Bari is a town rich in historical events and monuments which embodies the bridge between Occident and Orient. The town is in the shape of a bird with open wings, whose head forms the nucleus of Bari Vecchia, the old town.

History

Bari was annexed to the Roman Empire in the III century b.C. and over the ages was an Arab Emirate and conquered by Longobards, Bizantines and Saracens. Once the base of the Roman Empire’s fleet for the Orient, the urban structure of the old town is arranged around the catapan court. After the remains of Saint Nicholas were stolen, a Basilica in honour of the Saint was built and Bari became a major centre of Christianity and a convenient place the Crusades could leave from and return to from the Orient.
Ruled by Normans, Angevins, Aragons and the Spanish, the town first expanded outside of the old one in 1813 when work started on the new town.

Art and Architecture

Important monuments in town include the Basilica of San Nicola, housing the remains of the patron saint, the Romanesque basilica of San Gregorio, the Cathedral of San Sabino and Bari’s Norman-Swabian Castle.

Places not to be missed in the old part of town are the piazza Mercantile and the Colonna infame (Infamous Pillar), once used as a pillory for insolvent debtors.

More modern buildings also worth a visit are Petruzzelli Theatre, Margherita Theatre, Fizzarotti Palace and the library of Santa Teresa dei Maschi.

Museums worth a visit: the Archaeology Museum, the Provincial picture gallery, the Civic History museum and the Botanical Gardens Institute. Important events include the festivities of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of the town, between the 7th and 9th of May, and the exhibitions at the Levante Fair in the building constructed in the 1930s.