Places to visit
What to see in Bari
Bari is a city with a strong cultural identity, where the splendor and the holiness of the buildings that populate the old town, named “Bari Vecchia”, mingle with the more modern features of the new town of the so-called “Quartiere Murattiano ” (Murat district) built by Gioacchino Murat in 1813 beyond the walls of the medieval heart.
There are indelible traces left by the populations who infiltrated this land lying on the Adriatic Sea. Conquered by Romans, Lombards, Arabs, Byzantines, Normans, Swabians, Spaniards, and the French.
The Basilica of San Nicola, the Cathedral of San Sabino and the Norman-Swabian Castle gives some of the most eloquent evidence of the past you can find in the old town. Here you can lose yourself in its narrow streets, amongst historic buildings, churches, votive shrines, arches, and craft stores, literally an explosion of colors and flavors.
The lively aroma of “ciambotto”, a famous fish soup, “sgagliozze”, a crispy fried polenta, focaccia, taralli and other typical products will accompany you on your journey discovering the oldest and most authentic part of the city.
But you will find the real essence of Puglia only there, in “via dell’Arco Basso” (Low Arch Street) , better known as the “via delle orecchiette,” where you will witness a real show put on by the skilled hands of the women of Bari who, on their stage, a sturdy wooden table, will bring to life one of the masterpieces of Apulian cuisine: the orecchiette, small ear-shaped pasta.
In the Murat district, with its neat grid plan, you can admire the splendor of the Petruzzelli Theatre and other historic buildings such as the Piccinni Theatre, the Palace of the Pugliese Acquedotto (Apulian Aqueduct) and the Ateneo Palace.
A must for shopping lovers is the famous Via Sparano, with numerous stores of name brands.
On the border between the old city and the Murat district is the charming Margherita Theatre, built on the sea in the bend of the old port, and Piazza Ferrarese, located in the area where one of the gates to the old city once stood. Connected to Piazza del Ferrarese, going toward the old city, you will find Piazza Mercantile, once the center of the city’s administrative and economic life.
In the twentieth century, and particularly during the Fascist period, the city was further developed with new buildings and the elegant waterfront, one of the longest and most beautiful in Italy, from which you can enjoy an enchanting view of the city, particularly at sunrise and sunset.
Walking along the waterfront you will meet the sandy beach of Pane e Pomodoro and, a little further from the center, the pebble beach of Torre Quetta. And finally, in these places of sea and sun you can devote yourself to your complete relaxation.
The Basilica, built in the year 1000 on the site of the residence of the Catapano, the Greek-Byzantine governor of Southern Italy, represents one of the most important examples of Puglia’s Romanesque architecture.
The basilica’s gabled façade is flanked by two mighty towers: the Catapano Tower and the Militia Tower.
The interior is marked by large round arches that divide the naves. The splendid 17th-century gilded wooden ceiling embellished with paintings depicts episodes from the life of San Nicola.
Many valuable works of art are housed in this precious treasure chest, including a 12th-century ciborium, the oldest in Puglia (dating back to 1150), and the Elias’ Cathedra, a work of pierced marble supported by Romanesque-style sculptures.
From the two stairways of the aisles you reach the church’s most sacred place: the crypt, where the saint’s relics are kept.
Free entry
Open: Monday to Saturday 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. – Sunday: 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Info: Largo Abate Elias 13
Contact: +390805737111
Go to the website
During the 18th century it was renovated in Baroque style on a design by the Neapolitan artist Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. The Baroque decorations and elements were removed around 1950, and the Cathedral was restored to its original appearance.
The beautiful salient main façade is decorated with single and double lancet windows and a rose window populated by monsters and fantastic creatures in Gothic style. The north side of the Cathedral is characterized by the imposing cylindrical form of the “Trulla,”, the former baptistery now used as sacristy.
The simple interiors are divided into three naves covered by wooden trussed roofs. The marble ambo and the thirteenth-century canopied ciborium are of considerable interest.
Near the altar two side staircases lead to the 18th-century crypt, which houses the remains of San Sabino, the bishop of Canosa.
In the late 1800s the “succorpo” (the previous underground structure) of the earlier Byzantine building was discovered, along with other important archaeological finds.
Near the Cathedral is the Diocesan Museum which preserves, among various testimonies related to the history of the Cathedral, a precious ancient scroll named Exultet.
Free entry
Open every day: 8 a.m.-1 p.m./ 4 p.m.-8 p.m.
Info: Piazza Odegitria 1
Contact: +390805210605
Built by the Normans, the castle was built in 1131 on a pre-existing Byzantine dwelling and, after the destruction of the city by the Norman king Guglielmo I, it was rebuilt by Frederick II of Swabia.
The Norman-Swabian core has a trapezoidal plan with a central courtyard and three high corner towers.
In the 16th century the duchesses Isabella D’Aragona and her daughter Bona Sforza provided the castle with a bastioned wall equipped with embrasures to adapt it to the new defensive systems and, at the same time, refined its interiors transforming it into an elegant Renaissance residence.
Today the Castle hosts temporary exhibitions, cultural events and the Gipsoteca (Plaster Cast Gallery) in which the most interesting casts of Apulian sculpture from the 11th to the 17th centuries are preserved.
Info: Piazza Federico II di Svevia 4
Contacts +390808869304
Entry: full ticket 6 euros – reduced ticket 2 euros
Hours: from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; last entry 6 p.m.
Go to the website
It was built in 1914 on the remains of the earlier wooden theatre that was destroyed by a fire in 1911.
The building, in Art Nouveau style, shows on the façade a wide arch flanked by two towers topped with pinnacles. The interior features a movie theatre and a large entrance hall covered by a dome decorated with stucco and paintings.
During World War II the theatre was occupied by the Anglo-American allies who made it a club for the troops’ entertainment, the Garrison Theatre.
After having undergone heavy damages during the war, the building was rebuilt in 1947 and used as a movie theatre until 1980.
After a period of abandonment, it was partially restored and now it hosts international exhibitions and events.
Free entry
Info: Piazza IV Novembre
Contact: +390805776200
The Theatre’s construction project was commissioned in 1836 to the architect Antonio Niccolini, author of the restoration of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. It was inaugurated in 1854 with a performance of Gaetano Donizetti’s “Poliuto” and the following year it was dedicated to the musician from Bari, Niccolò Piccinni, one of the masters of Neapolitan opera buffa.
The Theatre hall is horseshoe-shaped, with four rows of boxes, the royal box, and the gallery, and has a capacity of 850 seats. The ceiling velarium, by Neapolitan Luigi De Luise, is valuable. It depicts Olympus with Apollo and the Muses. The curtain was painted by the artist Michele Napoli from Terlizzi and tells of the tournament organized in Bari by King Manfred in honor of the Eastern Emperor Baldoino; while the second curtain, used in case of theatrical scene changes, was made by the artist from Bari, Antonio Lanave. It depicts a classical garden with columns, balustrades, and statues.
In 2019, after a long period of restoration, the Theatre was returned to the city in all its beauty.
Info: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 84
Contact: +390805212484
Go to the website
The project for the new theatre was submitted by the Petruzzelli brothers, two merchants and shipowners from Trieste, to the city administration. The design was edited by their brother-in-law, the engineer Angelo Messeni from Bari.
Its construction began in 1898 and was completed in 1903, when it was inaugurated with the opera “Gli Ugonotti” by the German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer.
The Theatre, with an Italian-style theatre plan, consists of a horseshoe-shaped hall with two full and two side tiers of boxes, a central gallery, and a gallery log for a total capacity of 1500 spectators.
In 1991 it was devastated by a terrible fire that completely damaged the stage, the stalls area and the tempered glass dome frescoed by artist Raffaele Armenise.
In 2009, after a masterful restoration, the Theatre was returned to its former glory. The Fondazione Lirico Sinfonica Petruzzelli oversees the rich artistic program of the Theatre.
Info: Corso Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour 137
Contacts +390809752810
Go to the website
Going toward the old city you will find Piazza Mercantile, where once the administrative and economic life of the city took place.
This square hosts Palazzo della Dogana and Palazzo del Sedile, which once was the seat of the city’s administration, later used as a theatre until the construction of the Piccinni Theatre. In this square you can see the Column of Justice, better known among the citizens of Bari by the nickname “the infamous column” because here insolvent debtors were chained and exposed to public ridicule.
Today these two historic squares, thanks to the presence of numerous pubs, bars, restaurants, and cultural spaces, offer various opportunities for recreation and entertainment and are the evening meeting points for the young people of Bari.
Places and sites of interest in Puglia
Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, Puglia has been a bridge between East and West since ancient times. Thanks to its central location, many different civilizations have left signs of their passage over the centuries. A trip to Puglia means having the opportunity to meet many different cultures that make this land unique.
This trip to Puglia is not a trip, but many trips…
Cesare Brandi (Historian and Critic of art)
POLIGNANO A MARE
OSTUNI
LECCE E IL SALENTO
CASTEL DEL MONTE
POLIGNANO A MARE
Polignano a Mare: the Pearl of the Adriatic
You’ll be completely enraptured by the picture-postcard scenery you can admire from the bridge overlooking Lama Monachile, a deep rocky inlet over which houses, restaurants and hotels stand, and where local kids leap from the top of the cliffs to dive into the crystal-clear sea of the pebble beach of Cala Porto.
Here during the summer period, the Red Bull Cliff Diving Competition takes place. Athletes from all over the world compete from a 27- meter high springboard, performing spectacular acrobatics before plunging into the water.
Polignano is also known for its exceptional ice cream and “special coffee,” two local specialties that you should not miss during your visit to Polignano, maybe accompanied by the notes of “Volare,” the famous song by the singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno, originating from Polignano.
From the Arco Marchesale (Marchesale Arch) you will enter the enchanting old town, where many small white-paved streets will lead you to the famous panoramic terraces that will give breathtaking views of the beautiful Adriatic Sea and surrounding coast.
Monopoli: the town of the 99 quarters
The three things that mainly distinguish this town are the old town, its numerous sandy beaches, offering full facilities, and its 99 quarters full of fortified farms, churches, rock settlements and villas.
The Porta Vecchia (the old city gate) will lead you into the old part of town, dominated by the 16th-century Charles V Castle and the 18th-century cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria della Madia, the town’s patron saint.
Among the streets of the old town you will encounter sumptuous noble palaces, including the majestic Palazzo Palmieri, and ancient churches.
Don’t forget to visit the charming old port of Monopoli, a natural inlet surrounded by historic stone buildings that host the “gozzi,” typical fishermen’s boats.
Alberobello: the enchanted village
The old town is made up entirely of trulli, the original dry-stone dwellings whitewashed with quicklime and a cone-shaped roof made of exposed stones. Mystical and magical symbols are often painted on the roof: crosses, pierced hearts and zodiac symbols are the most common images you can see while walking among the streets of this enchanted village.
Alberobello lies on two hills, once separated by a riverbed. On the eastern hill is the new town with modern architectural features; on the western one the trulli are lined up in an urban agglomeration divided into two districts: Rione Monti and Aja Piccola. It is a maze of winding alleys, with more than 1,000 trulli, Rione Monti, the oldest part of in the city, along with Rione Aja Piccola where there are nearly 600 trulli.
Walking among the streets of trulli is a unique experience: be prepared for the welcome of local vendors sitting outside their stores; here you can buy clay whistles, liqueurs, local wine and many trullo-shaped artifacts.
Castellana and its caves
On the plateau of the lower part of the “Murgia di Bari”, better known as the “Murgia dei Trulli”, lies Castellana Grotte known especially for its caves which represent the most important speleological complex in Italy and Europe.
The natural entrance to the caves is a deep sinkhole known as the “Grave.” In the past locals thought that this cavity was the mouth of Hell; once, in fact, animals fell here, and their rotting corpses produced the so-called “will-o- the-wisp”.
These gases encountering the cold wind outside were driven back into the cavity and this swirling of fires made the peasants believe that the gases were the souls of dead sinners trying to get out of Hell.
Along the 3-kilometer path, at a depth of about 70 meters, among colossal stalagmites and stalactites and rich cave fauna, you will encounter large caverns and caves in a wide variety of colors ranging from pure white, such as that of the wonderful White Cave, to yellow, gray, orange, red and brown.
Each cave or cavity within the complex has a fanciful name derived from the shape of the concretions found here: the Wolf, the Monument, the Altar, and the Nativity Passageway are just some of the environments you can visit during your journey into the depths of the Earth.
Entrance fee
Info:
www.grottedicastellana.it
Locorotondo: the round place
On the “Murge dei Trulli “plateau lies Locorotondo, whose name comes from the Latin “Locus Rotundus,” which precisely means round place.
Locorotondo is one the most beautiful villages in Italy and is distinguished by its typical whitewashed houses with sloping roofs, called “cummerse,” and by the beauty of the old town crisscrossed by white-paved alleys enlivened by the flowered balconies of the whitewashed houses.
This splendid village boasts a wine tradition of excellence: Locorotondo DOC is a white table wine with a delicate and intense aroma and, a smooth dry flavor, ideal to accompany fish-based menus.
Conversano: the walled city
The castle was built directly on the mighty megalithic walls and in the 15th century it was transformed from a fortress into a noble residence to house the lords of the town, the Counts Acquaviva.
Many of the Acquaviva dynasty are remembered for their qualities as administrators, scholars, cultural benefactors or as men of church, but alongside these men also emerged controversial figures known for the ferocity and oppression they exercised over the people.
The figure who more than any other has left an ambiguous memory in the common imagination is Giangirolamo II, known as the Squinter.
It is said that his favorite amusements were the jus primae noctis (the enjoyment of first-night rights) and the shooting of the amphora that women carried on their heads to draw water from wells. And with only one eye, you can imagine, it was often difficult to hit the target.
OSTUNI
Ostuni: the White City
The seemingly haphazard jumble of dwellings that have sprung up over time has made the old town into a real labyrinth, where you can lose yourself amongst arches, historic buildings, craft shops and local cuisine restaurants.
LECCE E IL SALENTO
Lecce and the Salento
Among the places not to be missed: Otranto with its Castle and Cathedral, the old town of Gallipoli, the sea caves of Castro and Santa Maria di Leuca, and the beaches of Porto Cesareo.
The capital of Salento is known as the “Florence of the South” because of the extraordinary decorative richness of its Baroque monuments, made possible not only by the skill of its artists but also by the use of the tender stone of Lecce which is easy to work, shape and carve.
The heart of Lecce’s old town is Piazza Duomo, where you can admire the Cathedral, the Seminary Palace and the Episcopio, splendid buildings characterized by the sumptuous decoration typical of the Baroque of Lecce.
The Basilica of Santa Croce is undoubtedly one of the most characteristic manifestations of the Baroque of Lecce. Its decorative vibrancy is especially represented in the façade, where the creativity of Salento artists reaches its peak by mixing Christian symbols with grotesque figures and fantastic animals.
CASTEL DEL MONTE
Castel del Monte: the residence of Frederick II of Swabia
Just a few kilometers from the city of Andria, in the heart of the “Alta Murgia” National Park, stands Castel del Monte, the mighty castle of Puer Apuliae (the child of Apulia) Frederick II of Swabia.
The majestic manor of the Holy Roman Emperor represents one of the masterpieces of medieval architecture and one of the most precious jewels of Puglia: for its great historical and artistic value it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
The manor, dating from the 13th century, stands out on a low hill overlooking the surrounding countryside and is distinguished by its octagonal shape.
Mythological creatures and plant motifs decorate the keystones of the interior rooms, and rich coral breccia cornices embellish the doors of the various rooms.
Various hypotheses have been made by scholars about this building: according to some it is an astronomical observatory, according to others a hunting manor; others, however, attribute to it an esoteric value due to the repetition of the number 8 in its architectural geometry: the octagon symbolizes, in fact, the union between the Earth and God.
Entrance fee
Info: www.casteldelmonte.beniculturali.it
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