Holiday apartment in Bari: culture, sea and Apulian history

Bari appeals to you if you would like to combine culture, urban history, the sea and regional cuisine in one trip. Romanesque churches, a fortress, art collections, a medieval city centre, archaeological evidence, the Adriatic coast and orecchiette give your stay a range of different facets. This makes it possible to choose a holiday apartment in Bari according to your preferred mix of discoveries, time at the beach and culinary experiences.

Churches, fortress and art

The Basilica di San Nicola is a Romanesque church in Bari’s Città Vecchia and preserves the relics of Saint Nicholas. At the same time, it is an ecumenical site associated with Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christian communities. The Cattedrale di San Sabino adds another important example of Apulian Romanesque architecture: it was built between the 12th and 13th centuries on the ruins of a Byzantine cathedral.

The Castello Svevo di Bari also takes you deep into history; it was founded in 1131 under Ruggero il Normanno. In its Gipsoteca, you can see plaster casts of important Apulian monuments. The Pinacoteca Corrado Giaquinto offers a different focus: its Grieco Collection comprises 50 paintings from 19th- and early 20th-century Italian art, while the contemporary art section includes works by Pino Pascali and Piero Dorazio, among others.

Old town, cuisine and archaeology

The historic centre of Bari Vecchia has medieval origins and is enclosed by walls. In the narrow streets, you can watch women preparing orecchiette by hand. Orecchiette have been documented in Bari since the second half of the 16th century. This gives the old town a tangible everyday experience connected to a long regional tradition.

The Teatro Petruzzelli is associated with major classics of the operatic repertoire, particularly works by Verdi and Puccini, as well as new productions in keeping with international artistic developments; these works and productions have been performed on its stage. Bari Sotterranea encompasses the remains of a large Byzantine settlement and an early Christian or early medieval basilica with a 6th-century mosaic. The archaeological tour lasts just over one and a half hours.

The Adriatic and choosing the right holiday focus

At Pane e Pomodoro Beach, Bari offers swimming, various water sports and leisure activities such as beach volleyball and paddleboarding. From the Lungomare di Bari, you can enjoy views of the Adriatic and some of the city’s most beautiful palaces. When choosing your holiday apartment in Bari, this provides clear guidance between cultural discoveries, culinary experiences and days by the water.

If you are travelling with different interests, churches and art collections can be included in your plans alongside old-town lanes, opera, underground archaeology and coastal activities. This diversity makes Bari a destination where you can consciously choose the focus of your stay between history, art, regional cuisine and the Adriatic.

Further destinations: Triggiano, Poggiorsini, Triggianello, Losciale, San Paolo, Acquaviva Delle Fonti, Lamie di Olimpia and Adelfia.

For the higher-level travel overview: Bari.