Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
COUNTRY CODE:
Dial +39 for Italy
FROM THE AIRPORT
Car Hire :
Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +39 (0)80 531 6144. Open from 8am-11.30pm Monday-Friday and 8am-11pm at the weekend.
Taxi :
The fare for the 25-minute journey to the centre is €20-€25.
Bus :
Number 16 from the terminal leaves every 40-60 minutes for Piazza Moro train station. The journey takes 35-40 minutes. Tickets: €0.77.
(11 Piazza San Antonio, Monopoli. Tel. 393 209 2788) Bar serving panini (warm, filled pizza-bread rolls) and pizza. An all-Italian Irish theme bar with simple surroundings.
(99 Via Abbrescia. Tel. 080 558 0179) Beppe Schino, the illustrious architect and owner of this establishment, is passionate about food. Surprising combinations whet the appetite, such as smoked cheese with tangy orange marmalade accompanied by smoked swordfish.
(5-7 Piazza Castello, Conversano. Tel. 080 495 1079) The Magista brothers have nurtured this historic café into a diner's paradise. The choices are endless, as are the flavours that bounce off your taste buds.
(Calle da Losciale, Capitolo, Monopoli. Tel. 080 801 066) Sought out by locals, this restaurant—specialising in anything that comes from the sea—is accessed via a Mediterranean garden. The oriental colours provide a magical atmosphere to witness a mariner's melody of dishes.
(SS 100 15km, Casamassima . Tel. 338 393 6116) You could plan every day of the week at this clubhouse, famous for its 70s and 80s disco nights and groups blaring out rock classics (www.elmerenderodisco.it, Italian only).
On the ground
Shop
Via Sparano is the best-known and most affluent street in the Murattiano quarter, home to the city's most prestigious shops.
Insider Tip
In need of respite from a tiring day of sightseeing? Then check the validity of this inscription (translated) on the walls of Strada Gironda, put here by a wealthy Barese family. "Provided you are upright and innocent, rest here as our guest."
Key Area
Piazza Aldo Moro, named after the famous Apulian statesman assassinated in 1978, is dominated by an imposing fountain and flower beds bearing the emblems of the five provinces of Puglia.
This month
Sagra di San Nicola di Bari is a famous religious festival in Italy. A solemn procession to commemorate the arrival of the body of St Nicholas—better known to most as Santa Claus—is followed by a fanfare of fireworks (7 May).
Day Tripping
Ostuni
–
'La Citta Bianca' (The White City) sits upon a ravine and beckons visitors to come and discover the historic town and cast an eye across the deep-blue Adriatic sea. A 45-minute train journey from Bari carries you to the most popular tourist destination in Puglia.
No way!
Renzo Piano—famous for co-creating the Pompidou Centre in Paris—was enlisted to design and build the San Nicola Stadium for the 1990 World Cup. With seating for 58,000, the magnificent structure is the pride of the Barese, who live and breathe football.
