Bari
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 29 October 2023
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Sitting at roughly the midway point of Puglia's Adriatic Coast, Bari is the biggest and most important city in the region with its largest population: just over 320,000 according to the latest statistics.
The earliest mention of Bari was in 180 BC at a time when it was known as Barium by the Romans. However, its history is said to go much further than that, perhaps as far back as 1,500 BC meaning the Greeks would have been here a long time before the Romans moved in. |
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Bari: capital of the Puglia region
Being the regional capital of Puglia and the capital of its own province, Bari is one of the key administrative centres of southern Italy as well as a vital transport hub with commercial ferries heading east to Croatia, Greece, Albania and beyond.
It's impossible to talk or write about Bari without giving mention to the city's patron saint; the bones of San Nicola (Saint Nicholas) are housed in Bari's main visitor attraction, the Basilica di San Nicola.
It's impossible to talk or write about Bari without giving mention to the city's patron saint; the bones of San Nicola (Saint Nicholas) are housed in Bari's main visitor attraction, the Basilica di San Nicola.
Bari Vecchia: the old town
The basilica is situated in the older part of the city known simply as "Bari Vecchia" (Old Bari), which tends to be the most interesting area to visit with other sights including the Cattedrale di San Sabino, the Norman/Swabian castle ("Castello Normanno-Svevo") and the bustling Piazza Mercantile all within a very short walk of each other.
Bari Vecchia and the aforementioned attractions occupy the small peninsula which also has two ports, the older of the two again appendaged to mark out the difference between "Porto Vecchio" and "Porto Nuovo". Of the two ports, Porto Vecchio (Old Port) is the more attractive and comprises a mixture of small pleasure craft and fishing boats while Porto Nuovo (New Port) is where you'll find the large, commercial ferries that cross the Adriatic.
Bari Vecchia and the aforementioned attractions occupy the small peninsula which also has two ports, the older of the two again appendaged to mark out the difference between "Porto Vecchio" and "Porto Nuovo". Of the two ports, Porto Vecchio (Old Port) is the more attractive and comprises a mixture of small pleasure craft and fishing boats while Porto Nuovo (New Port) is where you'll find the large, commercial ferries that cross the Adriatic.
Bari Nuova: modern contrast
Bari's new town couldn't be more different to Bari Vecchia; the city suffered heavy bombardment during World War Two and as a consequence much of it had to be rebuilt. However, relatively new as this side of the city is, it's not without its own charm.
Walking away from Bari Vecchia you encounter two theatres, the first one Teatro Margherita straddles the old and new towns while the arguably grander, more beautiful Teatro Petruzzelli lies within the new town's network of modern, straight roads.
A short walk from Teatro Petruzzelli takes you into the city's commercial district where you'll find a large variety of shops; designer shoppers will make a bee-line for Via Sparano where the likes of Gucci and Prada tantalise with their attractive window designs while most people will find the prices more palatable in the art nouveau Palazzo Mincuzzi, currently sporting the colours of Benetton.
Walking away from Bari Vecchia you encounter two theatres, the first one Teatro Margherita straddles the old and new towns while the arguably grander, more beautiful Teatro Petruzzelli lies within the new town's network of modern, straight roads.
A short walk from Teatro Petruzzelli takes you into the city's commercial district where you'll find a large variety of shops; designer shoppers will make a bee-line for Via Sparano where the likes of Gucci and Prada tantalise with their attractive window designs while most people will find the prices more palatable in the art nouveau Palazzo Mincuzzi, currently sporting the colours of Benetton.
Beyond Bari
For many years Bari has been viewed more as a place that you pass through while being on the way to another destination; travellers by ferry being the most obvious example of this.
However, as the city has developed over recent years it's become more popular with visitors looking for a genuine experience of southern Italy while the emergence of Polignano a Mare as a holiday hotspot has also benefited Bari which is just a 40 minute drive away. Heading north from Bari along the Adriatic coast are some of Puglia's most picturesque fishing towns such as Trani, Giovinazzo, Molfetta and Bisceglie, all less than an hour's drive from Bari and ideal for day-trips.
However, as the city has developed over recent years it's become more popular with visitors looking for a genuine experience of southern Italy while the emergence of Polignano a Mare as a holiday hotspot has also benefited Bari which is just a 40 minute drive away. Heading north from Bari along the Adriatic coast are some of Puglia's most picturesque fishing towns such as Trani, Giovinazzo, Molfetta and Bisceglie, all less than an hour's drive from Bari and ideal for day-trips.
Comune di Bari
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Province: Metropolitan City of Bari
Region: capital of Puglia Population: 317,205 (source: ISTAT 1 January 2022) Size: 117 km² Top sights: Basilica di San Nicola, Castello Svevo-Normanno Close by: Polignano a Mare, Trani, Giovinazzo, Molfetta, Bisceglie Recommended accommodation: The Nicolaus Hotel |
Bari Travel
Transport options are plentiful for visitors to Bari; it has its own airport (10km from the centre), sea port and mainline railway stations as well as being situated along the A14 motorway known as the "Autostrada del Sole", connecting Bari to the north with the major cities along the Adriatic coast before heading inland to Bologna, while to the south lies Puglia's second biggest city: Taranto.
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Public transport: buses, ferries, mainline train stations
By car: Alberobello - 52 mins (55 km), Lecce - 1 hour 37' (151 km) |
Fly to: Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport - 21 minutes by car (11 km)
Main train station: Bari Stazione Centrale (city centre) |
