Going for a walk?

Let’s continue our itinerary for those who visit Bari for the first time . In the first part we left off in the old town centre and it’s from here that we start with the second part. 1. SAINT NICHOLAS’

I’ve started to know Bari when I was at the university. Studying tourism, my academic path included experiencing Bari from a tourist point of view. In this way I discovered the major attractions of this town. Since then I’ve walked many times in Bari with friends who actually are from Bari and others who didn’t know the town at all. In the latter case I was their guide and I noticed that I suggest always the same itinerary to those who are in Bari for the first time in order to give them an overview of the town. Most of the time this itinerary is completed in one day . If you are curious to know what I suggest to see to those who are in Bari for the first time, stay with me and let’s get started!

Versione italiana Classes are over. It's time to take the bus and to come back home. I walk toward the train station of Bari, I pass through it to reach Largo Ciaia, my stop. The bus is already there, waiting to leave with destination Taranto. I sit in the vehicle, near the window, as always. We leave. Slowly, the buildings that overlook on Viale Unità d'Italia parade and suddenly there it is: a little shiny green dome as a candle stands out among the buildings. It's the Russian Church of Saint Nicholas .

English version Le lezioni sono finite; è ora di prendere l’autobus e tornare a casa. Mi incammino verso la stazione centrale di Bari , la attraverso per raggiungere Largo Ciaia, la mia fermata. Il pullman è già lì, in attesa di partire con destinazione Taranto. Mi accomodo nel veicolo, lato finestrino, come sempre. Si parte. Lentamente sfilano i palazzi che si affacciano su Viale Unità d’Italia e a un tratto eccola lì: una piccola cupola verde brillante come una candela svetta tra le costruzioni. E' la chiesa russa di San Nicola .

Versione italiana Here we are at the last stop of our itinerary about Frederick II. We are in Bari , in the periphery of its historical centre, where there's the castle . You're not aware of its presence until, going out from the street that runs along the Palace of Justice, you find it in front of you with its spare-shaped bastion framed by the trees that decorate the boulevard next to its walls. During the period at the university, I never stopped to appreciate properly how this image was majestic and made me open my eyes wide, leaving me speechless. As some of the other castles seen previously, also this one was born on the ruins of a Norman castle and  withstood some changes with the succession of centuries and sovereigns. The bastion I was talking before, for example, is the result of the changes made in the XVI century in order to defend in a better way the castle on the land side from possible canons and other fire guns attacks, exactly the same princi...

English version Siamo giunti all’ultima tappa del nostro itinerario federiciano. Siamo a Bari , nella periferia del centro storico barese dove si trova il castello svevo . Non ci si accorge della sua presenza finché, sbucando dalla via che costeggia il Palazzo di Giustizia, non ce lo si ritrova davanti con il suo grande bastione lanceolato incorniciato dagli alberi che adornano il viale adiacente le sue mura. Durante gli anni dell’università non mi sono mai fermata ad apprezzare veramente quanto questa immagine sia maestosa e mi faccia spalancare gli occhi, lasciandomi senza parole. Come alcuni dei castelli visti in precedenza, anche questo nasce sulle rovine di un castello normanno e ha subito delle modifiche con il susseguirsi dei secoli e dei regnanti. Il bastione di cui dicevo prima, per esempio, è frutto dei cambiamenti effettuati nel ‘500 per difendere meglio il castello dal lato terra da eventuali attacchi di cannoni e altre armi da fuoco, esattamente lo stesso...