Bari

Furthermore, Bari’s harbor was mentioned as early as 180 BC as a principal Harbor during ancient times. Likewise, modern-day Bari is a popular harbor and a center of fishery. During the Roman era, Bari was a direct path between the coast roadway and the Via Traiana and was likely focused on the fishery. As a result, the new road made its way from Roma to Brindisi more quicker. As a result of the fall of the Roman Empire, Bari changed sides throughout the years, putting it under the control of either Lombards or Saracen. In 1025, Bari became a center of Catholicism as it was granted provincial status by Rome.
In 1087 Basilica di San Nicola was founded to hold the remains of Saint Nicolas. Pilgrims flocked to visit and proved to bolster the city’s economy. Afterward in 1098, the Council of Bari convened to resolve disputes between two Christian Churches. Ultimately their differences eventually resulted in the Great Schism. Bari’s prominence as an important city of Catholicism rose.

Under Longobard’s rule and after the devastations of the Gothic Wars, A set of written regulations was created. Widely known as the Consuetudines Barenses, other written constitutions in southern cities were influenced and were centered around it. Bari continued to be governed by Longobards and Byzantines up until the Normans arrived. In the 11th century, Norman Robert Guiscard arrived in Bari and started his campaign to capture Southern Italy. The war with the Byzantines had lasted for several years and during grueling times Bari had to endure a 3-year siege.

Finally, Robert Guiscard conquered the city and became the King of Southern Italy. Bari would then be under the rule of the Normans. Later on, a massive fortress would be constructed by Norman King Roger the 2nd. Its purpose was to keep Bari protected from more enemy attacks; an impenetrable castle over the sea surrounded by deep moats was created.

At the start of the 12th century, a war in southern Italy had broken out led by the King of Sicily William the Bad. Bari was captured and the city was ruined in the process. Years later Emperor Frederick the 2nd would rebuild Bari and reconstruct the fortress of Castell Svevo. Aside from the various conflicts that occurred, several other religious monuments were constructed during the middle ages, especially Cattedrale di Bari. It served as a central area and was surrounded by the city’s most beautiful plazas.
Throughout the middle ages, Bari had a terrible reputation as a popular slave market and it serves as one of the major slave depots of the Mediterranean, providing a central location for the trade in Slavic slaves. Bari would remain under the rule of Naples for several centuries up until 1860.

In 1860, the city was unified along with the rest of the kingdom of Italy. Napoleon’s general Joachim Murat had decided to build a new modern district and expand Bari In the 19th century, Plans for new sections of the city were personally designed by him. After this time, industrialization and urbanization occurred and resulted in the modern metropolis of Bari today.
19th Century Bari underwent a rapid increase in population and industrial development. The city expanded far beyond what were once the city walls. Apart from industrial development was the creation of archeological museums, a picture gallery, and the University of Bari founded in 1924. In 1930 the annual Fiera del Levante has first held in Bari an Occidental-Oriental trade fair.
The city suffered damage in World War II. Namely, it suffered the effects of chemical warfare and aerial bombardment. Since then the city has been rebuilt and long recovered. Modern-day Bari consists of newly erected residential, commercial, industrial, and two of its own airports. Today the city is widely known as the “California of the South”, and it has all the things a city could ever need.