What to see in Bari, Italy?

Latest update: 19 June 2023

The narrow streets with tall buildings retain the smell of food and clean laundry. The paving stones are almost spotless. Every day, the local residents faithfully clean the street in front of their houses in Bari Vecchia, the old town of the Italian port city of Bari. I’m in the heel of Italy, discovering Bari’s sights even in November in sandals. 20°C!

Bari’s boulevard

Although the region of Puglia is known to many people, the city of Bari is not at all. When I say that I am going on a city trip to Bari, I exaggeratedly enunciate: “Baaaaaarrrrrriiiiiiiii” – to avoid confusion with Bali.

Bari is a port city with a small historic center. Ferries depart almost daily to places such as Corfu and Dubrovnik. Along the ocean is a long promenade that’s popular among walkers and runners. In the evening, the youngsters take over the boulevard. Dressed in dark clothing, they take turns lighting a cigarette in small groups. I notice hardly any drinking, or do they secretly hide the alcohol under their coats?

Religious Bari

I especially fall for the charm of Bari’s old town. It’s where most of the sights are. My mum and I first visit the Svevo castle. There are a few exhibitions to see, but we mainly admire the building.

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Religious Bari: cathedral and patron saints

We see the S. Sabino cathedral with a mosaic on the floor where the sunlight falls precisely through the window once a year (June 21 at 5.10 pm). Faith is important in Bari: the city has no less than forty churches. Small and large religious statues of saints can be found all along the winding streets in the old town, deliberately laid out in such a way as to make enemies get lost. The saints protect the neighborhood.

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Fish market Bari: fish and beer in the morning

In the morning, we follow the promenade (Lungomare) towards the historic center of Bari. We end up at the daily fish market. Brightly colored fishing boats moor to sell their catch of the day. It is not yet eleven o’clock in the morning, and the fishermen are already having a beer as if the day is almost over. At the rear of the makeshift market, some men roughly flatten squid on the ground. It’s a mystery to me why: is this how you kill squid? Does it make the meat more tender?

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Saint Nicholas in Bari

The market is on the San Nicola pier. The name refers to Saint Nicholas. It’s the first quick introcution to the Dutch children’s friend ‘Sinterklaas’. The Basilica of Saint Nicholas is in the old town. The Basilica holds the bones of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors, among others. The bones were stolen from Turkey and have been in the crypt of this church in Bari since the 12th century. That is IF they stole the right bones because that is still a mystery.

The Saint has several miracles to his name, such as offering money pouches to three poor ladies who would never get a husband without that dowry. In the story, some clues relate to the Dutch Sinterklaas party: the pouches appeared in shoes that were drying by the fireplace, and maybe that’s how we get the chocolate coins? In the church, there is a kind of pillar where women now leave money for Saint Nicholas, hoping they will soon find a man. The church actually offers a lot of Russian information signs. Apparently, Saint Nicholas is very popular in Russia.

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Too early for Christmas!

When we revisit the Basilica in the evening with the Free Walking Tour Bari guided by Anna, an older Italian man interrupts her explanation about Sinterklaas (or Santa Claus, if you are not from the Netherlands). He finds it scandalous that we are already thinking about Saint Nicholas at the beginning of November. “It’s not Christmas yet,” he yells and keeps interrupting.

Only in the church are we safe from his indignation. Anna continues her story and tells that in May, the statue of Saint Nicholas is carried into the sea. A little liquid that has been in contact with the bones is taken from the crypt. So by adding this liquid to the ocean, the Saint is able to protect the sailors.

Walking Tour: Free Walking Tour Bari

The Free Walking Tour Bari focuses mainly on the old town and takes about 2.5 hours. Guide Anna is the co-founder and has a lot of knowledge of the city. Although we have already seen most of the major sights in the afternoon by ourselves, we are happy that we now see some sights again, but this time, with explanations. The principle of the Free Walking Tour Bari is that you pay what you think it’s worth. So it is only completely free if it is very bad. You can book online in advance. I definitely recommend that you do. If there isn’t a convenient time available, check out your walking tour options at GuruWalk and Freetour.

Local life in Bari

Thanks to Anna, we get a glimpse into the life of the inhabitants of Bari Vecchia. We meet the rowdy children who live at the IKEA square. Largo Albicocca has been ‘upgraded’ by IKEA to spruce up the neighborhood. I recognize the IKEA curtains and watering cans as Justin Bieber blares loudly from a window for the whole square to enjoy.

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We mainly see men on the street at the beginning of the evening. In the morning, you see the women, says Anna. The traditional division of roles is still prevalent. The men have Saturday afternoon off and then start drinking almost immediately. The women are still busy with housework. Gradually, young people also appear on the street, getting ready for a night out in the city.

Orechiette street in Bari

We taste local delicacies that remind me of mini donuts, and of course, we stop at the ladies of the orecchiette street. All day long, the women here make little ears of pasta: orecchiette. Typical for Bari. Anna motions for the lady to stay inside when we admire the pasta drying outside, but the woman makes a move and does good business with the tourists.

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Old Town Bari vs. New Bari

Behind the historic center and the promenade is the new part of Bari. As crooked as the maze streets in the old center (Bari Vecchia) are, the long roads in the new part are straight. Here are mainly residential areas, shopping streets, and the university. Bari is a fairly young city, thanks to the university, but you’ll only notice that in the new part of the town.

In the old town, I mainly see older people. There is peace and tranquility; everyone has their door open, and the laundry hangs outside in the strangest places. It feels like a village within the city. Out of this area, it is crawling with people and cars. People gather on the street for a chat, a snack, and to welcome the evening.

Visit Bari too!

Bari is not a super touristic city. The number of sights is limited; not everyone has mastered English. I don’t mind: this way I can mainly enjoy walking around, watching people and having a snack or a drink here and there. Much less FOMO (fear of missing out) and a smaller to-do list. I can definitely appreciate that.

Accommodation in Bari

Unfortunately, my Airbnb host stopped hosting, but there are plenty of accommodation options in Bari. Both hotels and apartments. Be sure to check these options out:

• VIS Urban Suites&Spa: luxurious hotel rooms, very spacious and with large beds.
• B&B Murex: nice apartment with balcony and breakfast.
• Flavì: compact rooms, some with an ocean-facing balcony.
• Travel B&B: simple, but nicely decorated rooms in the middle of the city.

First published: November 2017. The article has been updated since.