VENUE
The congress was held in a beautiful Hotel-Conference Center, at 5 min distance from the railway station and from the main beauties of Bari.
LOCATION
Bari, an enchanting capital of Puglia currently inhabited by around 320,000 inhabitants, has experienced a real revival since the 1990s. In recent years the center has been completely restored and is now surrounded by a charming, stimulating atmosphere. A city that would like to become the next Barcelona, with the sea, history and architecture that should attract ever-increasing tourist flows from all over the world.
Despite its large size, Bari is easy to visit as it is divided into distinct parts. To the north extends old Bari, the historic center, which occupies a tiny peninsula between the Old Port and the Porto Grande. To the south is the Murattiano district, the heart of the modern city, characterized by a neat chessboard layout with a beautiful promenade and elegant shopping streets, including Via Sparano da Bari. Beyond the railway tracks and the more touristic area, the chaotic and modern periphery, which forms a large semicircle around the center incorporating the common neighbors of Modugno and Bitetto.
Among the most important and appreciated sacred buildings of old Bari are the Cathedral of San Sabino and the Basilica of San Nicola (see photo). The first was built in the Byzantine era, in 1034, but when the city rebelled against William I of Sicily he had it razed to the ground; the factory was rebuilt between 1170 and 1178 in a simple Apulian-Romanesque style, with a large nave, shallow transepts and a 35-meter high dome. XIII and XIV century frescos adorn the northern apse and recent excavation works have brought to light the remains of the original mosaic floor, visible in the southern apse. The Basilica of San Nicola, on the other hand, has a massive mass and extends over four squares known as Corti del Catapano because it is believed that once the palace of the “catapano”, ie of the Byzantine governor, stood here.
The Bari Palese airport is located 10 kilometers west of the city center and is served by numerous international and low-cost airlines. To move from Bari to the rest of Puglia you have at your disposal a complex network of private bus companies that serve most of the tourist resorts in the region, with the alternative represented by rail transport. Bari is located on the A14 motorway which winds north-west towards Foggia and south towards Taranto and is connected with the A16 to Naples at Canosa di Puglia. Ferries leave from the port for Greece, Albania, Croatia and Montenegro.
