Nicholas the Wonderworker has long been considered the patron saint of the capital of the Italian province of Apulia. His relics are carefully kept in the Basilica of Bari, and every year on May 9 the townspeople celebrate their saint's day. But not only pilgrims are attracted by the city, which stretches on the Adriatic coast. Its history began long before the new era, and archaeologists believe that this area was inhabited as early as 3,500 years ago. In the V century. BC NS. the ancient Greeks came to the shores of modern Apulia, then the Romans, and in the II century. n. NS. Trajan's road ran through the city, along which trade caravans moved to Asia Minor and Egypt. Then the Saracens appeared, who laid the fortress, they were expelled by the Byzantines, pressed, in turn, by the Normans. In short, the answer to the question of what to see in Bari can be found in architectural landmarks, museum halls and old city streets, the stones of which have preserved the city's history best of all.
TOP 10 attractions in Bari
Bari-Vecchia
The old town of Bari is located on a narrow promontory near the seaport and resembles the medina of Arab cities. The layout of streets in the historic quarter is so intricate that very few people manage to get out of it on their own.
The old city is famous for the abundance of temples, which at different times were built in its labyrinths more than forty.
In addition to the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari-Vecchia, the Church of St. Gregory, located on the same square, is worthy of attention. Tourists will also find it interesting to walk to the fortress of St. Anthony, which was once a vivid example of the defensive architecture of the Middle Ages and has now been turned into a modern art gallery.
Basilica of Saint Nicholas
The miracle worker and patron of children, orphans, travelers and prisoners, Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered figures in Christianity. It was he who became the prototype of Santa, who brings a holiday to children at Christmas.
The saint was born in 270, and immediately after his death in 345, his body began to ooze myrrh. The ashes were buried in Turkish Mir, where the saint died, but in 1087 the Italians stole the relics and transported them to Bari in order to prevent the desecration of the grave by the soldiers of the Arab Caliphate.
A year later, a basilica was built in Bari, where a Christian relic is kept under the altar of the crypt:
- The land for the construction of the basilica was donated to the church by the Duke Roger.
- In 1095, Peter of Amiens, the organizer of the first crusade, ascetic and preacher, spoke in the church.
- At the end of the XI century. a church meeting was held in the basilica, where they discussed, but unsuccessfully, the question of uniting the Western and Eastern churches.
- The temple was built until 1105, but after half a century it was significantly damaged during the capture of Bari by William the Wicked, king of Sicily.
- During the Angevin dynasty, the church had the status of a palace temple.
From the point of view of architectural and cultural value, the basilica is interesting for its decor: the carving of the entrance portal, which was made by an unknown master in the 12th century; pediment crowned with a winged sphinx; a throne and ciborium decorated with angels, dating from the first third of the 12th century.
Cathedral
As befits a cathedral, the temple in Bari is located in the very center of the city. It was built at the end of the 12th century. on the site of the former cathedral, built by the Byzantines. The relics of the Bishop of Canosa, Saint Sabinus, were kept in the old church, and they were carefully moved to a new place after the reconstruction. Under the nave of the modern cathedral, you can see the stonework, which is almost 2,000 years old.
Outwardly, the temple is arranged very simply and does not have rich decoration, like similar monuments of the Apulian style in architecture. Three portals are greeted on the front of the entrance, a rosette window above the middle one and bas-reliefs depicting fantastic animals.
The interiors are also very ascetic, and the main values of the cathedral are the relics of St. Sabinus in the altar and the venerated icon of Our Lady of Hodegetria, brought from the East several centuries ago.
The museum, located in the curia building adjacent to the cathedral, contains a manuscript from the times of the Byzantine Republic. The old scroll with Easter hymns reaches five meters in length and is richly illustrated with pictures of biblical subjects.
Swabian castle
In 1132, a castle built by the Normans appeared in Bari. They were preparing to defend themselves against encroachments on the lands recently reclaimed from the Byzantines, but they held out for only three decades. The incoming army of William of Sicily left no chances for either the fortress or the Normans themselves. Under the Romans in the first third of the XIII century. the castle was repaired, and it changed hands many times: from Ferdinand of Aragon to the Sforza family, then to the King of Naples, until it turned into a prison.
On three sides, the fort is surrounded by a moat, and the fourth wall adjoins the sea. Inside the castle there was a gate on the south side. The walls built under Ferdinand of Aragon and the main observation tower have survived to this day.
Today, the castle hosts art exhibitions and a film about the history of Bari, which can be watched and listened to in several languages.
Pinakothek Provinziale
The main art gallery of the capital of Puglia is located in an old palazzo, built in the neoclassical style. Its halls contain the largest collection of works by artists representing the southern regions of Italy. Fragments of sculptures that were blown up during World War II in Apulian temples are of no less interest to visitors. Part of the exposition is given to a collection of icons and altar images of the 12th-15th centuries. Monumental painting is represented by the grandiose canvases of the Neapolitan school of painting, which flourished in the 17th-18th centuries.
The Pinacoteca was opened in 1928 and named after the outstanding Italian painter of the 18th century Corrado Giaquinto. A whole hall is dedicated to his work in the gallery.
Among the significant and famous masterpieces on display in the Bari Gallery are paintings by Andrea Vaccaro, St. Peter of Alcantara by Luca Giordano and the altarpiece of Bartolomeo Vivarini, an outstanding 15th century painter.
Church of San Marco
The temple in honor of San Marco in Bari was built in 1002 by the Venetians, who saved the city from further destruction by the Saracens. Since then, the building has received a lot, and the church has been reconstructed and rebuilt many times.
The facade is made in a restrained Romanesque style with a rosette window, columns, decorative garlands and an ornament in the form of a sculpture of a Venetian winged lion. The symbol of Venice dates back to the end of the 12th century. The entrance to the sacristy is decorated with a mosaic depicting the Virgin Mary surrounded by Saints Mark and Anthony.
Inside the church, noteworthy are altar images of the late Renaissance, the altar itself from the 19th century. and an icon of Saint Nicholas, commissioned by the sailors' community in honor of the patron saint.
Theater Petruzzelli
In 1898 the Petruzzelli brothers from Trieste started building a theater in Bari. They were renowned traders, built ships and often donated money to the needs of the city. The project of the building was prepared by their relative, who later became a famous architect in Puglia.
The Bari Temple of Melpomene is now the fourth largest in the country. Operas by Puccini, Bellini and Niccolo Piccini were staged within its walls, and Rudolf Nureyev, Liza Minnelli, Luciano Pavarotti and Frank Sinatra shone on the stage - concerts of world significance were also held at the Petruzzelli Theater.
Unfortunately, in 1991 the building was almost completely destroyed by fire, but restored and in 2009 returned to the townspeople and guests of Bari. Hundreds of lucky people came to see the opera "Turandot" by Puccini that day, who managed to become owners of invitation cards.
Bari promenade
Located by the sea, Bari boasts one of the longest promenades in Europe. It stretches from the suburb of Paleze to the fishing village of Torre A Mare.
The promenade was built in the constructivist style. The work was carried out from 1926 to 1932, and the author of the project, the architect Concezio Petrucci, supervised the construction. The embankment is overlooked by the facades of many architectural landmarks of Bari. Walking along the sea, you will see the Provincial Palace, where the Pinakothek is located, the Palace of Public Works, the building of the military headquarters, the carabinieri barracks.
The embankment is covered with granite slabs, there are many benches for resting, and in the evenings the space is illuminated by lanterns reminiscent of those that were installed in Moscow during the era of high-rise buildings.
Grotte di Castellana
For the first time in the underground grottoes of Apulia, tourists think that they have entered the land of fabulous gnomes. The system of underground caves interested people as early as the 18th century, but only experienced speleologists in the 20th century managed to explore the grottoes and tunnels. It turned out that the caves began to form millions of years ago, and the reason for their appearance was an underground river, which washed out the bizarre shape of the premises and rock formations.
Over the past decades, underground caves have been cleared and all conditions have been created in them for a comfortable and safe visit by tourists. The longest underground walking trail is 3 km long, and visitors will have to descend more than 70 m.
The pearl of the Grotte di Castellana is the White Cave, the walls of which are covered with snow-white crystals, and the floor and ceiling are bizarre growths that have been forming for millennia.
Trulli houses in Alberobello
About 60 km from Bari along the SS100 state road, and you come to the town of Alberobello. It is famous for its trulli houses, the likes of which are unlikely to be found anywhere else. The houses are built of limestone stones, have a cylindrical shape and end with cone-shaped roofs. The inhabitants of Alberobello do not use the solution when building a dwelling, and if desired, the building can be disassembled in a couple of minutes.
The history of the appearance of such structures goes back to the 17th century, when the powers that be of this world imposed exorbitant real estate taxes on ordinary residents. Then they came up with a way to build houses that can be removed from the field of view of inspectors before their arrival.
In trulli houses, museums, souvenir shops and restaurants are now open.
