Monuments and natural beauties

·        Basilica di S. Nicola: this basilica is dedicated to the patron and it is in Romanic style. The church has three naves and contains the mortal remains of the saint (in the crypt). Inside there is a marble throne made in 1105 and the tomb of Bona Sforza, duchess of Bari. This church is also a palatine basilica. In the past it supported the official power and was protected by Normans and Angevins and by all the kings of Naples, receiving precious gifts. There is a very interesting section dedicated to stone and marble fragments that were part of ancient furnishings and of the Byzantine praetorian. There are some beautiful candlesticks of XII century donated by Charles of Anjou, miniated codes and ancient antiphonaries and parchments, papal bulls and liturgical codes. The basilica was started by Abbot Elia and by Normans in 1087 and was completed in XII century. This wonderful building contains precious works of art, such as a ciborium of XII century, the silver altar of Saint Nicholas (1684) and a statue of Our Lady and statues of the saints by Bartolomeo Vivarini. The basilica is strong and elegant. The facade is simple and decorated by mullioned windows with two lights and enriched by pilaster strips. The naves are separated by three arches supported by Byzantine columns and surmounted by a women’s gallery. The vault of the main nave is Baroque while the ones of side naves are cross-vaults. In the presbytery there are the most important works of art, such as the precious floor of XII century and the throne of bishop Elia, behind the altar. In the wonderful crypt, whose vault is supported by 28 small columns with Romanic and Byzantine capitals, there are the mortal remains of Saint Nicholas, from which a liquid exudes, called “manna”. In the past people preserved it in decorated bottles. In front of the façade there is a portico, called Portico dei Pellegrini, built in XIII century.

• Cattedrale: the cathedral is in Romanic style and has a big rose window in the apse. Inside it is very elegant and there are precious codes in the archives. It was built according to Byzantine style since 1034, then it was destroyed and rebuilt in 1170 and 1178 and it was dedicated to S. Sabino, the first patron of the town. A parchment preserved in this cathedral contains an Exultet, a rare document of XI century: the name of the parchment roll that contained the prayer comes from the first word of the prayer itself. It is decorated by miniated images, painted upside-down to let the audience see them while the priest read the prayer. In the Museo Diocesano there are interesting works of art, and sacred furniture. The crypt is really beautiful: it contains the mortal remains of S. Sabino and the so-called ‘trulla’, a cylindrical building used as a baptistery (today it is the sacristy). Inside the church, on the main altar, there is the icon portraying Our Lady of Constantinople, saved by Eastern monks in 730.
• Palazzo della Provincia: this palace contains a rich picture gallery, with many works of art linked to the story of the city. There is a rich collection of Middle Ages icons and sculptures, a very important collection of Venetian paintings (by Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese and Paris Bordon) and contemporary paintings (Fattori, Lega, Cremona, De Nittis).
• Castello svevo: this castle was attributed to Ruggero the Norman; it contains four angular towers (one of the towers is called of Saint Francis, because the saint stayed here during one of his many journeys). It was built in 1131 and was widened and restored by Frederick II. Architectural features are very interesting, such as the columns with Corinthian capitals decorated with acanto leaves, mullioned windows with two lights and a beautiful Gothic portal. The castle contains a museum, Museo della Gipsoteca, with some of the chalk models of the statues decorating monuments and palaces in Puglia.
• Stadio di S. Nicola: this stadium was designed by Renzo Piano for the world championship that took place in Italy in 1990. It is like a space ship on a hill surrounded by olive trees and orchards.
• Museo dell’Acquedotto: in this museum water becomes art. It was inaugurated in 2000 and contains two small but really interesting museums: one is dedicated to the story of the waterworks, the other to the art heritage and was organized by Cesare Brunetti. At the ground floor there is a photo exhibition about the chemical laboratory of 1930s; artists wanted to represent water in all its features.
• Museo Etnografico: this museum contains African jewel, arms, musical instruments collected by missionaries in Africa. They are handmade products made of wood. There are also stones found in Mozambique. There are also objects made of ivory, coins from Portuguese colonial age, stamps, books by European writers about Africa, about its populations and their rites.
• Giardino Umberto: this garden is full of palms, of trees and of flower beds. It contains one of the most important monuments dedicated in Italy to king Re Umberto, by Filippo Cifariello from Molfetta. The king is on a horse and the monument is made of hard stone.
• Ateneo: the university was built in 1832 and designed by engineer Castelli. The great hall is really beautiful. It was painted by Prayer. Inside there is an archaeological museum, the richest in Puglia. It contains the remains of all the populations that lived in Puglia, in its regions.
• Chiesa di S Ferdinando: this church was built in 1848 to “convince” Ferdinand of Bourbon to forget the rebellion of 1820 by Carbonari.
• Corso Vittorio Emanuele: this road is one of the widest and the most beautiful in Italy. It divides the ancient city from the modern one. At the corner with Via Cavour there is a palace whose first stone was put by King Gioacchino Murat.
• Palazzo Fizzarotti: this palace was designed by architect Corradini. It is like Venetian palaces and it is richly decorated. It contains beautiful frescoes, precious furniture and polychrome mosaics.
• Teatro Margherita: this theatre contains Museo Storico and a library about war, containing precious objects and books about war.
• Teatro Petruzzelli: this theatre is one of the biggest and the most beautiful in Italy. It was designed by Angelo Messeni at the end of 1800. It is richly decorated with statues, frescoes and gold elements. On the curtain there is the portrait of Doge Orsoleo who freed Bari from the siege of Saracens, a wonderful work by Raffaele Armenise. In the night between 26^th and 27^th October 1991 the theatre was destroyed by a malicious fire.
• Chiesa Russa: this Russian church was ordered by Tsar Nicholas II before the First World War. In that period many Russian pilgrims came to pray over the tomb of Saint Nicholas and the tsar wanted to build a church for them together with a house where they could stay. The domes are the typical ones of Russian churches. There is a pope who officiates according the rules of Orthodox religion.
• Monumento Ossario dei Caduti: this monument is in the graveyard and it is made of two walls and a triumph arch.
• Chiesa di S. Gregorio: this small church is in Romanic style and was built in XI century. Inside there is an icon portraying Saint Nicholas.
• Piazza Mercantile: on this square there is a palace, it is called Sedile dei Nobili, and was built in XVI century with a clock tower and a beautiful loggia where the rulers of the town met. In the square there is also the so-called “Colonna della Giustizia” (justice column): according to tradition those who didn’t pay their debts were bound to the column and whipped.
• Lungomare Nazario Sauro: the seaside on Adriatic Sea is 15 km long, from S. Nicola breakwater. It goes through the modern Bari to the southern towns. Inhabitants always have here their promenades, especially during the summer.
• Palazzo della Prefettura: this palace gave hospitality in 1859 to Bourbon court from Naples, during the last months of their reign.

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Written by Stefania Maffeo
Translation by Linda Liguori