Piazza Mercantile
Bari
For centuries Piazza Mercantile has been the commercial and civic heart of Bari Vecchia. Overlooking the port and lively with bars and outdoor tables, it keeps monuments that recall the square's old role as a place of market, administration, justice and public life, in one of the most charming and busiest corners of the whole historic city.
History
Since the Middle Ages Piazza Mercantile was the centre of Bari's trade and business, seat of the city's "università", that is the old municipal administration that ran public life. Here goods were traded, contracts signed and justice administered, at a strategic spot right next to the port and its sea traffic. Over the centuries the square has kept this calling as a meeting and social place, and today it is full of bars, restaurants and outdoor tables that make it an open-air living room.
What to see
The square is overlooked by the Palazzo del Sedile dei Nobili, the old seat of the city council, topped by a clock tower and a small bell that once marked the moments of civic life. The most curious feature is the Colonna della Giustizia, the Column of Justice, also called the "colonna infame", the column of shame, with a crouching lion carved at its base. All around, historic buildings with worn façades and narrow alleys bring back intact the atmosphere of old Bari.
Curiosities
According to tradition, insolvent debtors and petty criminals were exposed to public ridicule at the Colonna della Giustizia, hence the nickname column of shame, although no document confirms it. The lion at the base bears a short Latin inscription on its collar. The square that tradition links to punishments is today one of the liveliest spots of Bari's nightlife.
How to visit
Piazza Mercantile lies in the historic centre, a few steps from the seafront and the Basilica di San Nicola. It is an ideal meeting point for a break among the alleys of the Città Vecchia, perhaps tasting a piece of focaccia barese while sitting in the shade of the old buildings. A lively stop on the treasure map in the beating heart of Bari.
