Lungomare di Bari
باري
The Lungomare di Bari is the city's great balcony on the Adriatic: kilometres of seafront promenade, lined with monumental buildings and stone railings. Built in the Fascist era, today it is where the people of Bari love to stroll and jog at sunset.
History
The Lungomare di Bari, in its monumental stretch named after Nazario Sauro and Araldo di Crollalanza, was built from the 1920s and 1930s. The project was part of a great urban transformation plan meant to give the city a modern, representative face, proudly looking out over the Adriatic. Stretching for several kilometres, it soon became the symbol of 20th-century Bari and of its outlook towards the sea and the East.
What to see
Along the way, monumental buildings follow one another, including the Palazzo della Provincia with its tall tower and the Teatro Margherita, built on piles right over the water and now an exhibition venue. Stone balustrades accompany the walk along the whole seafront. Separating the seafront from the Città Vecchia, the old town, are the cove of the Fortino and the old molo San Nicola, the pier with a lovely view of the bell towers of the centre.
Curiosities
The Teatro Margherita was built over the sea to get around the agreement in which the city had promised the owners of the Petruzzelli not to allow other theatres on municipal land: on the water, that restriction did not apply. The seafront is also the setting for sporting events and popular festivals, and its liveliest stretches fill with locals and tourists on long summer evenings.
How to visit
The promenade is pleasant on foot or by bike, linking the old port to the trade-fair area. It is especially striking at dawn and sunset, when the low light falls on the buildings and lights up the reflections on the sea. Along the way there are plenty of spots to stop and watch the fishermen mending their nets or preparing seafood, a scene that ties modern Bari to its seafaring roots. A luminous stop on the treasure map that tells the story of 20th-century Bari.
