Bari is a handshake. Lecce is a poem.
Plan your trip →Puglia’s capital. 320,000 people. Port city. Bari Vecchia: grandmothers making orecchiette, San Nicola basilica. Rawer, grittier, more industrial edges. Gateway to: Polignano, Alberobello, Matera.
The "Florence of the South." 95,000 people. Baroque carved from soft limestone. Piazza del Duomo. More refined, more walkable, more tourist-friendly. Gateway to: Salento coast, Otranto, Gallipoli.
Bari: 1 day, transit hub, street food. Lecce: 2–3 days, architecture, Salento base. Lecce is the better holiday destination; Bari is the better starting point.