The Teatro Margherita is an Art Nouveau theatre on Bari's waterfront, right at the edge of the old town. It was built on pillars sunk into the sea, a trick to get round a deal that banned new theatres on city land, and after decades of neglect it now hosts contemporary art exhibitions.
Teatro Margherita at a glance
- Where: on the seafront at the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, between the old port and the edge of Bari Vecchia.
- Built: 1912–1914; it opened as the Kursaal Margherita on 22 August 1914.
- By: the architect Francesco De Giglio, with the engineer Luigi Santarella.
- What it is today: a contemporary art venue after a long restoration; it reopened in December 2018. Check what is on before you go.
- Time needed: 10 minutes for the outside, around an hour if there is an exhibition.
A theatre that dodged a contract
When the Petruzzelli family built their great opera house in Bari, the city promised not to allow other theatres on municipal land, with one exception: buildings on the sea. In 1910 a wooden variety theatre, the Varietà Margherita, went up on the waterfront, angering the Petruzzelli owners. It burned down within an hour at 3 a.m. on 22 July 1911; the cause was never established. Its replacement was built literally over the water, on pillars in the old port, and was joined to the shore by a pier.
The new building was Bari's first in reinforced concrete, and De Giglio developed a light concrete-and-tile floor for its wide spans that became known as the 'solaio alla Margherita'. In the late 1920s the seafront was filled in, so the theatre no longer stands in the water. It later housed a museum and a cinema; in 1943 Allied troops turned it into the Garrison Theatre, a club for soldiers, and it was damaged in the air raid on the port on 2 December 1943. It worked as a cinema until 1979, then stood empty for decades before its restoration.
What to look for
- The Liberty façade: curving lines, decorative panels and large windows typical of Italian Art Nouveau, facing the sea.
- The setting: the theatre sits exactly where the old harbour meets the seafront promenade, so you can still picture it standing out over the water on its pillars.
- The position: from the waterfront you can see how the theatre blocks the view along the seafront, which critics complained about as early as 1919.
- The foyer: when an exhibition is on, the restored entrance hall with its original decoration is open to visitors.
- The old port: the small harbour right beside the theatre, still used by local fishing boats.
The theatre war
The Teatro Margherita is the result of a rivalry. Bari's businessmen wanted a popular variety stage, while the Petruzzelli owners wanted no competition for their new theatre on Corso Cavour. Building on the sea solved the dispute on paper, but local writer Armando Perotti called it 'criminal madness' to close off the view of the seafront for a theatre. More than a century later, the building that started as a loophole is one of the best-known pieces of Art Nouveau in the city.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the late afternoon or at sunset, when the light on the façade is warm and people stroll along the seafront.
- Check the exhibition programme in advance, as the interior is only open when there is a show.
- Walk along the Muraglia, the old sea wall of Bari Vecchia, for a view back towards the theatre.
- Look for the fishermen at the old port selling raw seafood straight from their boats, a Bari tradition.
Nearby
- Bari Vecchia: the old town's maze of narrow streets starts just behind the theatre.
- Basilica di San Nicola: the Romanesque basilica that holds the relics of Saint Nicholas, about 10 minutes' walk through the old town.
- Teatro Petruzzelli: the opera house on Corso Cavour, the reason the Margherita had to be built on the sea.
- Lungomare Nazario Sauro: the long seafront promenade south of the centre, good for an evening walk.
See Bari with World City Trail
Our Bari scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 35 minutes of walking. It includes Bari Vecchia and the Basilica di San Nicola.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour of Bari and an outdoor escape game in the city.
Play the Bari scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Bari →
Play the outdoor escape game in Bari →
Facts checked in October 2026.