Book a Flight to Bari

Famous for its great commercial and naval power in the Middle Ages, the capital of Apulia experienced a rich and turbulent history in the shadow of mighty emperors and powerful rulers. Today, it overlooks the Adriatic as a dynamic and vibrant university town, with strong doses of an elegant but also hip culture. Travel with Aegean Airlines to Bari and discover one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean from up close.

Atmospheric medieval quarters and countless churches dominate the urban landscape of Bari.

• Start your tour in the wonderful Old Town (Barivecchia) of Bari. Encircled by the medieval walls of the Via Venezia, it is comprised of an atmospheric complex of narrow lanes with picturesque old houses, beautiful squares and important historical monuments. Take a stop at Piazza Mercantile and Piazza Ferrarese, admire the basilica of Saint Nicholas (11th-13th century), an exceptional example of Romanesque architecture and a site of holy pilgrimage, the impressive Cathedral of San Sabino, as well as the imposing 13th-century Swabian-Norman Castle (Castello Svevo).
• Visit the Pinacoteca Provinciale di Bari, the most important art gallery in Apulia. Its huge collections contain masterpieces of Italian art from the 11th to the 19th centuries. These include works by Paolo Veronese and Tintoretto as well as the Martyrdom of St Peter by Giovanni Bellini.
• Don’t overlook the amazing Teatro Petruzzelli (1903) in the heart of the Murat quarter. The largest theatre in Bari, which was completely reconstructed in 2006, has hosted such great artists as Nureyev, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti.
• Enjoy a romantic stroll along the Lungomare, the promenade of Bari. Start at the Imperatore Augusto in the old port, with the picturesque fishing boats, and continue to Nazario Sauro, an open-air architecture museum with many art nouveau buildings and monumental works in the fascist style from the era of Mussolini.

Ideas for excursions from Bari

Bari is the ideal starting point from which to explore the historic sites of Apulia.

• Visit the fairy-tale village of Alberobello, known as ‘the capital of trulli’ (15th-century stone huts with conical roofs) and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• The underground architecture of the ‘Biblical’ ancient city of Matera, on the borders between the regions of Apulia and Basilicata, leaves the visitor speechless. The cave dwellings of the ‘Cappadocia of Italy’ are a unique example of a troglodyte settlement from the Palaeolithic era and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is where Pasolini’s ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew’ was filmed, as well as Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’.

‘If Paris had the sea, it would be a little Bari’, or so the inhabitants of Bari, proud of their deep cultural roots, have said for centuries now. Book the cheapest tickets at www.aegeanair.com and discover the unpretentious charm of a historic city with Europe’s best regional airline.

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