125. Mysterious Bari

Bari, in the south of Italy on the Adriatic coast, is the capital of Puglia and an attractive place for lovers of sun, sea and good food. Fresh fish are a speciality, with Bari’s working fishermen being known for their unusual method of dispatch upon netting an octopus; biting into its head for a quick kill!

Still a working port with an industrial zone to the northwest, Bari is best approached from the south-east along the coastal road. The sea is directly to the right, while on the left, an elegant parade of modernist buildings from the Fascist era follows the curve of the promenade leading into the city.

Ahead, the visitor will see the tall campanile (bell tower) of Bari’s Romanesque cathedral of San Sabino (for centuries, used by sailors as a navigation aid) in the centre of Vecchia Bari (Old Bari), a well-preserved mediæval walled town. Its maze of narrow alleyways