Bari. Tourist holidays in Bari
Bari is located in Southern Italy, at the "heel" of the Apennine "boot". The capital of the Apulia region, Bari, is the second largest city in Southern Italy after Naples. Today Bari is known primarily as a town, where are kept the relics of one of the most revered Christian saints - St. Nicholas.
Bari attracts thousands of tourists every year not only due to the relics of the legendary saint, but also its architecture, unique style, as well as transport infrastructure. Holidays in Italy for many people begin in Bari. It is a port city on the Adriatic coast, where start numerous ferry and cruise tours to Greece, Montenegro and Croatia. Cruises from Bari to Sicily are also popular here.
Bari Vecchia is a historic city center between the old and the new port, where there are dozens of attractions, including the famous Basilica of St. Nicholas - the church, where are kept the relics of the saint. Every year on December 6 during the celebration of St. Nicholas Day in Bari come thousands of pilgrims, including Russian, Belarusians and Ukrainians, to revere the relics. It is worth noting that Bari celebrates two days of the Saint. Local residents consider May 8 as the Day of the Saint and here are held historical festivals and the famous firework competition. Anyway, on both holidays Bari hotels are fully occupied.
Among attractions in Bari in the historic city center are many religious places. There are located the former Monastery of St. Scholastic, which today is a part of the University of Bari, the Cathedral of St. Sabina, small and large churches. In Southern Italy, where religious traditions are traditionally strong, a variety of temples is one of the features of any city, including Bari.
Attractions in Bari also include numerous palaces of the Italian nobility, which were built in the Middle Ages. The biggest of them is the Palace of the Archbishop. Its small satellites are Palazzo Gironde, Diane Palazzo and Palazzo Macario.
Souvenirs in Bari: tourists prefer to buy here ceramics, handbags and wines. One of the most well-known culinary products of Bari is Altamura bread. It is believed that this is the first bread that was baked on the European continent. Among other sweets in Bari especially interesting are taralli - special kind of cookies, similar to crisps, which are produced here with wine and fennel.
Shopping in Bari starts at two major markets of the city: Borgo Murattiano and Corso Cavour. Almost all shops in Bari open at 9.30. By 9 p.m. almost all of them are closed. Sunday and Monday morning are day offs.