I am not a city person. We live in a tiny village among green hills, and whenever I am in Milan, Rome or any other big city, I feel that one day is enough. Of course I am impressed by The last supper or Bernini's sculptures, and I enjoy laughing with friends at a Trastevere wine bar, but the following day I just want to get back to nature or a small fishing village by the sea. Having said that it's quite surprising that I love Bari, although it's the second largest city of the Mezzogiorno, with over 300.000 inhabitants.
During the history of Puglia there were periods when Bari was the most important settlement in Southern Italy, the main port towards the east, but for centuries it's been overshadowed by Naples. Even a few decades ago Bari had the bad reputation of being dirty and unsafe, and during my very first visit to Puglia I completely skipped the city. I couldn't have been more wrong. Bari - at least the central areas where travellers will go - is clean and safe, and has quickly become my favourite Italian city.
I usually start the day at the Old Port. The main commercial port is located on the northern side of the historical center, that's where you'll disembark if you arrive by cruise, or by ferry from Greece, Albania or Croatia. But unless you'd like to see the huge cruise ships, go to the smaller port near Teatro Margherita. Gozzo boats have chipped blue paint, fishermen speak dialetto Barese, local guys are standing at the cultic El Chiringuito bar with a Peroni and sea urchin is offerred for lunch. Amazing local vibe, I could just sit here and watch la vita Barese for hours.
The Art Nouveau-style Teatro Margherita today functions as a contemporary art museum. It was built on the sea, on pillars, because of a pact between the City of Bari and the Petruzzelli family, in which they agreed not to build another theater on municipal land. The Teatro Petruzzelli - the fourth biggest theatre in Italy - can be found only a few blocks from here.
Heading south of the Old Port, all along the Adriatic, you can enjoy walking or running on one of the longest seaside promenades of Italy. I am not a big fan of running, but I always feel that living by the sea and having a nice promenade nearby would inspire me and I could even become an avid runner. For now, I just go for a 30-minute stroll on the Lungomare, until I reach the sandy beach called Pane e Pomodoro. Of course Puglia has more beautiful beaches than this one, but I find it really cool that you can go for a swim right in the city. Perfect for kids as well. Unfortunately I have heard some cases of backpacks stolen from this beach, so please do not leave any valuables unattended.
Heading inland from the sea you'll find yourself in the modern Murat quarter of Bari, named after Gioacchino Murat. He was Napoleon's brother-in-law and the construction of this new area began while he was the king of Naples, ruling this area as well. Today this is the main shopping district, with the stores of all the main Italian (and non-Italian) brands found at the ground floor of the beautiful 19th-century palaces. Look out for saldi (sales) and I highly recommend popping in some of the vintage shops for some more unique pieces and a more sustainable shopping.
But let's head back north, into the historical center, which is the most exciting part of the city: Bari Vecchia. Just like many other towns in Puglia, the old town was built as a labyrinth, so foreign invadors would get lost while locals had the chance to escape. Bari was the last Roman city and Bari Vecchia has an urban layout of the Byzantine period. Now you are the invador, so get lost in the maze of tiny alleys.
Walking around old Bari feels like walking in locals' backyards. Families are fighting loudly in front of their house, kids are playing soccer on the piazza, clothes are drying in the afternoon sun and nonna is ironing clothes in the street while chatting with her neighbours. The doors of the tiny ground-floor apartments are open, but life happens on the street.
The people of Bari Vecchia are very proud to live here, and when investors offerred them lot of money or nicer houses somewhere else, they said a big NO. That's probably one of the reasons while I love Bari so much. It's local. While in other cities like Florence the gentrification of the city center has forced long-time residents to move out and the most beautiful historical streets are full of short-term apartment rentals, here you are walking around in the middle of local life and bars, bakeries and restaurants are also run by local residents.
Across the entrance of the castle, you will find the tiny Strada Arco Basso, the street where local ladies are making and selling Puglia's signature orecchiette pasta all day long. This is the most famous and most touristy street, so I actually recommend finding orecchiette in some more hidden corners of Bari Vecchia, where the ladies are much nicer and more open for a conversation. Once you pass the ladies of Arco Basso, take the dark back alley to the left and head towards Piazza Albicocca, you will find these fun signore there.
Piazza Albicocca is an important meeting place in Bari. It's one of my favourite squares, with lots of character and the two old olive trees in the middle. The Pizzeria di Cosimo Mauro is packed in the evening, there is usually a long line, so just get a beer and enjoy it in the piazza while waiting for your pizza.
While walking around Bari, you'll find lots of street food options. A quick cheap food is the fried polenta - Sgagliozze- it will keep you going until dinner. For a delicious dessert I recommend the Tette delle monache at Bar San Nicola.
Bar San Nicola can be found near the Basilica di San Nicola, a very important pilgrimage site both for Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians. In the middle ages every important town had to have a saint, so there was a big competition for the relics of San Nicola. The sailors of Bari won this competition in 1087 and a new church was built to hold the saint's remains. San Nicola attracts millions of pilgrims to Bari and local people love him as well. Everyone has a San Nicola small statue, picture or icon at home, and you will find all kinds of San Nicola souvenirs around Bari.
A few years ago I was in Bari on December 6th, during one of the main festivals of the saint. His statue was put into a special car and carried around the city. It was one of those rare moments when it was freezing cold in Bari and it was pouring, the streets were flooded with water up to our knees. We then had to travel all the way to Salento, soaking wet, where we got into our apartment without good heating. So, while the weather in Puglia is usually warm and sunny, it can get wet and cold as well, so if you are travelling here during the winter months, make sure you are prepared with warm clothes. Puglia is beautifully decorated in December, so well worth a visit during the holiday season.
