Bari is the capital of the Apulia region and a large port on the Adriatic. Arriving tourists delight with a tangle of narrow streets lined with bright stone and monumental Romanesque churches, the Basilica of St. Nicholas and the cathedral of St. Sabina.
Although Barii was founded in Roman times, the Middle Ages and the early modern age brought him the greatest prosperity. From the eleventh century, the city was a meeting point for knights going to crusades to the Holy Land. At that time, city fortifications began to arise, which were expanded in the 13th century by Emperor Frederick II. The so-called Swabian Castle built at that time, rebuilt into a residence during the Renaissance, is today one of the most important monuments of the city.
Inside the old city walls is a tangle of narrow, winding streets where you can "get lost" for a few hours. There are many restaurants and cafes as well as handicrafts and fruit and vegetables shops. Many of them sell local traditional specialties or orecchiette, dried pasta in the shape of tiny ears.
The narrow streets of the city lead to two important churches. In the Romanesque basilica of St. Mikołaj's relics of Saint Bishop Mira were brought by the crusaders. There is also a late-Renaissance tombstone of the Polish queen Bona, wife of Sigismund the Old from the Italian Sforz family. In turn, the cathedral of St. Sabines are decorated with 13th century frescoes and paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese, among others.
