In which quarter house in Bari?

Are you going to discover southern Italy and the Adriatic Sea? This is our presentation of the neighborhoods where to stay in Bari!

Located above the heel of the Italian booth, Bari is the capital of Puglia, and a nerve center of cultural and commercial exchanges between Eastern Europe and the West since ancient times. With a population of 325,000 and more than 700,000 in the urban area, Bari is the ninth city of Italy and the third largest in the south. Finding a accommodation where to stay in Bari can be expensive because tourist attendance is high from May to October.

Bari has a strategic position to visit the province of Puglia, whose historical, cultural, gastronomic and architectural heritage is very rich. Between the old town – Bari Vecchia – and the modern part – the Murat district -, several atmospheres oppose. This is in which area to sleep in Bari.

Bari Vecchia

Bari Vecchia gathers the historic centre – centro storico in Italian - it is the oldest district of Bari. It is characterized by an entanglement of windy and narrow streets, built voluntarily enclosed in order to prevent the entry of enemy soldiers into the walls of the city. Many palaces and churches are enclosed, like the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the Cathedral of Saint-Sabin and the Norman-Souève castle. The port of Bari is considered the gateway to Eastern Europe: it is the largest passenger port of the Adriatic Sea.

From Fort de Saint-Antoine to the archaeological museum of Sainte-Scolastique (to explore the history of the civilization of Puglia from the 7th century to the 3rd century before our era), stretches the east coast of the neighborhood, a seafront ride along the Lungomare Imperatore Augusto to the community garden Pasquale Sorrenti . To the west of the area, visit the Norman castle and the Jardin Isabelle d’Aragon. A few bars, restaurants and hotels line up the pavement of the old town, a central area where to stay in Bari, ideal if you want to discover the Bari d’antan, away from the great modern arteries.

Quartier Murat

Otherwise known as the 19th century district, the Murat district refers to the Frenchman Joachim Murat (1767-1815), Empire Marshal and King of Naples from 1808 to 1815. The area bears the name of Murat as it inaugurated it and carried the construction project south of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the old medieval town. In an orthogonal form, the district represents the modern Bari, located between the railway track and the coast, south of the old town. This is where the vast majority of shopping malls and major shops, hotels, bars and restaurants in the city are located.

It is a living area, where you find yourself at leisure on Place Giuseppe Garibaldi, in the gardens, where you go out in the theatres (theater Margherita or Petruzzelli), in the bars or at the casino. The Murat district is an ideal area to stay in Bari if you like modern cities and their atmosphere. Outside these two neighborhoods, little interest, if not to reach the beaches Spiaggia Torre Quetta, Pane e Pomodoro .

Main photo credit: Flickr – Juan Mercader