WHAT TO SEE IN THE OLD TOWN:

Piazza del Ferrarese (foto) represents the main access point of the Borgo Antico. Overlooking the Imperatore Augusto seafront, facing the old port, the square is bordered on the right by the building of the former Fish Market (foto), built in 1840, and by the access ramp to via Venezia; on the left from the current Sala Murat, a former food warehouse, and from the apses of the church of Vallisa; the background is Palazzo Starita, built on the remains of an ancient Arsenal. During recent restoration works, which involved not only the square but also the surrounding buildings, a short stretch of the ancient Via Appia-Traiana, built by the Romans in the early years of the 2nd century AD, came to light. Today, animated by always very popular places, together with Piazza Mercantile, it represents an obligatory destination of the Bari nightlife. The evening view of the illuminated Bari seafront that can be enjoyed from the square and from the access ramp to via Venezia is evocative and romantic. It is the ideal place to host concerts, artistic performances and above all the majestic lights that accompany the festival in honor of the patron saint of Bari, San Nicola.

Piazza Mercantile (foto), the ancient Piazza del Mercato, has always been the beating heart of the city's commercial and administrative activities. Today for the citizens of Bari, Piazza Mercantile and the nearby Via Manfredi Re can be considered the fulcrum of the "movida barese", in fact here you can find some of the best restaurants, trattorias, taverns, pizzerias, bars, pubs, ethnic restaurants and clubs throughout the historic centre. Piazza Mercantile offers its visitors some essential and characteristic signs, among which we cannot fail to mention: the Palazzo del Sedile (foto), with its monumental facade on two levels and surmounted by the clock tower, which originally marked the rhythms of the day merchant barese, as well as a Renaissance roof terrace with three arches, decorated in the frame with allegorical female figures and busts of Roman emperors. The clock, an artifact arrived from Germany in 1604, was inserted in the context of a bell tower built in Norman style against the compact body; the roof terrace with three arches, on the other hand, was built in 1722, commissioned by the Ferrara merchant Stefano Fabbri, to embellish the terrace of the building. Since its construction, the palace covered various functions: it was the loggia of the merchants, the seat of the municipal government and the first public theater in the city: in short, it enclosed the heart of administrative and political life until the eighteenth century. From the beginning of via Re Manfredi an all-round sculptural group is visible, which silently dominates a corner of Piazza Mercantile constituting a particular piece of furniture as well as a distinctive feature of the city: it is the so-called Colonna Infame (foto), so called because here people used to insolvent debtors exposed to the public. The sculptural complex, raised on a circular base made up of four concentric steps, is composed of a bare white marble column surmounted by a cannon ball, and a lion in Apulian limestone breccia. The lion, probably extrapolated from a Roman tomb dating back to the first century. B.C. - 1st century AD, symbolizes power and justice, the latter further celebrated by the epigraph “custos iusticiae” (literally guardian of justice) engraved on the collar of the animal.

Via Venezia (foto), the so-called "Muraglia" of Bari, is a must for citizens, visitors, tourists who want to stroll pleasantly and embrace almost the entire Bari seafront. From this point of contact between sea and land, the people of Bari experienced historic moments full of joy and apprehension: they suffered sieges, witnessed the approach of Turkish ships and corsairs, greeted friends and taunted enemies. Starting from a ramp on Piazza del Ferrarese, via Venezia gradually climbs towards the Fort of Sant'Antonio Abate (foto). This bulwark is the only one, together with the Fort of Santa Scolastica (north side), to have survived the demolition campaign of the 19th century. The Fort represents the highest point of the old city from which it is possible to embrace the view of the medieval walls (on the left) delimited by the Lungomare Imperatore Augusto and by the profile of the Lungomare dating back to the first half of the 1900s (on the right). Today it is possible to access the rooms on the first floor from via Venezia and the rooms on the ground floor from the Lungomare Augusto Imperatore, used by the Municipality as a venue for exhibitions, debates and meetings open to the public. The south side of the wall is embellished, at its foot, by an aligned series of columns recovered from Roman temples and buildings. Along the street there are noble palaces (e.g. Palazzo Tanzi) and inns which occasionally intersperse the static nature of the walls with courtyards, alleys and stairways. Going north you can see on the left the sharp profile of the Basilica of San Nicola (on the left a stairway allows access to the Basilica) up to the bulwark of Santa Scolastica (on the right, at the end of the path, a stairway leads back to the Lungomare Imperatore Augusto).

The Basilica di San Nicola (foto), prototype of the Apulian Romanesque style, was built in the spaces already occupied by the Corte del Catapano in the ancient fortified citadel at the end of the 11th century, to house and venerate the relics of San Nicola, which arrived in Bari on 9 May 1087 from the homonymous church of Myra in Lycia. The basilica is inserted in the context of the Nicolaiana Citadel (a complex complex of buildings developed over time within the perimeter of the Catapano courtyard) which currently includes: the church of San Gregorio; the convent; the library and archive of the Basilica which preserve paper documents and parchments of exceptional historical interest; the Centro Studi Nicolaiani; the Pilgrims' Portico; the Nicolaian Museum. Made with limestone previously used in other buildings, it has a main facade enclosed between two towers: Torre del Catapano on the right, Torre delle Milizie on the left, of different heights and workmanship.
The facade mirrors the interior, divided into naves with three access portals. The median portal, wider and richly carved, is characterized by a strong symbology, which leads back to the image of Christ victorious over the darkness of paganism, by the sculpture depicting a sphinx on the cusp of the prothyrum and by the oxen supporting the octagonal columns on the sides of the portal same. On the north side the beautiful portal of the Lions stands out. The interior is divided lengthwise into three naves by supporting columns and pillars. The central nave is covered by a splendid, richly decorated wooden ceiling by the Bitonto painter Carlo Rosa. At the end of the central nave are the main altar, surmounted by the oldest ciborium in Puglia (12th century), and the apse which houses the "Sedia di Elia", an episcopal chair in marble (late 11th - early 12th century). In the mosaic decoration that surrounds the chair it is possible to detect the presence of Kufic characters with the word "Allah" interpreted by some as evidence of the multi-ethnic nature of the workforce employed in the construction works. Behind the episcopal chair is the late sixteenth-century funeral monument of Isabella Bona Sforza, Duchess of Bari and Queen of Poland: between two semi-naked female figures, depicting Bari and Poland, and two images of saints, San Nicola and San Stanislao, are buried the remains of the queen, initially buried in the cathedral church.
From the side aisles, two stairways lead to the Crypt (foto) which houses the tomb with relics (foto) of the Saint. Of particular relevance is the coexistence inside the crypt of an Orthodox chapel and therefore of two altars: one dedicated to the Catholic rite and the other to the Orthodox rite (the only example in the Catholic world testifying to the ecumenical vocation of the land of Bari). In the southern corner is the "miraculous" porphyry column (foto), which for centuries has attracted the devotion of pilgrims who come to touch it, convinced of its thaumaturgical virtues.
Over the centuries, the basilica has maintained its function as a pilgrimage pole, representing a point of reference for devotees from all over the world, especially the Russian Orthodox, particularly linked to the saint. Characteristic elements of the crypt are the capitals, all different from each other and some of them called "two-faced".

Less visited than the Basilica, named after a saint who was seen "stealing" the title of patron saint of Bari, yet a church with a thousand faces and the beating heart of the old city, the Cathedral of San Sabino (foto), with its tall bell tower that has stood for centuries on the Apulian capital, it preserves millenary pieces of Bari history. Inaugurated on 4 October 1292, it was built in the Apulian Romanesque style on the ruins of the cathedral destroyed by Guglielmo il Malo in 1156. From Piazza dell'Odegitria you can admire the majestic façade, on which stands an eighteen petals on the overhanging ledge. rose window and a mullioned window, supported by columns with Corinthian capitals which decorate the large central portal. Behind the bell tower 68.90 meters high. The afternoon light invades the main nave, supported by columns, capitals and arches that the restorations carried out in the 1930s freed from the Baroque stuccoes placed in the 18th century by the architect Antonio Domenico Vaccaro. In the center of the nave is the Ambone (the pulpit from which scriptures are read), with its symbolic medieval ornaments, including the bestiaries and the majestic Federician eagle holding up the lectern. Below, raised above the floor of the nave and guarded by two lions, is the presbytery on which the altar rests, surmounted by the ciborium. The rear part of the altar hides a valuable mosaic with representations of lambs, doves, peacocks on a blue background. In the central apse we find the singular throne of the bishop's chair which has two lions for armrests. The cylindrical building with a diameter of 11 meters leaning against the north side of the temple today serves as a sacristy (called the Trulla) and was a Baptistery until the seventeenth century. It is surrounded by wooden furniture, among which a clock from the 1600s stands out, restored and in perfect working order. On the circular wall the frescoes of the apostles are surmounted by the coats of arms of some Bari bishops.
But the most interesting part of the building is the underground one: the "Succorpo" (foto), which takes us into the most ancient history of the Cathedral. It is accessed through a small door on the right side of the transept. Before the belly of the church was opened to the public it was an immense ossuary. The largest area of the excavations is the original paleo-Christian basilica from the 5th century: a structure that remained intact until the 11th century. It has three large naves, in almost perfect correspondence with the upper church. The floor represents a real masterpiece, completely covered by the so-called "Mosaic of Timoteo" (foto). One is literally enchanted in front of the floor beautifully restored stone by stone and made with small polychrome tiles. It consists of a vast central field, with a scale motif, enclosed by a frame decorated with aquatic animals and fish, including the "baresissimo" octopus. But the exploration of the Succorpo allows us to go further and further back in time, showing us the remains of a large civil building from the Roman age, which evidently occupied the area of the cathedral before the construction of the early Christian basilica. Here we can also admire a strip of paved road, perhaps via Traiana. And even the surprises deriving from the subsoil do not end here, because in correspondence with the Trulla there are also the remains of a more "recent" church from the Byzantine period of the 9th-11th century.
Going up to the surface, we open a door in a side nave to go and visit the Crypt: it is the only environment that has preserved the "false" Baroque style of the 18th century. Here, among a forest of columns, the icon of the Madonna Odegitria is kept, which according to legend comes from Constantinople. There are also the relics of San Sabino and that of Santa Colomba.
From inside the Cathedral you can visit the Archbishop's Palace (foto) or the Episcope, seat of the Archbishopric and since 1610 of the Seminary. Its monumental Baroque facade opens onto a courtyard embraced on three sides by the palace itself, the south elevation of the cathedral and other smaller buildings. In the center of the courtyard stands the so-called "spire", a monolithic granite column resting on a high base and surmounted by a life-size statue of San Sabino, the first protector of the city.

The Norman-Swabian Castle (foto) stands on the extreme edge of the old city. Historically attributed to Roger II the Norman, it was built in 1131 on pre-existing Byzantine housing structures. Between 1233 and 1240, Frederick II of Swabia recovered the Norman structure damaged by the harsh intervention of Guglielmo il Malo, who in 1156 imposed himself by force on the people of Bari, reluctant to welcome the new sovereign. The Norman-Swabian nucleus has a trapezoidal plan, with a central courtyard and four high corner towers heavily ashlar. Going beyond the tower, known as the Torre dei Minori for having housed the prison section in the 19th century, is the original entrance, the Frederick portal, a manifesto of imperial power. The portal leads into the vestibule, also from the Frederick era. Frederick's entrance hall extends into a loggia overlooking the central courtyard. The capitals of the columns supporting the loggia are decorated with a series of eagles and bear inscriptions signed by the sculptors. Towards the end of the 13th century, Charles of Anjou carried out a vast restoration program which involved the north wing of the castle. In the so-called Sala Sveva the ogival arches of the portico which then delimited the courtyard on the north side are still visible; on the upper floor there is a splendid hall, the Sala Angioina, with three mullioned windows overlooking the sea, subsequently enriched with frescoes, unfortunately today almost completely lost. In the sixteenth century, under Isabella of Aragon and her daughter Bona Sforza, the castle underwent radical transformations to adapt to the new needs dictated by the development of heavy artillery and the transition from a descending to a grazing defensive system. The bastions surrounding the Norman-Swabian nucleus were then built, characterized by a cornice with corbels on hanging arches and a double row of gunports. Compared to the current configuration, the north side was still directly lapped by the sea, and the water moat developed along the remaining three sides of the castle, isolating it from the city. But the intervention promoted by the Duchess Bona Sforza, testified by an inscription that runs along the north and east sides of the central courtyard, also adapted the complex to the needs of a princely residence. In the central courtyard, the only medieval ramp connecting the upper floor is replaced by an elegant and spectacular double ramp. On the east side, Bona Sforza had a chapel built with classical lines in memory of her husband Sigismund I, king of Poland, who died in 1548. In the following centuries, especially during the Bourbon domination, the castle underwent substantial abandonment, first becoming a prison and then a barracks , thus losing the characteristics of fortress and princely residence, until in 1937 the castle became the seat of the Superintendence of Monuments and Galleries of Puglia and Basilicata.
After about five years of restoration, new spaces have recently been opened to the public, to create a museum pole and increase the artistic offer of the city, with exhibitions of contemporary authors and archaeological finds; music-related events with concerts, debates and insights; but also a privileged place to organize international conferences, between history and modernity. Some rooms on the ground floor house the Gipsoteca, a permanent museum of plaster reproductions of the sculptural installations of the most famous Apulian monuments, created for the 1911 Regional Exposition of Rome on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy and rearranged in 2011 to celebrate the 150th anniversary.

Strada Arco Basso (foto), renamed "the street of orecchiette", is characterized by a small tunnel which, once crossed, leads to the most ancient tradition of Bari Vecchia, that of the production of the fantastic and highly sought-after Bari orecchiette. The orecchiette prepared by the housewives in front of the people are a real attraction in the historic center of Bari, as well as representing an original cross-section of Apulian everyday life. The delicious fresh pasta (then left to dry on wooden counters) can also be purchased from the ladies themselves; in fact, these women, to allow tourists to take home the typical taste of Bari orecchiette, place the fresh pasta in simple plastic bags so as to allow people to go home with a tasty Apulian "souvenir".

Piazza di Santa Maria del Buonconsiglio (foto) is one of the most evocative corners of the old city. Demolished in the 1930s, as part of an infamous restoration work that aimed to bring to light the "Romanesque" side of the city of Bari, of the former Byzantine church today only the Roman columns with their respective Corinthian capitals remain and the mosaic floor with polychrome tiles. The church was known to local historiography for its legendary origins: it is said that it arose following a dispute between the people of Bari and the Byzantines which culminated in a murder in 946; the inhabitants of Bari opposed the decision of the Byzantines to claim the right to accompany the brides to the altar. The bad advice that led to the bloodshed would eventually result in the truce, the "good advice" that gives the church its name. The structure of the former church has very ancient origins. Surveys carried out in the 1980s revealed that the structure dates back to a period between the 10th and 12th centuries. These archaeological researches have brought to light finds that embrace almost all historical periods, retracing the history of the city from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.

The sixteenth-century Arco delle Meraviglie (foto) is witness to a captivating love story that in some ways recalls the Shakespearean work of Romeo and Juliet. Like the most famous couple in Verona, the version made in Bari also tells of a passion between two boys hindered by parents opposed to the union. Her family had forbidden the girl to be able to be with her beloved, forbidding not only the union but also the meeting. However, the poor fellow did not let himself lose heart and unlike the Montecchi-Capulets duo he did not think of magical concoctions and fights but of rolling up his sleeves in the true sense of the term thinking of a better solution: building the arch. Furthermore, the legend is very clear on the subject: the man from Bari with the golden hands built everything in just one night. Living opposite each other, the arch created a direct connection between the two lovers who lived happily ever after.
The reality of the Arco Meraviglia is very different from the one presented. The Maraviglia family from Milan, who arrived in the Apulian capital with the Duchess Isabella of Aragon, lived near the architectural work on which a balcony with large corbels from the 17th century is superimposed. The reason for the construction somewhat recalls the story told in the streets of the city: to connect two medieval houses. However, it shouldn't have been the Romeo and Juliet of the south to be united but the apartments owned by the same family. Therefore, the love story with a positive aspect would be a commonplace handed down from generation to generation to allow all visitors to dream once again.

Largo Albicocca (foto) (nicknamed Piazza degli Innamorati), is one of the most evocative and fascinating squares in the city: recently animated by lights, colored curtains, ancient olive trees and handicraft objects thanks to a redevelopment project by Ikea, which wanted to celebrate 10 years presence in the Bari area. The square has been transformed into a fragrant urban vegetable garden, with two centuries-old olive trees in the center of the square, surrounded by citrus trees and over six meters of strawberry tree, a typical Mediterranean shrub. In the side flowerbeds, however, the Mediterranean flavors of spices and vegetables, inevitable in good Apulian cuisine. Alongside the facades of the buildings, ceramic cockerels of Bari craftsmanship have been placed, balconies set up with curtains with geometric motifs and ornamental vases, and in the evening, a myriad of LED lights help to warm up the atmosphere.