Deep-dive

Identity: municipi, Region, Saint Nicholas

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.

Sections: Geography · History · Population · Languages · Time zone · Public holidays

Five Municipi

Since 2014 the Comune di Bari has been organised in five Municipi, each with an elected council and president and with decentralised offices (registry, social services). Municipio I covers the centre (Murat, the old town, Madonnella, Libertà, Japigia and the southern coast to Torre a Mare); II the inland residential districts (Poggiofranco, Carrassi, San Pasquale, Picone, Mungivacca); III San Paolo and the north-west; IV the former villages of Carbonara, Ceglie and Loseto; V the northern coast with Palese and Santo Spirito.

Region and Metropolitan City

Bari is the capital of the Apulia Region (Presidency and Executive on the Nazario Sauro seafront, Regional Council in Via Gentile) and of the Metropolitan City of Bari, which replaced the province in 2015 and groups 41 municipalities. The city also hosts the Court of Appeal, the Prefecture and the main state offices for the region.

Language

The official language is Italian; Barese, a dialect of the Apulian-Barese group, is used daily at home and in working-class districts, much less in offices. The city has no recognised historic linguistic minorities. The foreign community is small compared with cities in the Centre-North (see data).

Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas of Myra is the patron. His relics were brought to Bari in 1087 and the patronal feast runs from 7 to 9 May: on 8 May the statue is carried in procession and out to sea, with a historical parade the evening before. He is also celebrated on 6 December. The Basilica of San Nicola is a pilgrimage destination for Catholics and Orthodox Christians, particularly from Eastern Europe, and one of the few places in Italy where both confessions regularly celebrate in the same building.

Population

City figurePeriod: Jan 1, 2025Validsample unknown

Source: ISTAT – Popolazione residente: bilancio demografico (dataflow 22_315, DCIS_POPORESBIL1)

315,831people

Foreign residents, share of population

City figurePeriod: Jan 1, 2025Estimatesample unknown

Source: ISTAT – Stranieri residenti al 1° gennaio (dataflow 29_7, DCIS_POPSTRRES1)

4.8 %