Bari
About
Discover the history of Bari
Bari faces the Adriatic, and its old town is a white maze where women still make orecchiette by hand, on trestle tables in front of their doors. The Basilica of Saint Nicholas holds the saint's relics, carried off from the East by Bari sailors in 1087 — Father Christmas begins here. The Swabian Castle of Bari, square and heavy, remembers Frederick II, and his octagonal Castel del Monte still crowns a hill inland. Puglia unfolds around the city: the cone-roofed Trulli of Alberobello, Trani Cathedral standing with its feet in the water, the cliff-walled inlet of Lama Monachile at Polignano a Mare. Underground, the Castellana Caves drop seventy metres into a run of white caverns. Food is tomato focaccia, orecchiette with turnip tops, and raw fish eaten by the old harbour.
Travel score
The travel score throughout the year.
January
Very badFebruary
BadMarch
BadApril
PoorMay
GoodJune
ExcellentJuly
GoodAugust
GoodSeptember
Very goodOctober
Very goodNovember
ModerateDecember
PoorThings to do
Discover the best attractions in Bari and its surroundings
Basilica of Saint Nicholas
Built from 1087 to house the relics of Saint Nicholas, carried off from Myra by Barese sailors, the basilica is a rare shared shrine: Catholic and Orthodox liturgies are both celebrated at the tomb in the crypt. Entry is free, at the heart of Bari Vecchia.
Lama Monachile
A pebble cove at the foot of a karst ravine — a lama — right in the middle of Polignano a Mare, hemmed in by cliffs topped with houses and spanned by the old Bourbon bridge. Steps lead down to it from the old town; this is the town's main beach, and in summer it is full by mid-morning.
Castellana Caves
A karst cave system opening with the Grave, a collapsed sinkhole sixty metres deep, and ending at the Grotta Bianca, a chamber of alabaster-white crystals. Visits are guided only, on two set routes, in Castellana Grotte — reachable from Bari on the FSE local railway.
Gargano National Park
The wooded promontory forming the spur of the Italian boot: the ancient beeches of the Foresta Umbra, a UNESCO natural site, the cliff coast around Vieste and the sanctuary town of Monte Sant'Angelo. It begins a two-hour drive north of Bari, and a car is the only practical way around.
Trani Cathedral
A Romanesque cathedral of pale, pink-tinged Trani stone standing right on the harbour's edge, begun in 1099 over the tomb of Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim, its bell tower pierced by an archway at the base. Trani is about forty minutes from Bari by train; the campanile climb is ticketed.
Castel del Monte
An octagonal castle built for Frederick II around 1240, ringed by eight octagonal towers and lacking moat, kitchens and stables — no ordinary stronghold. UNESCO-listed since 1996, it appears on Italy's one-cent coin; it stands 50 kilometres from Bari, with a shuttle up from the car park in season.
Other destinations you might like
Nearby picks in the same theme
Some of the text on this page is generated using AI and may contain inaccuracies. Please check important details.Photos and ratings provided by Google Maps