Montenegro Excursions - Bari, Italy

Bari, Italy is located a short ferry trip across the Adriatic Sea, from the Port of Bar in the Ulcinj South Coast. Bari's role as a strategic harbor and landside crossroads dates to 181 BC. For a brief period of 20 years starting in 847, Bari was captured by Islamic invaders and became the Emirate of Bari under the emir Kalfun

The Norman-Hohenstaufen Castle, widely known as the Castello Svevo ("Swabian Castle"), was built by Roger II of Sicily around 1131. Destroyed in 1156, it was rebuilt by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. The castle now serves as a gallery for a variety of temporary exhibitions in the city.

Bari has a surprising amount of charm, particularly in the Barivecchia, or Old Bari, a kind of chic medieval old town. Barivecchia is a sprawl of streets and passageways making up the section of the city to the north of the modern Murat area. It has recently been redeveloped with two main squares - Piazza Mercantile and Piazza Ferrarese which are now the location of many pubs and other venues.

Bari is the site of an infamous incident which occured during World War II, where on December 2, 1943, German Junkders Ju88 bombers attacked and sunk several Allied ships. The Liberty ship John Harvey, which was carrying mustard gas, was among the ships sunk. The presence of the mustard gas was a matter of top secrecy during the war, and the material had only been in the region contingency upon German forces first initiating chemical warfare. Casualties from the German bombing were intensified by the presence of the gas, both on the ship and on the docks waiting for loading.

Other ancient cities accessible from the Ulcinj South Coast region of Montenegro include Stari Ulcinj, Stari Bar, Cetinje, Budva, and Herceg-Novi.

Visitor Activities in Bari (Italy):

Ferry ride from Bar (Montenegro)
Day trip in Italian coastal countryside
Drinks at a Barivecchia pub
Tour of Castello Normanno-Svevo
Lunch at Bari harbor
About Montenegro hotels

More information about Bari, Italy at UlcinjToday.com