

Via Santa Caterina 17
maximall.it

 

Mongolfiera Bari Pasteur

Viale Louis Pasteur 6
mongolfierapasteur.it

 

Mongolfiera Santa Caterina

Via Santa Caterina 19
mongolfierasantacaterina.it

 

Shopping streets

Via Sparano, Corso Cavour, Via Manzoni

 

Market

Via Napoli

With Kids

Water park

Acqua Park Bari
Via Caldarola 6
acquapark.net

 

Castle

Castello Svevo
Via Pier l’Eremita

 

Beach

Lido San Francesco

 

Water park

Acquapark Egnazia
Contrada Losciale, Capitolo
aquaparkegnazia.it

 

Dinosaurs

Il Parco dei Dinosauri
Via Conversano 157, Castellana Grotte
ilparcodeidinosauri.it

 

Adventure

Indiana Park
Strada Comunale Chiancafredda, Castellana Grotte
castellana.indianapark.it

Geolocation

In short

Lungomare, Bari, Italy Lungomare, Bari, Italy[/caption]

Overview of Bari

Bari on the Adriatic Sea is the second largest city on the southern Italian mainland. It is an active port city with an international profile and many sights, beaches and lovely promenades along the Adriatic Sea, which the city has expanded as a result of the expansion of Bari from the old town.

Bari is very varied from district to district, and it is almost like visiting two different cities. The labyrinth of narrow streets in the old town is a great contrast to the wide boulevards of Joachim Murat’s 19th-century city, and on the border is the street Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, which is worth a stroll in itself.

About the Whitehorse travel guide

Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
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Language: English

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Travel Expert

Stig Albeck

Gallery

Gallery

Other Attractions

Market Square & Seat of the Nobility
Piazza Mercantile & Palazzo del Sedile

In this cozy square there are cafes and restaurants, which make the square a popular meeting place in the city. Historically, however, not everyone was happy to come here. It was here that pickpockets and debtors were tied to a pillar for public ridicule. It happened in the Middle Ages and the pillar can still be seen. It is the Colonna della Giustizia, which you can see in one of the corners of the square.

In the Piazza Mercantile you can see the Palazzo del Sedile or the Seat of the Nobles. The palazzo’s monumental facade is divided into two levels with three arches and a bell tower that originally marked the rhythms of Bari’s trade. The decoration is with allegorical figures and busts of Roman emperors.

Palazzo del Sedile was built at the end of the 15th century, and the tower clock came from Germany in 1604. The three characteristic arches were added in 1722. Since its construction, the mansion has had various functions. Merchants have held meetings here, and it has been both the city’s first public theater and the seat of Bari’s city council. For centuries it was the heart of administrative and political life.

 

Petruzzelli Theatre
Teatro Petruzzelli

Petruzzelli is Bari’s and one of Italy’s largest theaters. The history of the place started at the end of the 19th century, when Antonio and Onofrio Petruzzelli presented the city with a new theater designed by Angelo Bari Cicciomessere. The city council approved the plans and the theater was built 1898-1903.

The opening performance took place on 14 February 1903 and was a production of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. Since then, countless operas, ballets and concerts have been on the program on the big stage.

In 1991, Teatro Petruzzelli burned to the ground as a result of an arson attack. For many years thereafter, new construction and ownership of the theater were discussed. It ended with the city of Bari taking over ownership following an agreement formulated in 1896, and the theater reopening after a new public building in 2009.

 

Piccinni Theatre
Teatro Piccinni

This is one of Bari’s premier theaters. It was inaugurated in 1854 and named after the composer Niccolò Piccinni, who was born in Bari in 1728. Today the Teatro Piccinni is the oldest theater in Bari, but the municipality used to have a stage in the old town.

The municipality’s theater was dilapidated and small in the early 1800s. When Joachim Murat expanded Bari, the construction of new institutions was also thought of, such as a new and large theater that suited the growing city. The result was the Teatro Piccinni, which was built from 1836.

 

Art Museum of Bari
Pinacoteca Metropolitana

The Art Museum of Bari is beautifully located in the impressive Palazzo della Provincia. The museum was founded in 1928, and it exhibits, among other things, a number of artists and works of art related to the region of Puglia. The museum is also known as Pinacoteca Corrado Giaquinto, whose name comes from the painter Giaquinto, who came from the town of Molfetta northwest of Bari.

You can see works by Tintoretto, Giovanni Bellini, Francesco De Mura and others. in the exhibitions, which are divided into several sections and themes. For example, you can see Venetian pictures from the 15th and 16th centuries, majolica from Puglia and a section with works by Corrado Giaquinto.

 

St. Gregory’s Church
Chiesa di San Gregorio

This is one of the smaller churches of the old town and it is also the oldest of Bari’s preserved churches. It is believed to date from the 9th century and is dedicated to Armenia’s patron saint, Gregory the Light-Bearer. The architectural style is Romanesque, and this is repeated in the church space.

Inside, the church has three naves, which are divided by columns and arches. Over time, the interior of the church was remodeled in the style of the times, which not least happened in the Baroque with renovations and the insertion of several side chapels. However, the beautiful church from the Romanesque period was recreated in the 20th century by reverting to the original style.

 

Garibaldi Park
Giardino Garibaldi

Giardino Garibaldi is Bari’s central city park, located at the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Joachim Murat’s 19th-century district. The park was created as a rectangular part of the modern urban plan by royal decree.

The garden has two orthogonal axes that cross at a central fountain, and everywhere there are flower beds, shrubs and trees originating both from the Mediterranean region and from other parts of the world. All in all, the facility is a nice recreational area for a stroll.

 

Margherita Theatre
Teatro Margherita

Teatro Margherita was a theater that was built as a variety show and opened in 1910. Just two years later, construction began on the current theater building, which was opened in 1914 in the Art Nouveau style according to drawings by Francesco De Giglio.

The tower-adorned building was originally called the Kursaal Margherita, and the place functioned as a theater and cinema until 1979, when it had to close. Today, the old theater building has been reopened as a museum of contemporary art.

 

Fizzarotti Mansion
Palazzo Fizzarotti

Palazzo Fizzarotti is one of Bari’s characteristic buildings, located along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The mansion was built around 1900 in an eclectic style by the banker Emanuele Fizzarotti.

The architect behind the design of the mansion was Ettore Bernich, who is considered one of the founders of Italian eclecticism. Today, Palazzo Fizzarotti is home to various events and exhibitions, and the house itself is a must-see highlight with elegantly decorated rooms and halls.

 

Lungomare Imperatore Augusto, Lungomare Araldo di Crollalanza & Lungomare Nazario Sauro

Bari is beautifully situated on the Adriatic Sea, and you can enjoy some lovely walks along the water on the city’s three promenades. The Lungomare Imperatore Augusto promenade runs along the eastern side of the old town, while Lungomare Araldo di Crollalanza and Lungomare Nazario Sauro continue east along the newer part of Bari.

During the trip, you can see several things. You come, among other things, past the old harbor and marina, located exactly where Bari’s old town meets the newer part. To the east you come to the semi-circular square, Largo Luigi Giannella, from where you have a fine perspective over the city and the water. If you go further, you can e.g. see the imposing Palazzo della Provincia, home to the city’s art museum, and the stylistically beautiful building, Comando Scuole A.M. – 3^ Regione Aerea, located as one of several buildings from the fascist era.

 

Government Palace
Palazzo di Governo

The government palace Palazzo di Governo is located on the main street Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and is the seat of the prefecture of Bari. There used to be a Dominican monastery here, which the architect Giuseppe Gimma and the engineer Giacomo Prade converted into an administration building in the 1820s.

In the building, it is the representative hall for various ceremonies that is most impressive. The color of the mansion is the characteristic Pompeian red, which takes its name from the dominant red color of wall paintings in the excavated city of Pompeii.

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