Bari

Rents and house prices below Rome, Milan and Bologna, but rising in the Murat centre, the old town and along the seafront because of short-term lets. Eating out and groceries cost less than in the North. The bus pass is cheap; a car weighs on those living outside the centre.

Murat and the seafront for those who want the centre and pay more; Madonnella and Libertà next door, cheaper and changing; Carrassi, San Pasquale and Poggiofranco for families and students near the campus. Public housing run by ARCA Puglia Centrale; student accommodation through ADISU Puglia.

Registry and ID card services at the offices of the five Municipi, by online appointment. Waste with AMIU Puglia: street bins in the centre and door-to-door collection in several districts, TARI tax via the Comune. Drinkable water from the Acquedotto Pugliese. Colibrì neighbourhood libraries; local markets in every area.

To enter with a dog, cat or ferret you need a microchip, an EU pet passport or health certificate and a valid rabies vaccination. Mandatory registration in the regional pet register, lead at all times and a muzzle to hand. Pets allowed on trains under Trenitalia rules and in apartment buildings by law.

Rules depend on who is arriving: EU/EEA/Swiss citizens (no visa, registration with the Comune after three months), non-EU citizens for stays up to 90 days (Schengen rule, type C visa where required) and for long stays (national type D visa and a residence permit within eight working days of arrival).

AMTAB city buses with park-and-ride lots; Bari Centrale is a hub for Trenitalia, Ferrotramviaria (airport train), Ferrovie del Sud Est and Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (Matera). Ferries from the port to Albania, Greece and Montenegro. The old town is a limited-traffic zone; ring-road congestion is the weak point.

Euro, cards accepted almost everywhere, a legal cash limit. Anyone living in Italy for most of the year is tax resident and taxed on worldwide income under three IRPEF brackets; specific regimes exist for the self-employed (forfettario), inbound workers, foreign pensioners and new residents. Contributions go to INPS; annual return with the 730 or Redditi form.

The municipality of Bari is the single district of ASL Bari, based at via Federico Vecchio 3. In the city the ASL runs the San Paolo and Di Venere (Carbonara) hospitals; the university hub is the AOU Consorziale Policlinico di Bari with the Giovanni XXIII children's hospital. ASL phone booking line 800 345477; Policlinico CUP 080 5592701.

Non-EU pensioners enter with the elective residence visa, EU pensioners through free movement; public healthcare is accessible by compulsory or voluntary registration. Optional 7% regime on foreign income for those moving to small southern municipalities. Cheap houses in villages, services concentrated in cities.

An economy of public services, health care, universities, port logistics and retail, with a mechanical and aerospace industrial hub at Bari-Modugno and a growing ICT sector. Fiera del Levante in September. Employment rates below the national average; ZES unica incentives for investors.

A VAT number (partita IVA) from the Agenzia delle Entrate for freelancers; for businesses the Comunicazione Unica to the Registro delle Imprese, which also notifies the Agenzia, INPS, INAIL and SUAP. Main forms: sole proprietorship, SNC/SAS, SRL and SRLS, SPA. Compulsory PEC, annual chamber fee, e-invoicing. Invitalia incentives; non-EU citizens need a self-employment permit or the investor visa.

Two state universities: the Università Aldo Moro (all fields, sites in the centre, at the Via Orabona campus and the Policlinico) and the Politecnico (engineering and architecture). Student support through ADISU Puglia. Students live in Carrassi, San Pasquale, Poggiofranco and the districts next to the centre.

A municipality divided into five Municipi with elected councils, seat of the Apulia Region and of the Metropolitan City of Bari. The Bari dialect is the everyday vernacular. Patron saint Nicholas, celebrated on 7–9 May and 6 December; the basilica draws Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims.

Adriatic Mediterranean climate: mild windy winters, long hot humid summers, rain concentrated from October to March. The Scirocco brings heat peaks; heavy autumn rain can flood the areas crossed by the lame (dry riverbeds). Air quality is average: few days above the PM10 limit.

An old town with the Basilica of San Nicola, the Cathedral and the Swabian Castle; the Murat centre with the Petruzzelli theatre and the seafront. Urban beaches at Pane e Pomodoro and Torre Quetta. Day trips: Polignano, Alberobello, Castel del Monte, Trani and Matera. Tourist tax for up to four nights.

Focaccia, panzerotti, handmade orecchiette in the old town, raw seafood at the San Nicola pier and spaghetti all'assassina. Free seafront, Pane e Pomodoro beach and Parco 2 Giugno; the Petruzzelli season; football at the San Nicola stadium. Nightlife in the old town, Murat and Umbertino.