A thesis for the city. The modernity of Bari's monumental seafronts

Architecture & urban planning. The winners of the Municipality of Bari scholarship. Six young neo-architects from Poliba, between history and the present, and a project for the Marisabella port area. The proposal selected for exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice

15 June 2026

“The Modernity of Bari’s Monumental Seafronts” is the title of the architecture degree thesis by six young Apulians from the Polytechnic University of Bari. In addition to enabling graduation, the work received positive recognition in a specific section of the Municipality of Bari call for degree theses on the city, academic year 2023-24.

The thesis, awarded together with others with a scholarship of 1,546.00 euros, was developed in the Department of Architecture, Construction and Design (ArCoD) of Poliba. The work was carried out by Alessia Biagiotti from Taranto; Alessia Camporeale and Tiziana Caravella (Molfetta – BA); Stella Conte (Giuggianello – LE); Nicola Antonio Corallo (Bari); Michele Dell’Olio (Bisceglie – BT); Supervisor, Prof. Matteo Ieva with the contribution of other researchers.

Traces of the journey. The research thesis spans 263 pages. It is an in-depth examination of the urban and architectural dynamics of the city, supported by documentary research, much of it unpublished. The vicissitudes of a medieval Bari enclosed within the walls of the seaside borough emerge at the end of the 18th century. King Joachim Murat (1767-1815) officially became its interpreter in the first decade of the 19th century. The modern history of an expansion still ongoing today begins. After a broad account of the dynamics throughout the century, the study examines and focuses on the architecture of the 1920s and 1930s, set against the backdrop of the two newly created seafront promenades. Even today, a century later, the seafronts, with their complement of public buildings (1920–1960), represent the postcard image of the modern city of Bari in the world. In this process of transformation, the role and work of the Apulian architect Saverio Dioguardi emerge, as author and interpreter of the monumentality of modern Bari. The work ultimately looks to the future with the proposal of a new arrangement for the port area of Marisabella.

The contents. The historical and urban-planning context of Bari, as traced through the city’s expansion plans up to 1934, provides insight into the dynamics of the period and the debate that arose in the first half of the 20th century. Fundamental to the development of modern Bari was the extramoenia district inaugurated by Gioacchino Murat in 1813, which evolved from the traces and promises of expansion dating from 1780–1790 under the reign of Ferdinand IV (1751–1825). This expansion was prompted by the need for better public hygiene, fire safety, ventilation and relief from overcrowding. The grid layout encouraged orderly development and improved living conditions and safety. Paving work in the new part of Bari began in 1830. Several public buildings were erected: the Piccini Theatre, 1840; the Church of San Ferdinando, 1844; and the cemetery, 1842. The railway station, a focal point of modernity, followed in 1864. At the same time, the city’s population grew: 18 thousand inhabitants in 1790; 30 thousand in 1861, at the unification of Italy; and 50 thousand in 1871, making Bari one of the leading cities of southern Italy. A series of urban development and master plans shaped the city’s debate around 1900, paving the way for a new era in its history. Bari began to display a flourishing new architectural output. The turning point came in 1926. The government of the time envisaged a new project for Bari as part of efforts to strengthen southern Italy and expand trade. In this strategic plan, construction took on considerable economic importance. That year, Araldo Di Crollalanza (1892–1986) was appointed Bari’s first Podestà. He would prove a decisive figure. In line with the new directives issued by Rome, he accelerated efforts to make the Apulian capital a link between West and East—a Gateway to the East. For Di Crollalanza, a policy of massively increasing public works was the surest path to modernisation. In 1930, Di Crollalanza was appointed Minister of Public Works (1930-35). His rise to prominence in public administration was decisive. To consolidate the image of a city devoted to the party, he oversaw the construction of representative works, including Bari’s two seafront promenades, Nazario Sauro and Vittorio Veneto, already envisaged in 1918, along which public buildings serving various functions were built. The seafront promenades became a true founding symbol of the new city, a genuine triumph of Bari’s distinctive character: its backbone and a line of osmosis with the sea, which was transformed from a source of profit into a symbol.

Architecture assumed a role of primary importance in interpreting and conveying messages of political propaganda, but also of an image of national renewal. In the same period, the road section “Imperatore Augusto” seafront was added to connect the two parts of the seafront and encircle the old town. The project for the new port stands out. The ancient problem of interconnection between the old city and the modern part remained. A project, shown to Mussolini in 1926, proposed the demolition and reconstruction of Bari Vecchia. A Great Gallery dedicated to the Duce was planned. Only the Cathedral, Basilica and Castle were to be saved. The project was never carried out.

The activism of the Minister, Di Crollanza, in those years met one of the most important Apulian architects: Saverio Dioguardi (1888–1961). Dioguardi, at the height of his fame in 1934, was able, more than others, to combine the imagination of construction with the experience of “doing” proper to the building site, interpreting and matching materials and construction techniques in their most appropriate use, such as the use of iron and reinforced concrete already from the early 1910s.

To this bold figure of an architect, the thesis dedicates an extensive description of his professional career, tracing and mentioning the list of all projects, both realized and unrealized, many of which were carried out by what would also become his great family construction company.

Dioguardi translated into works the symbols, the principles, the idea of a new “Polis” of a “Great Bari,” envisioned by Di Crollalanza, overlooking the Sea that had been the “Gulf of Venice,” culturally enriched by the newly established Royal Adriatic University “Benito Mussolini” (1924) and commercially by the Levante Fair (1930).

Unlike the architecture of other dictatorships, equal, repetitive, monotonous, that of the twenty-year period stood out for its stylistic variety, the result of freedom of individual expression, without degenerating into anarchy.

In this context of Bari in the 1930s, the key figure of Dioguardi is introduced. Among his works, the thesis analyzes with dedication and research two works in which he was the protagonist: the Command Barracks of the Fourth Territorial Air Zone (IV Z.A.T.), now the Air Force Schools Command of the III Air Region, built between 1932 and 1935 on Lungomare Nazario Sauro, and the Barracks of the Voluntary Militia for National Security, designed in 1933, built between 1934 and 1939, currently known as the Barracks of the Mechanized Brigade “Pinerolo,” on Lungomare Vittorio Veneto.

The reading of the monumental features of the two barracks is central to the entire work, due to the amount of documentary survey research. In particular, for the III Air Region, the educational component of the survey is added, for a graphic restitution of the current state of affairs and the energy analysis. For both, in common, there is the description of the analysis of the state of conservation for a possible restoration. The reading of these documents and graphic elaborations makes it possible to understand the various construction phases of these structures and their significance.

These buildings and others, erected with the clear intent of asserting themselves along the coastal strip in a direct relationship with the sea, perceived as a single frontage, still continue today to tell their scenic theatricality. This condition applies especially to Lungomare Nazario Sauro, not to Lungomare Vittorio Veneto, whose function over the years has increasingly shifted toward an industrial character through the construction of structures and warehouses on the sea side. The loss of the sea-facing aspect of this waterfront has led to the search for a new interpretation and a way for the city to regain access to the sea. The thesis identifies a portion of the reclaimed land, “Marisabella,” facing the “Pinerolo” Barracks. A series of historical research studies, the actual conditions, and mobility considerations have led to the identification of a sustainable proposal.

The use of greenery, as a means of filtering and restoring urban quality and enhancing it, the Sea Museum, the headquarters for the Port Authority’s executive offices, and other infrastructure, were intended to constitute a monumental “anti-seafront.” The project envisioned by the six recent graduates, in fact, aims to create a transition respectful of the existing fabric, enhancing an area that is currently covered in asphalt and used as a parking lot, and seeks to create and offer the city a different way of relating to the sea.

The winning proposal was selected for exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Here is the project video: https://youtu.be/9PMRJM0nRFs 

The article A thesis for the city. The modernity of Bari's monumental seafronts comes from Poliba Chronicle.