Bari Favorites

Favorite thing: So many things have been said on this subject - many negative - that I thought it worth mentioning that I found the area to be very tranquil. Obviously, my perspective might have been different if my camera had been stolen or if I'd been mugged, but then that has happened in other cities and they don't have the ropy reputation Bari has acquired. I have to say that I did visit in the daytime only so this may not apply after dark.

What I did notice is that there was a certain police presence on the streets. A group of municipal police were standing in the shade in the piazza where San Nicola basilica is siuated keeping an eye open and there were also cars and scooters with state police touring the streets. Not so many that it looked like there was a difficult security situation, but enough that they are visible and that if you end up getting lost you can be sure to find an officer soon enough to give directions. Nevertheless, so deserted were the streets when I visited in early July that there were almost more police than tourists and locals!

Talking of other people, tourists were walking about with cameras on display to the same extent as anywhere else in Italy - as did I. I didn't feel that there was a greatly elevated risk in these streets. Locals were perfectly polite and the worst thing you'll probably encounter is teenagers gigglingly trying out their English on you.

In short, Bari's reputation has either been exaggerated or it has really cleaned up its act. In fact, I would say to anyone who has visited Genoa that by way of comparison that city has a much seedier feel in its old quarter.

Favorite thing: If you are plannig your vacations in Apulia you can visit this site:
http://www.viaggiareinpuglia.it/ (italian)
http://www.viaggiareinpuglia.it/hp/en (english)
http://www.viaggiareinpuglia.it/hp/de (german)
It's the Apulia's Official Tourism Portal and contain useful informations.

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Favorite thing: I had never heard of Bari, Italy before I found out that was our first stop on our Costa Cruise to the Greek Isles. I researched this location and really couldn't find much information but found out why when I arrived. There's really not much there. I'm so glad we didn't waste our money on a tour and just decided to walk around ourselves since we saw everything there was to see in a matter of just over an hour.

Fondest memory: I would have to say my fondest memory of Bari was the gelato I had on the way back to the port to board our ship for departure to Greece. If we hadn't stopped here, I don't think I really would have missed too much.

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Favorite thing: This is the south part of the Lungomare of Bari,which goes from the Borgo Murattiano,the city center,to San Giorgio.
Who stays in the harbour area can't see this part of the city.From the ships,it's possible to see only the big harbour area and north zone of the city(around the lighthouse),which aren't in the heart of Bari.

Fondest memory: This was the best part of my trip to Bari.

The ferry ride from Bar, Montenegro to Bari, Italy is an overnight trip with an estimated arrival time at Bari of 7:00 am. When our ferry was about one hour outside Bari, I woke up, showered in the nice little shower we had in our cabin, then went upstairs to the cafeteria and ordered a Turkish coffee. I took my Turkish coffee out to the back deck and soaked in the warm early morning Mediterranean sun. This was so pleasant, I was almost sorry when it was announced that we were about to arrive at port.

Favorite thing: This is Bari's skyline. I took this picture as we were arriving at the port after crossing the Adriatic from Montenegro on an overnight trip. As you can see, Bari is flat. In fact, most of Puglia, the region in which Bari is located, is flat. At the most, Puglia has gentle rolling hills with alfalfa fields and vineyards once you travel away from the city.

The most prominent feature of the Bari skyline is the very tall lighthouse. Another prominent structure is the the Castello Svevo, a brooding medieval fortress dating to Norman times. Other than that, the skyline consists mainly of residential apartments.

Favorite thing: Here's a fact I didn't know until I visited Bari, Italy. Bari was actually occupied by British and American forces during World War II. Bari was used as a strategic port by the Allies for supplies used to conduct raids in other parts of Italy and Germany.

On December 2, 1943, the Luftwaffte launched an air attack on Bari. Traditional bombs and mustard gas bombs were dropped on the city. The raid resulted in more than 1,000 casualties, including hundreds of deaths from the mustard gas, and the sinking of 17 Allied ships. Much of the old town Bari, which is close to the port, was reduced to rubble.

The Bari raid was dubbed "the second Pearl Harbor" and became known as one of the most notable Luftwaffe exploits of the war. It was also the only poisonous gas incident of World War II.

Favorite thing: You can't see it in this picture, but when we were driving out of Bari, we drove around a huge sports stadium. The stadium is nicknamed "Bambino Stadium," which had been built by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as a reward to the citizens for producing the most babies in a specified period of time.

I wonder if the Italian men knew beforehand that they would be rewarded with a new sports stadium if Bari produced the most babies? If they did, I can only imagine what Bari must have been like during this "specified period of time."