View source for Bari

{{Short description|City in Apulia, Italy}}
{{About|the city in Italy}}
{{redirect|Barese}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name = Bari 
| official_name = Comune di Bari
| native_name = {{native name|nap|Bare}}
| image_skyline = 
{{multiple image
|border = infobox
|perrow = 1/2/3/2
|total_width = 290
|caption_align = center
|image1 = Bari - Lungomare Imperatore Augusto & Mare.jpg 
|caption1 = Lungomare di Bari
|image2 = Bari - Teatro Petruzzelli - Façade.jpg
|caption2 = [[Teatro Petruzzelli]]
|image3 = Bari - Palazzo Mincuzzi - 1.jpg
|caption3 = [[Palazzo Mincuzzi]]
|image4 = Bari BW 2016-10-19 13-35-11 stitch.jpg
|caption4 = [[Basilica di San Nicola]]
|image5 = Teatro Margherita dall'alto.jpg
|caption5 = [[Teatro Margherita]]
}}
| image_flag = Flag of Bari.svg
| image_shield = CoA Città di Bari.svg
| shield_alt = 
| image_map = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map = Italy#Apulia#Europe
| pushpin_map_alt = 
| coordinates = {{coord|41|07|31|N|16|52|0|E|type:city(317,000)_region:IT-75|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region = [[Apulia]]
| metropolitan_city = [[Metropolitan City of Bari|Bari]] (BA)
| frazioni = 
| mayor_party = [[Democratic Party (Italy)|PD]]
| mayor = [[Vito Leccese]]
| area_footnotes = 
| area_total_km2 = 117
| population_footnotes =<ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Monthly Demographic Balance|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?l=en&a=2025&i=D7B|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| population_total = 315473
| population_as_of = 2025
| population_demonym = Barese
| telephone=
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m = 5
| twin1 = 
| twin1_country = 
| postalcode=
| istat=072006
| saint = [[St. Nicholas]]
| day = 8 May
| postal_code = 70121-70132
| area_code = 080
| website = {{URL|http://www.comune.bari.it}}
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Bari''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɑːr|i}} {{respell|BAR|ee}}, {{IPA|it|ˈbaːri|lang|It-Bari.ogg}}; {{langx|nap|label=[[Barese dialect|Barese]]|Bare}} {{IPA|nap|ˈbæːrə|}}; {{langx|la|Barium}}) is the capital city of the [[Metropolitan City of Bari]] and of the [[Apulia]] region, on the [[Adriatic Sea]] in [[southern Italy]]. It is one of the most important economic centres of mainland southern Italy. It is a [[port]] and [[university]] city as well as the city of [[Saint Nicholas]]. The city itself has a population of 315,473 inhabitants, and an area of over {{convert|116|km2|mi2}}, while the urban area has 750,000 inhabitants. Its [[Metropolitan City of Bari|metropolitan province]] has 1.2 million inhabitants.<ref name="population" />

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 di San Nicola|Basilica of Saint Nicholas]], the [[Cathedral of San Sabino]] (1035–1171) and the [[Castello Normanno-Svevo (Bari)|Norman-Swabian Castle]], 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 surrounding the centre of Bari were built 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 developed rapidly during the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bari |url=https://www.uniba.it/en/living-in-bari |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
{{For timeline}}

=== Ancient ===
Bari itself known in antiquity as ''Barium'', was a harbour of the [[Iapygians|Iapygian]] [[Peuceti]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary |year=2012 |editor-first1=Simon |editor-last1=Hornblower |editor-first2=Antony |editor-last2=Spawforth |editor-first3=Esther |editor-last3=Eidinow |isbn=978-0-19-954556-8 |edition=4th |location=Oxford |oclc=959667246 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVWcAQAAQBAJ |page=224}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|last=Andriani|first=Luigi|year=2017|title=The syntax of the dialect of Bari|publisher=Homerton College - University of Cambridge|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/131382669.pdf}}</ref> The authors of the [[Etymologicum Magnum]] have preserved an etymology by authors of antiquity about ''Barium'', which they explain as the word "house" in [[Messapic language|Messapic]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matzinger |first1=Joachim |title=Messapisch |date=2019 |publisher=Reichert Verlag |isbn=9783954907205 |page=8}}</ref> The city had strong Greek influences before the Roman era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Bari-Italy|title = Bari &#124; Italy| date=15 October 2023 }}</ref> In [[Ancient Greek]], it was known as ''Βάριον''. In the 3rd century BC, it became part of the [[Roman Republic]] and was subsequently Romanized. The city 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 [[Taranto|Tarentum]] led from Barium. Its harbour, mentioned as early as 181 BC, was probably the principal one of the districts in ancient times, as it is at present, and was the centre of a fishery.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Bari (town)|display=Bari|volume=3|page=400}}<!-- Material on p401 not used --></ref> The first historical bishop of [[Bishopric of Bari|Bari]] was [[Gervasius and Protasius|Gervasius]] who was noted at the [[Council of Sardica]] in 347.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SERDICA - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/serdica_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/serdica_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
With the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] in 476, Bari was invaded by [[Barbarian]]s and occupied by the [[Ostrogoths]]. It was taken from them by the [[Byzantine Empire]] during the [[Gothic wars]] and disputed for the following two centuries with the [[Lombards]] of the [[Duchy of Benevento]], who made it a steward.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bari tra oriente e occidente, dal medioevo ad oggi |url=https://www.basilicasannicola.it/page.php?id_art=266&id_cat=196&id_sottocat1=292&id_sottocat2=0&id_sottocat3=0&titolo=Bari%20tra%20oriente%20e%20occidente,%20dal%20medioevo%20ad%20oggi |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Basilica Pontificia San Nicola |language=it}}</ref>

Throughout this period, and indeed throughout the Middle Ages, Bari served as one of the major [[slavery|slave]] depots of the Mediterranean, providing a central location for the trade in [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] slaves.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin_italiamedievale |date=2008-02-09 |title=I secoli degli schiavi slavi |url=https://www.italiamedievale.org/i-secoli-degli-schiavi-slavi/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Italia Medievale |language=it-IT}}</ref> The slaves were mostly captured by [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] from [[Dalmatia]], by the [[Holy Roman Empire]] from what is now [[Eastern germany|Eastern Germany]] and [[Poland]], and by the Byzantines from elsewhere in the Balkans, and were generally destined for other parts of the Byzantine Empire and (most frequently) the Muslim states surrounding the Mediterranean: the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] [[Caliphate of Córdoba]], the [[Emirate of Sicily]], and the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] (which relied on Slavs purchased at the Bari market for its legions of Sakalaba [[Mamluk]]s).<ref>{{Cite book | title = The Cartoon History of the Universe III – From the Rise of Arabia to the Renaissance (Volumes 14–19)| publisher = Doubleday| year = 2002| isbn = 0-393-32403-6}}</ref>

For 20 years, Bari was the centre of the [[Emirate of Bari]]; the city was captured by its first emirs [[Kalfun]] in 847, who had been part of the mercenary garrison installed there by [[Radelchis I of Benevento]].<ref name=Wickham62>{{cite book |author=Chris Wickham |title=Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society 400–1000 |location=Totowa |publisher=Barnes and Noble |year=1981 |pages=62, 154 |isbn=978-0-389-20217-2}}</ref> The city was conquered and the emirate extinguished in 871 following [[Louis II's campaign against Bari (866–871)|five-year campaign]] by [[Emperor Louis II|Frankish Emperor Louis II]], assisted by a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] fleet.<ref>{{Setton-A History of the Crusades | volume = 1 | chapter = The Italian Cities and the Arabs before 1095 |first=Hilmar C. |last=Krueger |page=48}}</ref> [[Chris Wickham]] states Louis spent five years campaigning to reduce then occupy Bari, "and then only to a Byzantine/Slav naval blockade"; "Louis took the credit" for the success, adding "at least in Frankish eyes", then concludes by noting that by remaining in southern Italy long after this success, he "achieved the near-impossible: an alliance against him of the Beneventans, Salernitans, Neapolitans and Spoletans; later sources include [[Sawdan|Sawadān]] as well."<ref name=Wickham62/> In 885, Bari became the residence of the local Byzantine ''[[catapan]]'', or governor. The failed revolt (1009–1011) of the Lombard nobles [[Melus of Bari]] and his [[brother-in-law]] Dattus, against the Byzantine governorate, though it was firmly repressed at the [[Battle of Cannae (1018)]], offered their [[Normans|Norman]] adventurer allies a first foothold in the region.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} In 1025, under the [[Byzantius (archbishop of Bari)|Archbishop Byzantius]], Bari became attached to the [[Holy See|see of Rome]] and was granted "[[province|provincial]]" status.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BISANZIO - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/bisanzio_res-355bc01a-87e8-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Dizionario-Biografico)/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/bisanzio_res-355bc01a-87e8-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

In 1071, Bari was captured by [[Robert Guiscard]], following a [[Siege of Bari|three-year siege]], ending what remained of the Byzantine power in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Robèrto I il Guiscardo duca di Puglia, detto l'Astuto - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/roberto-i-il-guiscardo-duca-di-puglia-detto-l-astuto/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/roberto-i-il-guiscardo-duca-di-puglia-detto-l-astuto/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref> Following this, Bari's physical and political landscapes were changed: the ''praetorium'' which had functioned as a political centre was converted into the [[Basilica of Saint Nicholas, Bari|Basilica of Saint Nicholas]]. Relics of [[Saint Nicholas]] were brought to Bari in 1087 and installed in the basilica.<ref name=":1" />

In 1095, [[Peter the Hermit]] [[Preaching|preach]]ed the [[First Crusade]] there.<ref name="EB1911" /> In October 1098, [[Urban II]], who had consecrated the Basilica in 1089, convened the [[Council of Bari]], one of a series of [[synod]]s convoked with the intention of reconciling the [[Eastern Church|Eastern]] and [[Western Church]] on the question of the [[filioque]] clause in the Creed, which [[Anselm of Canterbury|Anselm]] ably defended, seated at the pope's side.<ref>{{Cite web |title=URBANO II, papa - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/papa-urbano-ii_(Dizionario-Biografico)/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/papa-urbano-ii_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

In 1136 the Holy Roman Emperor, [[Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor|Lothair]], captured Bari.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2004 |title=Bari |encyclopedia=Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |url=https://archive.org/details/medievalitalyenc0000unse/page/95/mode/1up |last=Barker |first=John W. |page=95}}</ref> A Byzantine army took control of Bari from [[William I of Sicily]] in 1155. William recaptured the city the following year, and on finding that his house had been destroyed began a campaign of reprisals causing widespread destruction across the city. The city walls were destroyed, an act which archaeologist Giulia Bellato suggests was a symbolic downgrading of Bari's status and that of its inhabitants. The events are chronicled by [[Hugo Falcandus]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Bellato |first=Giulia |date=2024 |title=Bari and political violence in the twelfth century: a case of medieval urbicide |url=https://www.adh.journal.mantova.polimi.it/issue/heritage-cities-and-destruction/essay/bari-and-political-violence-in-the-twelfth-century |journal=Journal of Architectural Design and History}}</ref>

During [[Joanna I of Naples]]' conflict with Hungary, Bari was besieged in 1349 and captured by a combined Germany and Hungarian army.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Barker |first=John W. |title=Bari |page=96 |encyclopedia=Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |url=https://archive.org/details/medievalitalyenc0000unse/page/95/mode/1up}}</ref>

=== Early modern period ===
{{Main|Duchy of Bari}}
[[File:XIX century print, Il porto di Bari.jpg|thumb|19th-century image of the port of Bari]]

A long period of decline characterized the city under the dominations of [[Aldoino Filangieri di Candida]], and those of the [[Kings of Naples]], which held the control of the entire mainland southern Italy from 1282 to 1806. This decline was interrupted, however, by the splendor under the [[Sforzas]], who ruled the city as [[Duchy of Bari|Dukes of Bari]], a title given by the Neapolitan crown, in particular under the rule of the dukes [[Ludovico Sforza|Ludovico]] and [[Beatrice d'Este]], then of the duchesses [[Isabella of Aragon, Duchess of Milan|Isabella of Aragon]] and [[Bona Sforza]]. Bari also underwent Venetian domination, which led to the expansion of the port and a very prosperous period, also favored by the trade of inland products, which were in great demand on foreign markets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parte 2 -1440/1480 |url=http://rilievo.stereofot.it/studenti/aa00/trentadue/relazione/1440-1480.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=rilievo.stereofot.it}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-03-08 |title=Isabella d'Aragona e Bona Sforza: donne che hanno rivoluzionato la città di Bari. |url=https://www.pugliaculturaeterritorio.it/isabella-daragona-e-bona-sforza-donne-che-hanno-rivoluzionato-la-citta-di-bari/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Puglia Cultura e Territorio |language=it-IT}}</ref>

In 1556, Princess Bona Sforza of Aragon, second wife of the [[Sigismund I the Old|King of Poland Sigismund I]], left Poland and settled in Bari, whose principality she had inherited from her parents. During her reign, she fortified the city's castle, as evidenced by an inscription in bronze letters on the cornice around the courtyard, as well as building several churches, a monastery, two water cisterns and made many donations to the monks of the Basilica of San Nicola. Bona Sforza died in the city in 1557.<ref name=":0" /> Following her death, the city of Bari came under the direct rule of the kings of Naples.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BONA Sforza, regina di Polonia - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/bona-sforza-regina-di-polonia_(Dizionario-Biografico)/,%20https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/bona-sforza-regina-di-polonia_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

In 1813, [[Joachim Murat]], [[Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic)|King of Naples]] in the [[Napoleonic era]], began a new urbanization, changing the face of the city and setting a new "chessboard" growth model, which continued for many years to come. The village built at the time on the outskirts of the old city still retains its name.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Traversa |first=Michele |date=2011-02-23 |title=Bari, storia di una città. E venne un Re, l'incontro di Gioacchino Murat a Bari |url=https://www.lsdmagazine.com/2011/02/23/bari-storia-di-una-citta-e-venne-un-re-lincontro-di-gioacchino-murat-a-bari/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=LSD Magazine |language=it-IT}}</ref>

Modern plumbing arrived in the city of Bari on 24 April 1915: it was the first completed leg of the nascent Apulian Aqueduct. During the 1930s, [[Araldo di Crollalanza]], the mayor and minister of Bari, oversaw the development of its modern waterfront.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Feudis |first=Michele De |title=Don Araldo di Crollalanza, il costruttore della Bari moderna |url=https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/bari/1342649/don-araldo-di-crollalanza-130-anni-senza-il-costruttore-della-bari-moderna.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it |date=19 May 2022 |language=it}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
On 11 September 1943, in connection with the [[Armistice of Cassibile]], Bari was taken without resistance by the [[1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|British 1st Airborne Division]], {{citation needed|date=April 2024}} then during October and November 1943, New Zealand troops from the 2nd New Zealand Division assembled in Bari.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/new-zealand-soldiers-disembark-taranto |title=New Zealand soldiers disembark at Taranto |date= |accessdate=2024-04-08 |quote= |publisher=New Zealand History }}</ref>

==== The 1943 chemical warfare disaster ====
{{See also|Air raid on Bari}}

[[File:SS John Harvey on fire 12-2-1943, Italian port of Bari.JPG|thumb|The SS ''John Harvey'' on fire<br />on 2 December 1943, at Bari]]

A fleet of German [[Luftwaffe]] bombers attacked Allied forces and shipping in Bari on 2 December 1943. An American ship, the {{SS|John Harvey}}, carrying a secret cargo of 2,000 [[mustard gas]] bombs, was destroyed causing release of the gas into the air and sea, resulting in death, chemical burns, and blindness among sailors and the civilian population of the city.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

A member of U.S. General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s medical staff, Stewart F. Alexander, was dispatched to Bari following the raid. Alexander had trained at the Army's [[Edgewood Arsenal]] in Maryland,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mapquest.com/us/maryland/edgewood-arsenal-md-283594995|title=Edgewood Arsenal, MD - Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland Map & Directions - MapQuest}}</ref>{{citation needed|reason=Please check this reference; the link(?) identifies the Edgewood Arsenal as part of the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland|date=March 2016}} and was familiar with some of the effects of mustard gas. Although he was not informed of the cargo carried by the ''John Harvey'', and most victims suffered atypical symptoms caused by exposure to mustard diluted in water and oil (as opposed to airborne), Alexander rapidly concluded that mustard gas was present. Although he could not get any acknowledgement of this from the chain of command, Alexander convinced medical staffs to treat patients for mustard exposure and saved many lives as a result. He also preserved many tissue samples from autopsied victims at Bari. After World War II, these samples would result in the development of an early form of [[chemotherapy]] based on mustard, [[Mustine]].<ref name=Infield1976>{{cite book |title=Disaster at Bari |author=Glenn Infield |year=1976 |publisher=New English Library |isbn=978-0-450-02659-1}}.</ref>

On the orders of Allied leaders [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Winston Churchill]], and Eisenhower, records were destroyed and the whole affair was kept secret for many years after the war. The U.S. records of the attack were declassified in 1959, but the episode remained obscure until 1967, when writer Glenn B. Infield exposed the story in his book ''Disaster at Bari''.<ref name=Infield1976/> Additionally, there is considerable dispute as to the exact number of fatalities. In one account: "[S]ixty-nine deaths were attributed in whole or in part to the mustard gas, most of them American merchant seamen."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq104-4.htm |title=US Naval Historical Center report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112101131/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq104-4.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2008}}</ref> Others put the count as high as "more than one thousand Allied servicemen and more than one thousand Italian civilians".<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1889901210 Amazon book summary] of {{cite book |title=Nightmare in Bari: The World War II Liberty Ship Poison Gas Disaster and Coverup |year=2001 |author=Gerald Reminick |publisher=Glencannon Press |isbn=978-1-889-90121-3}}</ref>

The affair is the subject of two books: the aforementioned ''Disaster at Bari'', by Glenn B. Infield, and ''Nightmare in Bari: The World War II Liberty Ship Poison Gas Disaster and Coverup'', by [[Gerald Reminick]].{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

In 1988, through the efforts of [[Nick T. Spark]], U.S. Senators [[Dennis DeConcini]] and [[Bill Bradley]], Stewart Alexander received recognition from the [[Surgeon General of the United States Army]] for his actions during the Bari disaster.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tucson Senior Helps Retired Doctor Receive Military Honor |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=943&dat=19880520&id=-61PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eVMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3824,2173744 |newspaper=[[Mohave Daily Miner]] |location=Kingman, Arizona |date=May 20, 1988 |page=B8 |via=Google News}}</ref>

==== ''Charles Henderson'' explosion ====
The port of Bari was again struck by disaster on 9 April 1945 when the Liberty ship ''[[SS Charles Henderson|Charles Henderson]]'' exploded in the harbour while offloading 2,000 tons of aerial bombs (half of that amount had been offloaded when the explosion occurred). Three hundred and sixty people were killed and 1,730 were wounded. The harbour was again rendered non-operational, this time for a month.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Bari explosion view from Barracks crop sm.jpg|9 April 1945 – view from the barracks. Photo by WOJG Hubert Platt Henderson who was stationed at Bari as the Director of the 773rd Band.
File:Bari Explosion 1.jpg|9 April 1945 – photo by WOJG Hubert Platt Henderson who was stationed at Bari as the Director of the 773rd Band
File:Italy 4 Bari Explosion front b.jpg|9 April 1945 – photo by WOJG Hubert Platt Henderson who was stationed at Bari as the Director of the 773rd Band
</gallery>

== Geography ==
Bari is the largest urban and metro area on the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]]. It is located in [[southern Italy]], at a more northerly latitude than [[Naples]], further south than [[Rome]].

=== Climate ===
Bari has a hot-summer [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csa'') bordering on a [[cold semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: BSk) due to high evapotranspiration, with mild winters and hot, dry summers.

{{Weather box
 | width       = auto
 | collapsed   = yes
 | metric first = yes
 | single line = yes
 | location    = [[Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport]] (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1932–present)
 | Jan record high C = 24.0
 | Feb record high C = 25.1
 | Mar record high C = 31.6
 | Apr record high C = 32.6
 | May record high C = 39.1
 | Jun record high C = 45.5
 | Jul record high C = 45.6
 | Aug record high C = 44.8
 | Sep record high C = 39.1
 | Oct record high C = 35.2
 | Nov record high C = 28.7
 | Dec record high C = 24.0
 | year record high C = 
 | Jan high C = 12.6
 | Feb high C = 13.2
 | Mar high C = 15.7
 | Apr high C = 19.0
 | May high C = 23.6
 | Jun high C = 28.2
 | Jul high C = 30.6
 | Aug high C = 30.5
 | Sep high C = 26.2
 | Oct high C = 21.9
 | Nov high C = 17.6
 | Dec high C = 13.9
 | year high C = 21.1
 | Jan mean C = 8.3
 | Feb mean C = 8.7
 | Mar mean C = 10.9
 | Apr mean C = 13.9
 | May mean C = 18.5
 | Jun mean C = 23.0
 | Jul mean C = 25.4
 | Aug mean C = 25.4
 | Sep mean C = 21.2
 | Oct mean C = 17.2
 | Nov mean C = 13.2
 | Dec mean C = 9.6
 | year mean C = 16.3
 | Jan low C = 4.1
 | Feb low C = 4.2
 | Mar low C = 6.0
 | Apr low C = 8.9
 | May low C = 13.0
 | Jun low C = 17.3
 | Jul low C = 20.0
 | Aug low C = 20.1
 | Sep low C = 16.5
 | Oct low C = 12.6
 | Nov low C = 9.0
 | Dec low C = 5.8
 | year low C = 11.5
 | Jan record low C = -7.6
 | Feb record low C = -3.0
 | Mar record low C = -5.4
 | Apr record low C = -0.9
 | May record low C = 3.6
 | Jun record low C = 7.8
 | Jul record low C = 11.8
 | Aug record low C = 12.4
 | Sep record low C = 8.4
 | Oct record low C = 4.0
 | Nov record low C = -1.0
 | Dec record low C = -3.6
 | year record low C = 
 | precipitation colour = green
 | Jan precipitation mm = 50.8
 | Feb precipitation mm = 37.0
 | Mar precipitation mm = 41.0
 | Apr precipitation mm = 42.0
 | May precipitation mm = 30.4
 | Jun precipitation mm = 29.4
 | Jul precipitation mm = 17.8
 | Aug precipitation mm = 13.3
 | Sep precipitation mm = 41.7
 | Oct precipitation mm = 53.9
 | Nov precipitation mm = 62.0
 | Dec precipitation mm = 47.4
 | year precipitation mm = 466.6
 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
 | Jan precipitation days = 7.4
 | Feb precipitation days = 5.6
 | Mar precipitation days = 6.5
 | Apr precipitation days = 6.0
 | May precipitation days = 4.5
 | Jun precipitation days = 3.0
 | Jul precipitation days = 1.9
 | Aug precipitation days = 2.3
 | Sep precipitation days = 4.8
 | Oct precipitation days = 5.5
 | Nov precipitation days = 7.0
 | Dec precipitation days = 7.0
 | year precipitation days = 61.4
 | Jan humidity = 71.8
 | Feb humidity = 69.7
 | Mar humidity = 69.1
 | Apr humidity = 67.8
 | May humidity = 66.3
 | Jun humidity = 64.2
 | Jul humidity = 60.4
 | Aug humidity = 63.3
 | Sep humidity = 68.3
 | Oct humidity = 73.2
 | Nov humidity = 74.9
 | Dec humidity = 73.1
 | year humidity = 68.5
| Jan sun = 132.9
| Feb sun = 163.9
| Mar sun = 230.8
| Apr sun = 265.5
| May sun = 312.9
| Jun sun = 336.4
| Jul sun = 355.6
| Aug sun = 318.5
| Sep sun = 252.8
| Oct sun = 202.8
| Nov sun = 137.0
| Dec sun = 120.4
| year sun = 
 | source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="WMONormals">{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Italy/CSV/BariPalese_16270.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Bari
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = February 4, 2024}}</ref>
| source 2 = [[Servizio Meteorologico]] (extremes),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bari Palese |website=Temperature estreme in Toscana |date= |access-date=4 February 2024 |url= http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/bari-palese/ |language=it}}</ref> Weather.Directory<ref name="Weather.Directory">
{{cite web|url=https://weather.directory/it/bari
|title= Bari Weather & Climate Guide
|access-date= 9 Sep 2025
|website= Weather.Directory}}</ref>
}}

=== Quarters ===
[[File:Municipalities of Bari with numbers.svg|thumb|Municipi of Bari]]
Bari is divided into five municipalities (''Municipi''), constituted in 2014.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.comune.bari.it/i-municipi | title=I Municipi di Bari | language=it}}</ref> The municipality is also divided into 17 official neighbourhoods (''[[quartieri]]'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.palapa.it/palapadnn/Quartieri/tabid/23/Default.aspx |publisher=Palapa.it |title=Quartieri |date=8 January 2008 |access-date=31 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813042322/http://www.palapa.it/palapadnn/Quartieri/tabid/23/Default.aspx |archive-date=13 August 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! width="10%" | Codice
! width="50%" | Nome
! width="15%" | Area
! width="15%" | Abitanti
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''1'''
| Municipio 1
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:24.07}} km<sup>2</sup>
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:113378}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''2'''
| Municipio 2
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:15.44}} km<sup>2</sup>
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:91303}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''3'''
| Municipio 3
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:22.51}} km<sup>2</sup>
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:50742}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''4'''
| Municipio 4
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:33.16}} km<sup>2</sup>
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:38566}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''5'''
| Municipio 5
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:21.56}} km<sup>2</sup>
| style="text-align:right" | {{formatnum:30209}}
|}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1861|44572|1871|61541|1881|72624|1901|94236|1911|121633|1921|136247|1931|172600|1936|197918|1951|268183|1961|312023|1971|357274|1981|371022|1991|342309|2001|316532|2011|315933|2021|315948|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente e presente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1971|trans-title=Resident and present population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1971|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/PUV0027177Pop_res_pres_cens_1861_1971_Tomo1.pdf|date=1971-10-24|language=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}

As of 2015, there are 315,473 people residing in Bari of whom 48.1% were male and 51.9% were female, while 3.8% of the population were foreign residents.<ref>{{cite web |website=Comuni-Italiani.it |title=Cittadini Stranieri - Bari |language=it |trans-title=Foreigners - Bari |url=http://www.comuni-italiani.it/072/006/statistiche/stranieri.html |access-date=2018-03-13}}</ref>
{|
! Residents by Region !! Residents by Nationality
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|-
| Central / Eastern Europe || 2,047
|-
| European Union || 1,983
|-
| Western Asia || 1,948
|-
| South / Central Asia || 1,732
|-
| East Africa || 1,486
|-
| East Asia || 1,343
|-
| West Africa || 1,000
|-
| North Africa || 492
|-
| South / Central America || 368
|-
| North America || 54
|-
| South / Central Africa || 22
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|-
| Georgia || 1,664
|-
| Albania || 1,390
|-
| Romania || 1,171
|-
| Bangladesh || 828
|-
| China || 731
|-
| Mauritius || 689
|-
| Philippines || 561
|-
| Nigeria || 474
|-
| Pakistan || 353
|-
| India || 300
|-
| Somalia || 291
|}
|}

=== Migration ===
According to an urban migration study in Bari, return migration gain to urban areas is higher than migration loss from urban areas. People migrating from urban destinations tend to migrate to different places in comparison to people migrating from rural areas. These findings are based on the background and behavior of a sample of 211 return migrants to Bari, Italy. Bari is a port city, making it historically important because of its strong trade links with Greece, North Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean. Bari's economic structure is based on industry, commerce, services, and administration. Around two-thirds of the city's employment is in the tertiary sector with its port, commerce, and administrative functions. The highest percentage of Bari's working population is employed in services, with 45.6%. From 1958 to 1982, around 20% of migrants left Bari for other Italian communes, while around 17% or migrants came to Bari from other Italian communes. Under 2% of migrants left Bari to go abroad and came to the city from abroad.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=King |first1=Russel |last2=Strachan |first2=Alan |last3=Mortimer |first3=Jill |title=The Urban Dimension of European Return Migration: The Case of Bari, Southern Italy |journal=Urban Studies |date=June 1985 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=219–235 |jstor=43192080 |doi=10.1080/00420988520080361|bibcode=1985UrbSt..22..219K |s2cid=154608219 }}</ref>

== Culture ==

=== Cuisine and gastronomy ===
[[File:Orecchiette al Pomodoro.jpg|thumb|A dish of [[orecchiette]]]]
Bari's cuisine is based on three typical agricultural products found within the surrounding region of Apulia, namely wheat, olive oil, and wine.<ref>{{cite web |title=Puglia |url=https://britannicaeducation.com/britannica-school/ |website=Britannica School |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref>

== Sport ==
{{See also|History of SSC Bari}}[[File:Stadiosannicola2023.jpg|thumb|[[Stadio San Nicola]]]]

Local football club [[S.S.C. Bari]], currently competing in [[Serie B]] (as of the 2024–2025 season), plays in the [[Stadio San Nicola]], an architecturally innovative 58,000-seater stadium purpose-built for the [[1990 FIFA World Cup]]. The stadium also hosted the [[1991 European Cup final]].

In 2007, Bari hosted the [[2007 CMAS World Games|first and only world games for underwater sports]].

== Education ==
* [[Accademia di Belle Arti di Bari|Academy of Fine Arts of Bari]]
* [[Conservatory of Bari]]
* [[Polytechnic University of Bari]]
* [[University of Bari]]

== Transport ==
[[File:Bari Central Station.jpg|thumb|Bari Central Station]]
Bari has its own airport, [[Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport]], which is located {{convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of the centre of Bari. It is connected to the centre by train services from [[Bari Aeroporto railway station]].

[[Bari Centrale railway station|Bari Central Station]] lies on the [[Adriatic railway]] and has connection to cities such as [[Rome]], [[Milan]], [[Bologna]], [[Turin]] and [[Venice]]. Another mainline is connection southwards by the [[Bari-Taranto railway]]. The [[Bari metropolitan railway service]] operates local commuter services; while regional services also operate to [[Foggia]], [[Barletta]], [[Brindisi]], [[Lecce]], [[Taranto]] and other towns and villages in the Apulia region.

Bari has an old fishery port (''Porto Vecchio'') and a so-called new port in the north, as well as some marinas. The Port of Bari is an important cargo transport hub to [[Southeast Europe]]. Various passenger transport lines include some seasonal ferry lines to [[Albania]], [[Montenegro]] or [[Dubrovnik]]. Bari – [[Igoumenitsa]] is a popular ferry route to Greece. Some cruise ships call at Bari.

== In popular culture ==
The Guido Guerrieri novels by [[Gianrico Carofiglio]] are set in Bari, where Guerrieri is a criminal lawyer, and include many descriptions of the town.

Bari is one of the primary settings of the 1954 detective novel ''[[The Black Mountain (novel)|The Black Mountain]]'' by [[Rex Stout]]. It is the characters' point of embarkation to [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Communist Yugoslavia]].

In the 1995 film ''[[The Bridges of Madison County (film)|The Bridges of Madison County]]'', Italian housewife Francesca Johnson ([[Meryl Streep]]), is mentioned as being from Bari and growing up in Naples.

The 2020 Edoardo Ponti film ''[[The Life Ahead|La vita davanti a sé]]'', starring [[Sophia Loren]], is set in Bari.

== Notable people ==
{{div col|colwidth=13em}}
* [[Licia Albanese]]
* [[Giovanni Alemanno]]
* [[Emanuele Arciuli]]
* [[Argyrus (catepan of Italy)]]
* [[Francesco Attolico]]
* [[Lino Banfi]]
* [[Alessio Bax]]
* [[Pope Benedict XIII]]
* [[Gioia Bruno]]
* [[Gianrico Carofiglio]]
* [[Antonio Cassano]]
* [[Riccardo Cucciolla]]
* [[Niccolò dell'Arca]]
* [[Chiara Fumai]]
* [[Giovanni Pietro Gallo]]<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Iain Fenlon|date=2001|entry=Gallo, Giovanni Pietro|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.10573}}</ref>
* [[Franco Giordano]]
* [[Alfredo Giovine]]
* [[Ivan Iusco]]
* [[Gaetano Latilla]]
* [[Guido Marzulli]]
* [[Antonio Matarrese]]
* [[Ermal Meta]]
* [[Marco Misciagna]]
* [[Domenico Modugno]]
* [[Aldo Moro]]
* [[Pomponio Nenna]]
* [[Mario Nuzzolese]]
* [[Joe Orlando]]
* [[Anna Oxa]]
* [[Pino Pascali]]
* [[Nico Perrone]]
* [[Niccolò Piccinni]]
* [[Victor Posa]]
* [[Lazarus Racanelli]]
* [[Francesco Racanelli]]
* [[Francesco Riefolo]]
* [[Rocco Rodio]]
* [[Sergio Rubini]]
* [[Gaetano Salvemini]]
* [[Bona Sforza]]
* [[Cesare Stea]]
* [[Catia Summaria]]
* [[Gemma Taccogna]]
* [[Pope Urban VI]]
* [[Nichi Vendola]]
* [[Checco Zalone]]
* [[Dulcita Lieggi]]
* [[Fabio Delvino]]
{{div col end}}

== International relations ==

=== Twin towns – sister cities ===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}
Bari is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=I sedici gemellaggi di Bari|url=https://quotidianodibari.it/i-sedici-gemellaggi-di-bari/|website=quotidianodibari.it|publisher=Quotidiano di Bari|language=it|date=2017-07-11|access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Banja Luka]], Bosnia and Herzegovina
*[[Batumi]], Georgia
*[[Corfu (city)|Corfu]], Greece
*[[Durrës]], Albania
*[[Guangzhou]], China
*[[Kostroma]], Russia
*[[Mar del Plata]], Argentina
*[[Monte Sant'Angelo]], Italy
*[[Palma de Mallorca]], Spain
*[[Patras]], Greece
*[[San Giovanni Rotondo]], Italy
*[[Słupsk]], Poland
*[[Szczecin]], Poland
*[[Sumgait]], Azerbaijan
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Italy|European Union|Cities}}
* [[Youmanity|Accademia Apulia]]
* [[Bar, Montenegro|Antivari]] (means 'opposite Bari')
* [[Bari Light]] – the Punta San Cataldo di Bari Lighthouse
* [[Durrës]]
* [[Province of Bari]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{See also|Timeline of Bari#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Bari}}
* Glenn B. Infield. 1973. ''Disaster at Bari''. Ace Books. New York, N.Y.
* Vito Antonio Melchiorre. 2001. ''Note storiche su Bari''.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Bari}}
{{Wikivoyage|Bari}}
* [http://www.comune.bari.it/ City of Bari]
* [http://www.provincia.ba.it/ Province of Bari] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508080909/http://provincia.ba.it/ |date=2021-05-08 }}
* [http://www.regione.puglia.it/ Region of Apulia]

{{Province of Bari}}
{{Cities in Italy}}
{{Regional Capitals of Italy}}
{{Mediterranean Games}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bari| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Apulia]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Apulia]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Adriatic Sea]]