Until a few years ago it was little more than a stopover towards the beaches of Salento or ferries to Greece. Today Bari conquers the pages of the New York Times with a long reportage that tells the metamorphosis: from a forgotten port to a new gateway to the Mediterranean, directly connected to New York thanks on an intercontinental flight.
It is not a given attention for a city in the South often absent from the radar of the major international media. But it is precisely One of the most dynamic urban transformations is taking place in Bari and counterintuitive of contemporary Italy: a growth model that fascinates, but which It also raises questions deep insights into the city's future and its ability to withstand the impact of success.
Bari-New York, here is the flight that symbolizes a change of pace
The turning point was theAnnouncement of direct flight Bari–New York JFK, the first intercontinental connection in the city's history. Made possible by the work of Anthony Mary Vasile, president of Aeroporti di Puglia, who for two years has beenworks to attract American carriers, with a clear objective: “We made American companies understand that here there is not just a postcard city, but a economic and cultural basin that deserves to be connected to the world”. For Puglia, and for Bari in particular, it is a challenge of reputation and development: “We do not want to be the forgotten South of Italy. We want to be the gateway to the Mediterranean”.
Il first flight will take off in June, operated by the Italian company Neos, and it represents not only a logistical conquest, but a turning point in image. For Vasile, it is “the fruit of enormous work” and the beginning of new opportunities for all of Puglia: “Bari has a culture, a history and a cuisine worthy of the time and money of travellers”.
According to the president of Aeroporti di Puglia, the new route represents more than atourist opportunity: it is a sign of the growing attractiveness of the city and the strategic role it can play in the economy of Southern Europe. Also for this reason, new intercontinental routes are already being studied for the future.
Bari: From a Shunned City to the Capital of Urban Rebirth
Bari was for decades synonymous with marginality: a “sleepy and disreputable” city, writes the New York Times, with a historic center considered off-limits even by residents. Then something changed. The administration has changed, the approach to security has changed, the way the people of Bari look at their city has changed.
Today Bari Vecchia is the beating heart of the rebirth. Tourists flock to taste the focaccia with cherry tomatoes and olives, visit the Basilica of San Nicola and watch the women preparing orecchiette in the street under the Arco Basso. “It's as if something had come uncorked,” he says to NYT the writer and former magistrate Gianrico Carofiglio. “The city has become full of life and opportunities. Of course there are still many problems, but today it's a place that surprises".
The change of direction did not happen by chance. Starting from the early 2000s, a series of urban and social interventions, initiated by the center-left municipal councils, have progressively returned the center to the citizens. The pedestrianization of via Sparano, the investment in culture, the redevelopment of the waterfront and the opening to international tourism have transformed the perception of the city.
"We are no longer the city you pass through to go to the sea. Now we are a destination" claims the mayor Vito Leccese. Confirming this are the data: in 2023 Bari exceeded two million tourist presences, with an 18% growth compared to the previous year.
Bari: tourism on the rise, but the city is questioning itself
The arrival of intercontinental flights and the boom in tourism represent a extraordinary opportunity of economic growth. “The more tourists arrive, the more important we feel,” explains Leccese. But as often happens in rapid transformation processes, tensions also emerge. Bari is not yet Rome or Venice, and someone is starting to fear a crowded postcard futureThe fear is that of theovertourism, the phenomenon that transforms cities into overloaded destinations: uncontrolled growth of bed and breakfasts, long lines, unfindable parking, services under pressure, inaccessible restaurants. A change that risks compromising the quality of life, even before the urban identity.
Il New York Times puts the contradictions in light: the surge in short-term rentals is pushing students, residents and families out of the historic center. “In Bari Vecchia they now only rent to tourists“, says a young college student. “And if you can’t afford it, you have to leave.”
Added to this is another structural fragility: I'occupation. Tourism generates new jobs, but often precarious, seasonal and poorly paid. "If tourism becomes the only resource, there is a risk of a bubble", warns the economist Mary Grace Cito. "Structural investments are needed in transportation, education, healthcare.” Young people also perceive it. “Tourism is not a stable solution for the economy,” says a law student. “Many jobs are temporary and underpaid, and meanwhile public services remain at a standstill.” An example? Urban connections. “The problem is not renting a Ferrari at the airport,” Vasile jokes, “the problem is finding a bus to get to the city.”
A joke that encapsulates a structural truth: the growing gap between the ambition of a far-sighted city and its infrastructure, still tied to a local dimension.
Bari: a fragile balance between identity and attractiveness
Bari today proposes itself as crossroads between East and West, between tourism and everyday life. But maintain this balance will be anything but simple. “Residents must come first,” warns economist Maria Grazia Cito, reiterating the risk of replicating the “Venice model”: emptied city, transformed into a showcase for hit-and-run visitors.
The NYT report by Patricia Mazzei underlines this very point: “instagrammable” cities, but more and more emptied of residential and daily life. It is the paradox of beauty that attracts and consumes at the same time. Some warning signs are already visible: during the recent feast of Saint Nicholas, residents of some areas of the center protested against the nighttime noise and excessive nightlife, going so far as to throw buckets of water from balconies to disperse groups of young people. Extreme gestures that tell of the discomfort of those who feel progressively excluded from their city.
It is not just a question of urban decorum or public order. It is the manifestation of a deeper conflict: that between the historical identity of Bari and the new economic and tourist dynamics. How to maintain authenticity, without turning into a "Disneyland South"?
The article of the New York Times it closes with a open reflection: Bari today has the opportunity – and the responsibility – to become a modern, welcoming and sustainable Mediterranean capital. But to succeed, it will have to face a political and cultural challenge: deciding where and how to invest, protecting the social fabric, and governing a success that, if left to itself, could become its main problem.
