Things to do in Bari
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Basilica di San Nicola
Northwest past the small Chiesa di Santa Ana is the remarkable Basilica di San Nicola, one of the south’s first Norman churches. It’s a splendid example of Puglian-Romanesque style, built to house the relics of St Nicholas (better known as Father Christmas), which were stolen from Turkey in 1087 by local fishermen. His remains are said to emanate a miraculous manna liquid with special powers. For this reason – and because he is also patron saint of prisoners and children – the basilica remains an important place of pilgrimage. The interior is huge and simple with a decorative 17th-century wooden ceiling. The magnificent 13th-century ciborium over the altar is Puglia’s old…
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Pizzeria Enzo e Ciro
The most celebrated pizzeria in town, tucked away down elegant Via Cardassi. The pizzas are wafer thin, the atmosphere boisterous and the beers as cheap as chips. Start with the mushroom antipasti - large frilly mushrooms grilled with a light cheese-and-breadcrumb topping.
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Osteria al Gambero
Also recommended this is a good fish restaurant close to the port.
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Teatro Petruzelli
Of all the grand theatres, it is the Teatro Petruzelli which dominates the hearts of the Barese opera-going public. It is a gorgeously grand Art Noveau music hall, with an enormous frescoed cupola, velvet seats, cherry-wood stage and golden cherubs. The opening night in February 1903 squeezed in an ecstatic crowd of 3200 people, and there was 'not a theatre box, not a seat, not a single empty place in the loggia' the newspapers reported the next day.
In the decades that followed, the theatre established itself as one of the great opera houses of Italy alongside La Scala in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples and Teatro Massimo in Palermo. Aside from the works of Italian com…
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Cattedrale San Sabino
Just north of Strada Lamberti, the tortuous alleyways open out into Largo San Sabino where you're faced with the huge construct that makes up the Museo Diocesano and the Cattedrale San Sabino. Most people assume that the Basilica of San Nicola is Bari's main cathedral but this pearly white church dedicated to Bishop San Sabino is really the main seat of worship.
Like the Basilica, the cathedral was begun during the Byzantine era (1034), but when the city revolted against William II of Sicily, he razed it to the ground. It was rebuilt between 1170 and 1178 in a simple Romanesque style with a wide nave and shallow transepts and a 35m-high cupola. Typical of the style, deep…
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Pinacoteca Provinciale
Behind the impressive neoclassical façade of the Palazzo della Provincia, you'll find the Pinacoteca Provinciale. The collection focuses firmly on southern Italian artists and the works span centuries. Pieces include fragments of 11th-century sculpture blown off churches during WWII, 13th-century icons and 15th-century Venetian altarpieces, huge canvases from the 17th- and 18th-century Neapolitan school, and a few 19th-century pieces.
In all, there are 16 rooms to wander through, but, although the collection is comprehensive in its local coverage, there are really only a few pieces that will wow an art lover. Stand-out works include Bartolomeo Vivarini's (c 1440-1499) lu…
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Porta dei Leoni
Heading north up Strade del Carmine will bring you to the doorstep of the Basilica di San Nicola, the first great Norman church in the south and the template for the restrained Puglian-Romanesque style that informed the architecture of so many of the region's churches.
At first site the façade seems shockingly plain, its odd triangular shape rearing up before you in white limestone blocks, flanked by two stunted towers (destroyed by earthquakes). It has a massive solidity and spareness about it, although here and there are some delightful ornamental details like the sculpted Porta dei Leoni on the north side, which depicts a series of chivalric scenes in bas relief. Its …
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Palazzo Simi
Since 1999 Bari's Archaeological Operations Centre has been housed in Palazzo Simi, and until the new archaeological museum opens its doors in Santa Scolastica, the small archaeological exhibition here provides a reasonable idea of the city's history.
The palace itself is something of museum piece given there are remains of a 9th to 10th century church you can visit in the basement. The three apses are clearly distinguished, as are the remains of the altar and some fragments of fresco depicting the Fathers of the Church. Arranged over the ground floor it takes you through the early days of the city's foundation, from a model of what the initial settlement would have look…
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Museo Archeologico Provincale
Housed in the Palazzo Ateneo since 1880, Bari's Museo Archeologico now has a new location in the ex-monastery of Santa Scolastica right at the tip of the old town. There is currently no date set for its opening but the collection, once assembled, will cover the history of city from the pre-historic period (Paleolithic, Bronze and Iron Age finds) through the ceramics and objet d'art of the Classical era to the early Middle Ages, including a huge numismatic collection of some 12,000 coins.
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Piazza del Ferrarese
Piazza del Ferrarese, named after the Ferrara merchant Stefano Fabri who lived here in the 17th century, provides an elegant entrance to the old town. On your left are the rounded arches of Sala Murat which holds minor contemporary art exhibitions, and on your right is the old indoor fish market. The piazza is lined with bars and cafés, an old section of roman road roped off in the middle. To the north it merges imperceptibly into another set-piece piazza, Piazza Mercantile.
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Castello Svevo
The Castello Svevo broods on the edge of Bari Vecchia. The Normans originally built over the ruins of a Roman fort. Frederick II then built over the Norman castle, incorporating it into his design – the two towers of the Norman structure still stand. The bastions, with corner towers overhanging the moat, were added in the 16th century during Spanish rule, when the castle was a magnificent residence. Permanent and temporary art exhibitions are held here.
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Teatro Comunale Niccolò Piccinni
Since the destruction of Teatro Petruzelli, Bari's cultural life has undoubtedly constricted, but the Piccinni theatre still puts on a lively programme of dance and opera. There are a couple of other minor theatres such as Teatro Kursaal and Teatro Kismet Opera. But Teatro Comunale Niccolò Piccinni is the oldest theatre in Bari (built in 1854), and is the cultural hub of the city hosting local and international opera, music and dance seasons.
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Gipsoteca
The Castello Svevo houses the Gipsoteca (included with admission to castle), a permanent gallery that features plaster copies of Romanesque monumental sculpture between the 12th and 13th centuries. It includes a copy of Bishop Elias' Throne from the Basilica di San Nicola, slabs and capitals from the cathedral of Bitonto, bias reliefs of Trani's bronze doors and the ambo and Bishop's throne from the sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo.
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Piazza Mercantile
To the north of Piazza del Ferrarese it merges imperceptibly into another set-piece piazza, Piazza Mercantile, historically the political centre of the old town and an important public space. It contains the Palazzo del Sedile (much altered over time), the medieval headquarters of Bari's Council of Nobles, and the Colonna della Giustizia (Column of Justice), to which debtors were tied and lashed.
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Terranima
Peep through the lace curtains into the cool interior of this rustic trattoria. Worn flagstone floors and period furnishings make you feel like you're dining in someone's front room. The menu features earthy offerings like capocollo (thin slices of lard), potatoes and cardoncelli mushrooms, and sporcamusi (lemon custard in filo pastry).
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Al Focolare da Emilio
An unobtrusive restaurant which attracts a crowd of lunching families and local bigwigs. The décor is plain, but the food is something to shout about, especially the homemade pasta dishes. When ordering pasta it's best to order the same dish as it's all cooked on the spot and can take some time. The tagliatelle with mussels is their signature dish.
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Alberosole
Dine alongside bankers in Brioni suits at this elegant restaurant. The contemporary menu is complemented by a traditional dining room, complete with old stone floor and cathedral ceiling. The linguine con gamberi di Gallipoli, pesto di fave fresche e zenzero (linguine with prawns, fava bean pesto and ginger) comes recommended. Reserve ahead.
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Vini e Cucina
Run by the same family for more than a century, this boisterous osteria (wine bar serving some food) chalks up its daily specials of well-prepared and filling Pugliese dishes. Grab a seat in the brick-flanked tunnel of a dining room and wait (and wait) to be served by the one impressively indefatigable waiter.
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La Locanda di Federico
An elegant restaurant in the corner of Piazza Mercantile. Its pseudo-medieval décor - colourful canvases of crusading knights - is tasteful and the service is impeccable. The focus is on simple seasonal dishes, including risotto with potatoes and mussels, horsemeat in a tomato ragu, as well as fresh fish.
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Ai 2 Ghiottoni
For a euro-busting blow-out sit down at Bari's premier fish restaurant, where the evening's slivery offerings (delivered fresh for lunch and dinner) literally flip-flop around in the ice-counter. From every imaginable crustacean to a host of white and oily fish, the menu and methods of cooking are encyclopaedic.
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Cathedral
The 11th-century Romanesque cathedral is situated south along Via delle Crociate. It was built over the original Byzantine church, and still retains its basilica plan and Eastern-style cupola. The severely plain walls are punctuated with deep arcades and the eastern window is a tangle of plant and animal motifs.
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Bari Vecchia
Covering the narrow peninsula adjacent to the port, Bari Vecchia is an atmospheric labyrinth of tight, uneven alleyways. Squeezed into this small area are 40 churches and more than 120 shrines - if you can find them. Bari Vecchia's town plan is famous throughout Italy for its mazelike effect.
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Murat
Dine in style on the roof terrace of the Palace hotel with a picture postcard view over Bari Vecchia. The menu is baroque in its offerings: sea-urchin mousse in a crust basket with herb toast, consommé of sole with seafood profiteroles and crêpes with scorpion fish fillet.
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PerBacco
Ring the bell to enter this intimate dining room, where romancing couples murmur over their PerBacco gnocchi (with a tomato and cream of aubergine sauce and rucola) and bell-sized glasses of wine. Other treats included the codfish and slices of fillet in a sweet balsamic vinegar.
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La Vineria
A cool place for serious samplers of vino. Minimalist décor is accompanied by a grown-up wine list offering excellent local varieties alongside other regional favourites. The simple menu of cheese, charcuterie and grilled meat is the perfect no-frills side order.
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