Italians are notoriously loyal to the cuisine of their own hometown or region, but it is a fact widely acknowledged that Puglia is the spiritual home of antipasti. Order the antipasto misto in almost any restaurant in the region and you will find yourself overwhelmed with food. If youíre hoping to get beyond starters and onto primi piatti (pasta or risotto), secondi piatti (main courses of meat or fish), and desert, forget the idea of ordering more than one antipasto misto between two. Rarely will less than seven separate plates arrive, with the dishes themselves depending on the type of restaurant youíve chosen.
Arguably the most impressive antipasto misto on offer in Bari is to be found at Ai Due Ghiottoni (Via Putignani, 11; 0039 080 523 2240), an up-market but unpretentious restaurant in the heart of the 19th-century section of the city. Ghiottoni is the Italian word for ëgluttonsí and this immaculate eatery is true to its name. Enormous dishes of antipasti will keep on arriving until you tell the waiter youíve had your fill: shining mozzarella and burrata cheeses (an enticing mixture of mozzarella and cream); octopus in tomato sauce; grilled mussels stuffed with parmesan and breadcrumbs; homemade focaccia; seabass carpaccio with red peppercorns; the list goes on and on. Secondi feature simply grilled or roasted fish and shellfish and when itís time for dessert, youíre once again presented with dishes and dishes of stunning cakes, sweets and sorbets.
But Bari isnít all about high-class dining. The city, particularly the medieval old town, known as Barivecchia, is full of charming, reasonably-priced osterie, which serve traditional, local food in a relaxed atmosphere. Antica Osteria Vini e Cucina (Via Vallisa, 23; 0039 330 433 018), is just such a place. Run by the same family for the last 140 years, it has real character and offers simple Bari cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood. While there, be sure to try the cityís most famous dish, oven-baked riso, patate e cozze (rice, potatoes and mussels), a sort of poor manís risotto which will fill your belly and warm you up in equal measure.
Terra Terra (Via Cairoli, 86; 0039 080 914 7339) offers a decidedly more modern approach to eating out in Bari and is the perfect solution for a speedy and healthy lunch grabbed between meetings. Choose between super fresh salads, sandwiches and smoothies, as well as a changing menu of hot meals, at this bright and friendly new town spot.
Barivecchia is a warren of tiny, largely unsignposted alleyways that is almost impossible to find your way around. This part of the city was for a long time considered a no-go area owing to the high levels of petty crime, but it has cleaned up its act in the last few years and is now a safe and rewarding place to visit, both during the day ñ for its lovely churches ñ and by night ñ for its bars, restaurants and live music venues.
The area’s biggest claim to fame is that the remains of Saint Nicholas, otherwise known as Father Christmas, have been held in the Basilica di San Nicola (Piazza San Nicola) since it was founded in 1089. Find them in the crypt of the imposing 12th-century building, alongside an Orthodox chapel, which was built to cater for the Russian, Greek and Balkan pilgrims who regularly come to pay their respects to the saint. The San Sabino Cathedral (Piazza Odegitria) is another splendid example of Pugliese Romanesque architecture in the old town.
A short walk from the basilica is the Castello Svevo (Piazza Isabella díAragona), the enormous Norman castle that dominates the western side of Barivecchia. Built on the ruins of a Roman fort in the 11th-century, it was expanded by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the 13th-century and then added to again in the 16th-century. The castle hosts temporary exhibitions, as well as a gallery of plaster models of Romanesque architecture from throughout the region.
Bari is also the proud owner of one of Italyís largest theatres, the Teatro Petruzzelli (Via Salvatore Cognetti, 8; 0039 080 5228010; fondazione-petruzzelli.it), which sits resplendent on Corso Cavour, one of the modern cityís grandest thoroughfares. The current building is a painstaking reconstruction of the original late 19th-century theatre, which was almost completely destroyed by arson in 1991. Along with its sister theatre, the Teatro Piccinni (Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 84; phone number and URL as before), the Petruzzelli hosts high-brow straight plays, opera, dance and classical concerts.
A short taxi ride outside the centre of Bari is TeatroTeam (Via Prezzolini; 0039 080 521 0877; teatroteam.it), which welcomes a broad range of touring comedians and theatre and dance companies, including the Russian National Ballet and its Coppelia on 12 December.
For an eminently civilised pre-theatre drink, you canít do better than the refined surroundings of petite bar, Champagnerie (Via Roberto da Bari, 99; 0039 080 524 0687), which specialises in decadent champagne cocktails.
Back in the old town, youíll find more modest, but no less diverting entertainment at live music venues such as Garg (Via Palazzo di Citt‡, 58; 0039 333 277 13 77), where you can sip great cocktails while listening to soft rock and indie bands in stylish surroundings.
It might feel like gluttony, but given that Bari is all about indulgence, thereís no better way to round off a day of culinary and cultural feasting than with just one more tasty treat: a sickly sweet nutella crÍpe from one of the several creperie on Piazzas Ferrarese and Mercantile, the buzzing squares on the east side of Barivechia.