Christmas Eve in Bari is a long day, full of light‑heartedness and a desire to have fun. Join the fun, we will accompany you to Bari to do the last shopping or simply to enjoy the city in all its dynamism.
Last‑minute gifts
Christmas Eve is the very last day to buy the gifts to put under the tree. Last call for latecomers. And so, the city center becomes the most popular destination in the morning. Here the majority of Bari’s shops are concentrated. The historic shopping street rules: Via Sparano. In the pedestrian street, the city’s living room, you can find the shop windows of the most important clothing brands. But not only that—downtown there are businesses that sell all kinds of goods for all budgets. In the quadrilateral between Corso Italia, Corso Cavour, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Manzoni, it will be impossible not to find the gift to give to the people you care about.
Mandatory aperitif
Christmas Eve in Bari is naturally not only dictated by the rush for shopping. Meeting friends and having the traditional aperitif is the norm. Bari often presents itself in December with beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures. What is more relaxing than munching on snacks and drinking a Spritz while chatting and joking with your friends? Choosing the place is the only “problem.” The Apulian city offers various locations. You can meet in the venues that enliven the city center, or in the Umbertino district just a stone’s throw from the seafront. A classic destination is the venues overlooking Corso Vittorio Emanuele on the border with the old town. The latter is stormed both for simple aperitifs with focaccia and beer, and for sitting at the tables of glamorous venues. Enchanting is the city wall. Here you have a fabulous view of Bari. Drinking a glass of wine from this position will make you live a very gratifying experience. For those who want to try a super aperitif, they must go to the famous chiringuito, or rather “N’derr alla lanz.” Here the fishermen display the day’s catch, but above all it is possible to taste excellent seafood, always accompanied by the inevitable beer (Peroni). The smell of the sea, the beauty of the southern seafront and the Teatro Margherita will win you over.
Local markets
During Christmas Eve in Bari, the local markets, exceptionally open, are stormed. In fact, on the stalls you can find the products that will be proudly displayed at the evening feast. Taking a walk inside the markets is an experience to live. Shouting vendors, demanding and attentive customers, the pure and harsh dialect. All this creates an inimitable mix, enough to make you think you are in a theatrical comedy rather than in an Apulian bazaar. The fruit and vegetable stalls are the most popular. Turnip greens on one side, and seafood on the other, are the most sought‑after foods. Dried fruit and olives are also very popular.
The Christmas Eve dinner
Once the last culinary purchases are made, it is time to start preparing for the great evening dinner. Bari homes fill with life, kitchens fill the rooms with smells. Children imagine how and when Santa Claus will leave the gifts under the tree, and young people return from the revelry in the center. The table, set with the best silverware for the occasion, is ready to be filled with all the delicacies of Bari tradition. Dinner is strictly fish‑based. It begins with raw seafood. Black mussels, clams, oysters, “cocci,” sea truffles, sea urchins and “canestrelli.” Tagliatelle and allievi are essential. The former are cuttlefish cut into strips. The allievi are nothing more than small cuttlefish. Salted cod, olives, provolone and marinated anchovies close the appetizer section. The first course may consist of the timeless orecchiette with turnip greens or spaghetti with a fish sauce. For the second course, tradition calls for roasted eel or also stewed turnip greens and baked prawns. Naturally, it is not over—there are Bari Christmas sweets: cartellate, pettole, torrone and many others. Homemade liqueurs are worth mentioning: limoncello, mandarin liqueur, chocolate liqueur and coffee liqueur.
After dinner
Christmas Eve in Bari requires that after the dinner, practicing Catholics go to church for the solemn Christmas Mass. At the stroke of midnight, the festive bells announce the birth of Baby Jesus. Very evocative is the Mass held in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, in the heart of Barivecchia. After exchanging greetings, people return home to eat panettone and sparkling wine. The night is not over yet. It is time to play with family and friends. “Il morto,” tombola, mercante in fiera are just some of the many games that enliven the most special night of the year. Morning arrives while laughing and joking together, waiting for the lunch on the 25th.