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Best of Bari
Words by Catherine Richards Golini
Following a major regeneration programme, Bari is attracting a new breed of weekend visitors, drawn to the city’s architectural wonders and world-class shopping
Bari makes a great choice for a weekend break, with excellent shopping, fabulous food and a buzzing nightlife. Much of the activity is found in the ancient Bari Vecchia, Old Bari, a labyrinth of narrow streets and passageways and, would you believe, the remains of St Nicholas, otherwise known as Santa Claus.
Until very recently though, Bari was little more than a transit hub for most visitors, a place to pass through en route to somewhere else. Ports are rarely easy on the eye, and the reputation for rampant, petty crime in the Bari Vecchia did little to encourage tourists. In the last decade, however, a proactive mayor, redevelopment and zero-tolerance policing has paid dividends.
Bari’s commercial district is Borgo Murattiano, lying just outside the old city. Dubbed the largest shopping centre in Italy and laid out in a grid, it was designed in the early 19th century by Gioacchino Murat, a general under Napoleon Bonaparte (and, very briefly, the King of Naples).
The swankiest street is Via Sparano, with high-end fashion and the Art Nouveau Palazzo Mincuzzi, now the chicest Sisley store you ever saw. Attractive Corso Cavour has Italian high street names, while for designer bargains head to Diffusione Tessile, a large Max Mara outlet (Via Zippitelli 16, www..diffusionetessile.it). It’s just west of the city on the ring road – take a taxi from the train station on Piazza Moro.
Tasty Bari seafood
More than 80% of Italy’s pasta is produced in Puglia, as is much of the country’s olive oil. Then there’s the wine, vegetables, cheese, fresh fish and golden yellow bread from Altamura, some 45km south of Bari. In the Borgo Murattiano, pick up some local vino at Enoteca Vinarius, in business for nearly a century (Via Marchese di Montrone 87, +39 080 521 3192). For food, feast your eyes on Bari’s wonderfully chaotic market near Piazza Ferrarese, just north of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and as good a place as any to start your adventure in the Bari Vecchia.
If lunchtime is looming, try nearby Vini e Cucina (Strada Vallisa 23). It’s popular, simple and cheap – you’ll pay around [GillLight]15 for 3 courses. On the same street at No.79 is Ambaradan, one of the first bars to open up in Old Bari and a deservedly popular evening haunt. La Locanda di Federico in Piazza Mercantile (Piazza Mercantile 63-64, www.lalocandadifederico.com) is also a good choice. It’s a short stroll north from Piazza Ferrarese, along lovely Via Venezia. Three courses here will cost around [GillLight]30.
Sisley at Palazzo
Mincuzzi
Along with Piazza Ferrarese, Piazza Mercantile is the place to hang out in the evening. A stylish option is Barcollo at No.69-70, though also try laid-back Parilla de Juan for Spanish food, beer and a range of cocktails. The piazza is home to the 11th. century Basilica di San Nicola, built to house the remains of St Nicholas, which lie beneath the altar, and are the focus of huge celebrations in May, when thousands of pilgrims converge on the city.
Not content with a basilica of great spiritual and architectural importance, Bari Vecchia has dozens of other churches, including the 12th-century cathedral San Sabino lying at the heart of the old town.
Getting lost in the Bari Vecchia is part of the fun, though if you feel the need for more expansive sea views, head back towards Via Venezia (Caffe Sotto il Mare at No.16 is a great place to come for Happy Hour) or, in the other direction, to Bari’s castle, rebuilt by Frederick II of Swabia in the 13th century. Used for occasional summer concerts and temporary art exhibitions, only part of the castle is open to tourists.
For more art, while away a couple of hours at Bari’s gallery, the Pinacoteca Provinciale (Via Spalato 19), which has some fine examples of regional and national art including Veronese, Bellini, Tintoretto, de Chirico and Morandi.
Come evening, it makes a lot of sense to follow the locals when it comes to dining, unless you like eating alone. Take that long, leisurely lunch as most of the shops and sights will close between 12.30pm and
3.30pm, and keep in mind that in the Bari Vecchia, the happening bars don’t open before 8pm or 8.30pm, closing in the early hours. For earlier alternatives in the Borgo Murattiano, try Pepe Nero (Via Villari 56), a new wine bar and restaurant which reopens for the evening at 7.30pm, or Mamma Mia, open every day from 11am (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 99).
The new Barcelona? A small Paris by the sea? One thing’s for sure, Bari’s on the up.
WHERE TO STAY
Luxury
Bari-Palace
Via Roberto da Bari 101 Tel. +39 080 524 6654 Simple and small – only seven rooms – but right in the heart of the Borgo Murattiano. (doubles from €90)
Mid-price /
Stredná cenová skupina:
Hotel Boston
Via Niccolò Piccinni 155
Tel. +39 080 521 6633
www.bostonbari.it
Budget / Výhodná cena:
Residence Zodiacus
Via Roberto da Bari 101
Tel. +39 080 524 6654
Simple and small – only seven rooms
– but right in the heart of the Borgo
Murattiano.
(doubles from €90)
DAY-TRIPPING ON LINE 1
The Bari-Taranto route, operated by FSE, takes in a number of must-see sights outside the city. Check out the timetable on www.fseonline.it
- Grotte di Castellana, a 3 km-long warren of caves and a mass of stalactites and stalagmites. (www..grottedicastellana.it) Ñ
- Alberobello, a UNESCO world heritage site and home to the unique trulli. Ñ
- Locorotondo, a beautiful, whitewashed town, famous for its wines and with views across the Itria valley.
- Martina Franca, rich in Baroque architecture.
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