Religious souvenirs
Bari has kept the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for a thousand years. The Basilica di San Nicola in the Old Town is a place of pilgrimage for Christians and Catholics from all over the world. The church and museum sell religious paraphernalia: icons, candles, rosaries, flasks with holy water, lamps and books. There are no bans on taking such items out of the country.
Products
Bari is a gastrotourist’s paradise. The city is located in the south of Italy, in the heart of the cultivation and production of agricultural products. The fields are devoted to vegetables, cereals, spices and grapes, and cheese is also grown here.
Cheeses
Bari makes soft cheeses — straciatella, buratta, mozzarella, ricotta. Supermarkets or markets in Piazza del Ferrarese and Via Montegrappa sell soft caciocavallo and scamorza. These types do not keep for long and are not allowed to be carried in hand luggage.
Surprisingly delicious locally produced cheeses: canestrato, pecorino and vacchino. These are hard varieties with DOP quality certification. These cheeses can be carried in your hand luggage.
Pasta
Every municipality in Italy produces its own kind of pasta, and Bari is no exception. In the streets of the Old Town, fresh orecchiette and cavatelle — pasta made from durum wheat in the shape of ears — are made and sold immediately. Thanks to this shape, it dries quickly and keeps for a long time.
Olives and olive oil
There are endless olive fields around Bari. Olives are sold fresh or pickled. Popular varieties are the old «coratina» and «poranzana». They are used to make natural olive oil with an incredibly subtle flavor.
Quality product in a dark glass bottle with «Olio extravergine» on the label. Producers you can trust: Gusti Italia Azienda Agricola Sabino Caporale & Figli, Forina Oli S.R.L. and Il Trullo Dei Sapori.
Sauces
Puglian pasta is usually served with various sauces. The most popular one is made from turnip tops. It is worth trying it in Bari, along with orecchiette, to find it in one of the stores and take it away with you.
Tomato sauce is popular. Tomatoes are grown in Bari in large quantities all year round. It is added to meat to get a tomato-meat flavor.
Fish sauces are brought home from Bari. Combined with garlic and olive oil, it produces a rich flavor that goes with any dish.
Altamura bread
Pane di Altamura is made about 50 km from Bari, but this bread is popular far beyond the small village. It is cooked in a real wood-fired oven. The crust is dense and the crumb is airy. This product does not stale for long, so you can take it away with you.
To buy bread from Altamura, there is no need to visit this province. There are several bakeries in Bari, one of which, Fiore, is located on Strada Palazzo dell’Intendenza in the Old Town. Since the real «bread from Altamura» is protected in origin and is only made in Altamura, in the rest of the city the bread is called «pan tipo di Altamura». The recipe is the same, but differs in the absence of the cross-shaped notch on the top crust.
Wine from autochthonous grape varieties
As in any region of Italy, Puglia has autochthonous grape varieties. In Bari, these are negroamaro, primitivo, aleatico and uva di troia. These varieties are used to produce red, rosé (Puglia is the best at producing rosé, especially from negroamaro) and white wine.
Wine is best bought in a supermarket. There are excellent IGT, DOC and DOCG varieties on the shelves, but they cost less than in local enotecas.
A detailed guide to the wines of Puglia.
Clothing, shoes and accessories
In the Murat district, the former palaces of the local nobility are home to all the world’s famous brands, from casual to luxury. Here you can also buy clothes, shoes and accessories from Italian designers such as Banana Moon 1978 on Corso Cavour, 45 and Raphael on Via Dante Alighieri, 24.
There are several outlet stores in Bari:
- VITTÒ GROUP LUXURY OUTLET, Via Luigi Partipilo, 7;
- PRIMADONNA, Via Sparano Da Bari, 114;
- OUTLET -S.R.L., Via Manzoni Alessandro, 39;
- THE FORTY OUTLET, Via Calefati Alessandro Maria, 318;
- Barimax Shopping Village, Viale Francesco de Blasio;
- Fashion District Molfetta Outlet Village is located 20 km from Bari at Via dei Portuali, 12.
The advantages of buying things in Bari are that prices are 2—3 times lower than in Russia. Discounts in winter are valid from January 6 to March 2, and in summer from July 2 to September 4.
Cosmetics
Natural cosmetics made from olive oil are associated with Greece or Cyprus. In Bari, several companies produce organic cosmetics based on this ingredient.
Organic olive oil (extra virgin), a product with beneficial properties, is used in cosmetics. Ancient Romans considered it an elixir of youth and beauty, used it as a warming and soothing massage oil.
Olive oil is high in vitamin E, a substance with nourishing, moisturizing and soothing properties. This powerful antioxidant blocks the action of free radicals and slows down skin aging.
Famous Brands:
- Nevitaly Puglia — hair products (dye, oil, hair care);
- Puglia Cosmesi — cream, toner and micellar water, sun protection;
- Pugliami is an extensive selection of olive oil based care cosmetics.
The Gifex Puglia store at Via Giulio Petroni 26A sells cosmetics for makeup, hair, face or body care from the Italian brand «Pettenon».
The cosmetics of these brands are not sold outside Italy. Don’t miss the opportunity to find them in Bari stores and take them home.
