Bari, Italy: Puglia's Lively Capital

Italy can inspire even the grumpiest person to crack a big smile. Boiling over with history, art, natural beauty, and remarkably scrumptious food, it simply checks all the feel-good boxes. Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan draw in some of the world’s largest tourist crowds each year. But there is another part of Italy that might appeal more to your sense of adventure, desire for authenticity, and search for the perfect aquamarine beach! This article is all about the wonderful Italian city of Bari, in the southeastern region of Puglia.

BARI

The city of Bari, a place that flies under the average tourist’s radar, is much more than a capital city of the gorgeous Puglia region, or just a departure port for ferries crossing the Adriatic. I first thought I would visit Bari for a few hours, then want to quickly descend into the rest of Puglia to enjoy the quaint coastal towns and to escape urban hustle. Following an exciting first afternoon exploring Bari, I decided to stay a few additional days to soak it all up. Below are some takeaways from this recent stay.

Just The Right Size For Walking

Bari is a lovely medium-sized city (approx 300k); large enough to support excellent culinary and cultural options (including Teatro Petruzzelli, an ornate Theater-Opera house!), but also small and flat enough you can do it all on foot. The city sits directly on the Adriatic Sea, and is so pedestrian friendly they have even preserved and converted their ancient fortress/sea wall into the easily accessible pedestrian walkway, Via Venezia. This elevated pedestrian path allows you to encircle the old town while also looking out at the sea. You will find locals walking here and enjoying the dolce vita at all hours, but especially in the evenings where even on the most random weeknight, you will find thriving local life enjoying their gorgeous city.

Memorable Food

We know Italy has some of the best food around. This is true in Puglia and well-on-display throughout Bari. If you’re really interested in Italian pasta, you may have heard about the famous Pasta Grannies. Bari has a bunch of these internationally celebrated women who spend their days opening up their homes, setting out tables, and allowing pedestrians to sample and purchase freshly formed pasta like the famous Apuglian ear-shaped orecchiette.

There are several other special foods found easily directly from these street vendors: Fried polenta (sgagliozza), warm Barisian foccacia bread with cherry tomatoes, crispy rolled taralli bread, or deep-fried panzerotti (similar to a calzone), and others.

Classic Coffee & Pastry Bars

Something I love to do when visiting any new town is to figure out a list of all the best coffee shops. Sometimes that can look like sitting down with a colorful mug of 3rd Wave filtered coffee, delivered by hipsters in over-sized sweatshirts. But in Italy, I prefer to go where the old-timers go: an classic cafe or pastry shop. Bari is no exception to the Italian cafe stereotype you may be imagining, and you can easily discover these atmospheric cafe counters, where sharply-dressed baristas efficiently serve a line of locals, standing confidently with an espresso cup in hand. You have little choice but to join in on the tradition and leave your comfort zone behind.

My favorite spot in Bari is Pasticceria Rex dal 1960 with a close second going to Boccia Pasticceria (both pictured below).

Local Street Culture

I touched on in the city’s walkability, but something you pick up on as you cross town multiple times are some unique aspects of a city’s street culture. In Bari, the city isn’t yet taken over by tourism. There are still old Italian families living on the small streets of the ancient city’s interior. And those people live out on the streets in a way I haven’t often seen in a capital city. You will see families extending their living rooms out onto the city streets. They use mops to clean the gorgeous stone streets, placing out dining and card tables, leaving children’s toys out, and of course decorating the walls outside their front doors with personal and local items such as flowering cactus leaves, religious figures, ribbons, and balloons.

Basilica di San Nicola from the Via Venezia

Bari’s old town is an endlessly charming maze

History

As a port city on the Adriatic sea, Bari has a long history, touched by many cultures, but mainly that of old Greek and Roman rule. Bari is currently home to the giant 11th-century Basilica di San Nicola, a key pilgrimage site, that still holds the remains of St. Nicholas. The old town is full of reminders of the past, all on open public display: from incredibly narrow streets, to countless ancient chapels and unmarked hefty columns preserved in place after old roofs and walls proved less sturdy. Also, you can find reused stone relics from these lost walls, like a carving of Mother Mary placed randomly on its side to construct a back alley stairwell. Even a section of ancient Roman road sits unearthed. So many opportunities to reach out and touch history.

Location Location Location

Puglia may seem a little isolated when you look at the map, but don’t let that discourage you. Located southeast from most of Italy’s major tourist spots, it could be considered a trek when compared to other accessible tourist zones throughout Italy. But, if you are coming from Rome, there are frequent fast trains to Bari, and in just 4 relaxing hours (I suggest reserving the quiet train car), you will walk out into another world that is Puglia, and the zany crowds of Rome will quickly fade into memory. Bari and Brindisi also host small airports if you’re hoping to Puglia from another city in Europe, but I came directly by train from Florence and found the trip enjoyable. I suggest using Bari as a base for exploring the smaller coastal and mountain towns of Pulgia. Day trip-worthy hot-spots include Monopoli, Polignano a Mare, Alberobello, Ostuni, Lecce, and Matera.

An ancient post in the Bari Old City, once used to tie up criminals for public humiliation

Fishing boat at the Harbor, a place you can watch fishermen selling their daily catch

When to Visit Puglia

I found a way to make this wonderful place even better: visit in October. After two weeks of exploration around Italy by train this October, I don’t think I will ever return in any another season. Olives are starting to drop from the trees, weather is ideal, and it’s noticeably less crowded. Unless you’re a fan of sweating through multiple shirts a day or are searching for holiday markets, just trust me on this one and book your next trip in October.

I spent a summer studying in Italy as a college student, and I recall the pleasure — and also the absolute need— for mid-day naps. This wonderful Italian tradition serves as a cool escape from the intimidating strength of the southern summer sunshine. While naps are fun, sunny days that don’t absolutely destroy your energy levels are infinitely better when you actually want to explore all that Italy has to offer. I would gladly trade long, scorching summer days for 70 degree comfort. This is what I found all over Italy in October, but especially in the southern area of Puglia, where the beaches were still gorgeous and warm, but didn’t make me want to nap under the shade of the nearest beach cave.