A marginal city in Italy established a direct flight with New York. Now they are not so clear if it was a good idea

In front of massive cities Like Venice either Romein Italy there are other enclaves that look with some envy how the economies and investments produced by the paradoxical arrival of the arrival of Tourist hordes. One of those places was Bari, until recently a marginal port city with high crime rates. Then it was decided that it was time to fly and hug tourism.

What happened later has left them serious doubts with the decision.

The new jewel. I told this week The New York Times. After decades of being seen as a secondary scale on the way to more famous destinations in southern Italy or the Greek Islands, the port city from Bari He has begun to become an unexpected protagonist of European tourism. This metamorphosis has been largely driven by the effort of Antonio Maria Vasile, director of the airports of Pugliawho managed to establish the First direct flight Between Bari and New York, a symbolic bridge between the region and the millions of Italian Americans who share that origin.

With this international connection, Bari seeks to claim its place not as a relegated south, but as a vibrant center of culture, history and gastronomy. Although for years his old town was Synonym of crime And abandonment, the city has experienced an urban rebirth that has given way to coastal walks, coffees, cultural routes and, very important, security, returning to its inhabitants a sense of pride so far scarce.

First tourist line. He counted the medium that Puglia has silently conquered celebrities, investors and tourists, and has done so with its mix of crystalline sea, baroque architecture, rural hospitality and discreet luxury. While resorts like Burgi Egnazia They welcome G7 peaks And the Lamborghinis wait in the rental garages, Bari begins to benefit from the Halo effect which has elevated the region to the new epicenter of the Italian charm.

The legacy of San Nicoláswhose grave is in the city, joins a Bari Vecchia completely renovated, where the medieval churches and the street sale of Orechiette They compete in attractive with The focaccia local. The walks through the historic center, before dominated By mafia clansnow they are full of visitors and residents who rediscovered the city with new eyes. In other words, the narrative of the impoverished and forgotten south begins to give in to a modernity, heritage and opportunity.

Gentrification No doubt, this also entails others known evilsbecause the tourist boom does not come without tensions. The sudden popularity of Bari has Turned prices of the rent in the center, expelling pensioners and students, and putting in check To the young population which represents the demographic and creative future of the city. The massive reconversion of housing in tourist rentals has emptied traditional residential areas, repeating Dynamics seen In other saturated cities Like Venice, Madrid either Lisbon.

Thus, more and more people fear that, after having rebuilt their identity, Bari loses it under the pressure of an economic model seasonal and fragile. Criticism also aims at the lack of investment in public transport, a basic lack that hinders both the daily mobility of residents and the full integration of tourist flows. As a local teacher synthesized to the Times: “In Puglia it is easy to rent a Ferrari, but finding a bus is another story.”

Between the authentic and the fanfare. Explained at the NYT that Bari’s revitalization has been so deep that those who knew her in her most decadent stage barely recognize her. Ancient neighborhoods now shine with cultural routes, film festivals and a nightlife that, however, has begun to collide with the traditional social fabric, as was demonstrated recently when the neighbors They threw water cubes to disperse the hordes of tourists of the San Nicolás Festival.

Enthusiasm coexists with the same concern of so many other enclaves: Can a city reinvent itself without selling itself completely, attract without blurring? The answer is not clear and, meanwhile, Vasile imagines a future where Bari does not depend on fleeting summers or celebrity names, but on a deep and sustainable consolidation. Under that prism, the new connection with New York should not be synonymous with tourism without more, but in his words“The inaugural symbol of a different era. We have realized new possibilities.”

Now it remains to be seen if the city knows how to become a reality … without losing its essence along the way.

Image | Jason Chung

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