Italy in Photos

Via Sparano da Bari, 70123 Bari, Italy (June 2019)

Giardini di Piazza Umberto I in Bari

Located in the heart of Bari’s central Murattiano district, the Giardini di Piazza Umberto I offers an inviting urban retreat that marries history, horticulture, and everyday life in Southern Italy. This beloved public garden occupies a generous space between the train station and Via Sparano, the city’s main shopping boulevard. It stands as an unfenced green refuge owned by the Municipality of Bari, deeply woven into the fabric of the neighbourhood.

Created through the union of two nineteenth-century gardens, one designed in 1866 by Neapolitan architect Giovanni Castelli, originally tied to the Palazzo Ateneo, and the other conceived later around a commemorative statue—the current layout has endured more than a century. In 1905, the gardens were reimagined to frame the bronze equestrian monument dedicated to King Umberto I by sculptor Francesco Cifariello. The central monument forms the garden’s visual core. Featuring a tall pedestal bearing inscriptions and emblematic reliefs, the statue is a symbolic tribute by the city, inaugurated in front of King Vittorio Emanuele III and Queen Elena.

Within the gardens, visitors will discover a fascinating botanical diversity. Palms like Washingtonia robusta, Phoenix canariensis, and Chamaerops humilis, imported in the late 1800s, coexist with Mediterranean evergreens such as Quercus ilex, Pinus pinea, Cedrus libani, and Cupressus sempervirens. Among these remarkable plants are two notable protected trees of Puglia: a monumental Ombù (Phytolacca dioica) with a trunk circumference of approximately 2.5 m, and a rare ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) reaching nearly 15 feet tall, each an arboreal marvel in its own right.

Walking paths create a subtle grid across the green space, winding through wrought flowerbeds bordered by low brick edging—a design very much in keeping with Puglia’s historical civic gardens. Benches, fountains, and shapely lawns invite locals and visitors alike to linger, read, people-watch, or simply relax in tranquil surroundings.

Open all year, the Giardini di Piazza Umberto I have long been a hub of urban life—from quiet mornings under the shade of towering palms to communal events and cultural activities held nearby. Though recent restoration plans have raised debates over preserving its historic layout versus modern upgrades, the garden continues to stand as a symbol of Bari’s architectural and botanical heritage. The gardens of Piazza Umberto I encapsulate the spirit of Bari’s modern identity while offering a lush oasis in the urban core—a living monument that blends civic memory, botanical richness, and everyday leisure into one graceful public space.