Hello dear friends. We continue to explore the Apulia region and I would like to share with you our adventure in Bari. Bari is a beautiful city located in the southeast of Italy, along the Adriatic Sea. This place has a rich cultural heritage because it has been influenced by many different cultures throughout history. There are so many places to see here. My friends and I decided to spend a few days in Bari, so we rented a furnished apartment. It cost us less than 100 euros per night and the owner even left us some food. 😊
We started exploring Bari by visiting a famous cathedral, Cattedrale di San Sabino. This medieval cathedral is one of the city's key landmarks and is also known as Bari Cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Sabinus. The cathedral was built almost 800 years ago. Before that, there was another church here, but in 1156, a king named William the Bad destroyed it. After that, people built a new church, which we now know as Bari Cathedral. Inside, there are large columns and three corridors, like long aisles. The cathedral has been renovated several times to achieve its current appearance.
The entrance to Bari Cathedral has many statues on top and along the walls. These statues are very old and very interesting. Some have religious figures and angels, while others have monsters and mythical creatures. It was believed that the monsters would keep away evil spirits. All these statues are carefully crafted, with intricate details. When we saw them, it felt like we were traveling back in time.
After visiting the cathedral, we walked through the old town of Bari, heading towards another cathedral. The streets of Bari were beautiful! As we walked, I noticed many interesting things everywhere. I was especially impressed by the balconies and walls of the houses. Some balconies had beautiful flowers, very colorful and lively. Some balconies had fantastic art pieces, with paintings and sculptures hanging on the walls. It was really beautiful and impressive.
La mia Puglia is an Italian phrase that means My Puglia in English. Puglia is a very beautiful region in southern Italy. If someone says this phrase, it means they really love Puglia and feel a strong connection to it. It's like saying that they consider Puglia their home and find it very special. Saying My Puglia is a way to express how wonderful this region is and how much they love it.
We passed by the bell tower of the cathedral. It is made of stone and sits on top of a dome. The dome's shape is a bit Moorish, meaning it's exotic and ornate. In southern Italy, you often find Moorish influences in buildings because this area was influenced by many different cultures in the past. The aesthetic appeal of this style might also attract architects.
There were various souvenir shops in the old town. I really enjoy visiting these kinds of places.
Next, we visited one of Bari's most famous spots, the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. This place is a very important pilgrimage site. According to legend, Saint Nicholas was on his way to Rome, passed through Bari and chose this place as his final resting spot. That's why people built a church for him here. The basilica contains many valuable items. For example, the crypt holds the relics of Saint Nicholas. There's also a marble tomb of the 16th-century Polish Queen Bona Sforza. It's almost May 9, which is the day when Saint Nicholas's relics were brought here, so soon they will be celebrating.
I visited this place a long time ago with my mom, when I was a child. Seeing it again after so many years made me happy and brought back memories. My mom loves visiting historical places. As I grow older, I notice that I'm becoming more like my mom. 😊 Last year, she visited the Church of Saint Nicholas in Myra, but it's not as well-preserved as this basilica in Bari.
Inside the basilica, there are many interesting things. There are large columns and arches. The basilica has three main sections: one main aisle and two side aisles. One of the most special places is the crypt. This is where the relics of Saint Nicholas are kept. The crypt also has many beautiful columns and mosaics. The floor patterns are very colorful and vibrant. The pulpit is also lovely. There's even a special viewing area for women. Besides, there is an old bishop's throne and a marble tomb of Polish Queen Bona Sforza. There's also a museum next to the basilica. This museum showcases 12th-century oil lamps and other historical items.
In front of the basilica, there's a statue of Saint Nicholas. He is known for his kindness, love for children and miracles. This statue is placed at the entrance to remind visitors of what Saint Nicholas did and to inspire them.
After that, we visited another statue, the Column of Shame or Column of Justice. This is a very old pillar in Bari, built in the 16th century by order of Spanish Viceroy Peter of Toledo. This pillar has a lion on top and it's placed on a round platform with four steps. The lion has a collar that says Custos Iusticie, which means Keeper of Justice in Latin.
The column was made to remind people about justice. In the past, if you owed someone money, you would be chained to this pillar as punishment. But the lion statue was meant to act as a charm to protect the city from misfortune.
Luckily, I don't owe anyone any money! Well, except for credit card bills and student loans 😊.
After walking around, we got hungry and decided to go to a restaurant for lunch. Bari is famous for its seafood and we love it. We ended up at a place called La tana del Polpo. The octopus salad was so good that I'll never forget its taste. It was perfectly cooked, with lemon and fresh greens. The waiters were really kind and even gave suggestions when ordering pasta, saying, You might want to try this instead. I took their advice and wasn't disappointed. My friends had fresh fish and I had black pasta, but we couldn't finish our plates because there was so much food. The meals and service were great!
After lunch, we walked through streets where they make orecchiette. In Bari, there's a street called orecchiette street (the real name is via Boemondo). Here, several women traditionally make orecchiette and leave them to dry. Orecchiette means little ears in Italian and this is a special kind of pasta in the Apulia region. It looks like a small ear. 😊 I really enjoyed watching the women make orecchiette. They roll out the dough, cut it into small squares, then use a knife to curl the edges. Finally, they turn it over with their thumbs to give it its final shape.
Orecchiette can be served in many different ways. It's usually served with tomato sauce or small meatballs. In Apulia, orecchiette with rapini, a type of turnip top, is very popular. Sometimes it's made with broccoli or cauliflower. The women I talked to said orecchiette goes well with vegetable sauces, so you can make great dishes with this pasta and different kinds of sauces. We visited one of the most famous ladies, Nunzia, but since we were full, we didn't try any orecchiette that day. We promised to come back another day to try them.
As we walked around, we saw beautiful buildings like Palazzo Mincuzzi. This is another very old building in the city. The Mincuzzi family built this to run their business because they had a store with the same name. The building was opened on October 28, 1928 and many people attended the opening. Soon, it became an important place for shopping in Bari. The building has lots of decorations and an eye-catching corner dome. My friend compared it to a building in St. Petersburg called Zinger and they really do look similar!
One more interesting statue we saw was the Cavallo con gualdrappa in Piazza Libertá. It's a modern and striking statue. It was in a peaceful spot where we chose to rest for a while. Nearby, there's the Government Palace and the Piccinni Theater. The statue is quite photogenic and really catches your eye.
In front of the theater, there's another statue. This one is of Niccolo Piccinni, an 18th-century Italian composer who wrote symphonies, sacred music, chamber music and opera. He was very famous in his time and people knew him well. This statue of the composer from Bari is located right in front of the theater.
This is also a theater building. The old theater in Bari is named after the famous composer. The building itself looks like a small palace and the Government Palace is located right next to it.
Finally, we decided that Palazzo Fizzarotti is the most beautiful building in Bari. It was built in 1910 in Venetian Gothic style and is decorated with many different artistic designs. Today, it also hosts a center with many historical documents, photographs and letters from the past.
And that's all, dear friends. We left Bari with wonderful memories. If you're planning to visit the Apulia region, I highly recommend you stop by this beautiful city.
