Country Italy Arena/Stadium Stadio San Nicola League Serie B Area 116 km2 | Region Apulia Mayor Antonio Decaro (Democratic) Population 320,313 (2010) | |
Bari (Bari dialect: Bare; Latin: ; Ancient Greek: ) is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia (or, in Italian, Puglia) region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. The city itself has a population of about 320,475, as of 2011, over 116 square kilometres (45 sq mi), while the fast-growing urban area counts 653,028 inhabitants over 203 square kilometres (78 sq mi). The metropolitan area counts 1 million inhabitants.
Contents
- Map of Bari
- History
- Geography
- In popular culture
- Cuisine and gastronomy
- Bari street food popizze
- References
Map of Bari
Bari is made up of four different urban sections. To the north is the closely built old town on the peninsula between two modern harbours, with the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the Cathedral of San Sabino (1035–1171) and the Hohenstaufen Castle built for Frederick II, which is now also a major nightlife district. To the south is the Murat quarter (erected by Joachim Murat), the modern heart of the city, which is laid out on a rectangular grid-plan with a promenade on the sea and the major shopping district (the via Sparano and via Argiro).
Modern residential zones surround the centre of Bari, the result of chaotic development during the 1960s and 1970s replacing the old suburbs that had developed along roads splaying outwards from gates in the city walls. In addition, the outer suburbs have developed rapidly during the 1990s. The city has a redeveloped airport named after Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojty?a Airport, with connections to several European cities.
History
The city was probably founded by the Peucetii. Once it passed under Roman rule in the 3rd century BC, it developed strategic significance as the point of junction between the coast road and the Via Traiana and as a port for eastward trade; a branch road to Tarentum led from Barium. Its harbour, mentioned as early as 181 BC, was probably the principal one of the district in ancient times, as it is at present, and was the centre of a fishery. The first historical Bishop of Bari was Gervasius who was noted at the Council of Sardica in 347. The bishops were dependent on the Patriarch of Constantinople until the 10th century.
Geography
Shown above are the twenty quarters of Bari: these twenty neighbourhoods or "quartiere" as they are known, are further divided into nine governmental community boards.
In popular culture
Bari is mentioned in the 1995 film The Bridges of Madison County starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. In the film Francesca tells Robert that she comes from a town nobody ever heard of called Bari. But he tells her that he has been to Bari and that he got off the train at Bari because it looked pretty.
Bari is also mentioned in the 2012 war film "Red Tails". When the 332nd Fighter Group transitions from P-40 fighters to newer P-51 fighters, Col. A.J. Bullard mentions that the P-51s would be ferried in from Bari.
The Guido Guerrieri novels by Gianrico Carofiglio are set in Bari where Guerrieri is a criminal lawyer, and have frequent descriptions of the town.
Cuisine and gastronomy
Baris cuisine, one of Italys most traditional and noteworthy, is based on three typical agricultural products found within the surrounding Puglia region, namely wheat, olive oil and wine. Bari cuisine is also enriched by the wide variety of fruit and vegetables produced locally. Local flour is used in homemade bread and pasta production including, most notably, the famous orecchiette ear-shaped pasta, recchietelle or strascinate, chiancarelle (orecchiette of different sizes) and cavatelli.
Homemade dough is also used for baked calzoni stuffed with onions, anchovies, capers and olives; fried panzerotti with mozzarella, simple focaccia alla barese with tomatoes, little savoury taralli, friselle and sgagliozze, fried slices of polenta all make up the Bari culinary reportoire.
Olive oil and garlic are widely in use. Vegetable minestrone, chick peas, broad beans, chickory, celery and fennel are also often served as first courses or side dishes.
Meat dishes and the local Barese ragù often include lamb and pork.
Pasta al forno, a baked pasta dish, is very popular in Bari and was historically a Sunday dish, or a dish used at the start of Lent when all the rich ingredients such as eggs and pork had to be used for religious reasons. The recipe commonly consists of penne or similar tubular pasta shapes, a tomato sauce, small beef and pork meatballs and halved hard boiled eggs; but different families have variations. The pasta is then topped with mozzarella or similar cheese and then baked in the oven to make the dish have its trademark crispy texture.
Bari, being the capital of an important fishing area, offers a range of fresh fish and seafood, often eaten raw. Octopus, sea urchins and mussels feature heavily. Indeed, perhaps Baris most famous dish is the oven-baked Riso, patate e cozze (rice, with potatoes and mussels).
Bari and its province, not to mention the Puglia region, have a range of notable wines including Primitivo, Castel del Monte and Moscato di Trani.