Golf guide • Italy • Puglia

Golf in Bari: ancient olive trees and fairways facing the Adriatic

Bari, capital of Puglia, lends itself to a golf trip built around two 18-hole courses: Barialto, twenty minutes from the centre at Casamassima, and San Domenico Golf, a European Golf Design layout among the olive groves of Savelletri, about fifty minutes to the south-east. Come for golf beside the Adriatic, the masserie and Apulian cooking, ideally in spring and from September to November.

Plan this tripUpdated 7 October 2026

Bari is not a golf town in the way the Costa del Sol is: the region has few courses, but the two that matter combine effortlessly. Barialto occupies the countryside of Casamassima, 18 kilometres from the centre along the Taranto expressway; San Domenico Golf runs along the sea at Savelletri di Fasano, between the hills of the Itria Valley and the small fishing harbour. Between the two, the Apulian landscape repeats itself: dry-stone walls, red earth and olive trees with twisted trunks.

The trip falls naturally into two parts. A few nights in Bari itself, in the old town, for the Basilica of San Nicola, the pale limestone lanes and the seafront; then a few nights in a masseria on the Fasano coast, a short walk from the San Domenico course. On the coast, the sea breeze often decides your scorecard.

It is a short, simple destination: Bari airport is twenty minutes from the centre, distances stay reasonable and the food keeps pace. Orecchiette, mussels, burrata and olive oil turn up as readily in a Bari trattoria as in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Savelletri. Three to five nights are enough to play each course at least once and keep a day for Polignano a Mare or Egnazia.

The courses

Green beside a reed-fringed pond, olive trees and palms on flat ground late in the day

San Domenico Golf

Architect: Andy Haggar (European Golf Design)
18 holes
Par 72

Designed by Andy Haggar for European Golf Design, San Domenico Golf unfolds its 18 holes, par 72 and more than 6,300 metres, between the Savelletri countryside and the Adriatic, with the sea in view throughout. The fairways wind over gentle slopes between ancient olive trees and the ruins of Egnazia; the bunkers are placed with intent and the sea breeze changes the length of the holes from one day to the next. The course has hosted the European Challenge Tour Grand Final and the Italian Senior Open. A benchmark layout for good players, accessible to all from the forward tees.

Official website

Barialto Golf Club

Architect: William W. Amick, Giorgio Ferraris
18 holes
Par 70

Eighteen kilometres from Bari on the Taranto expressway, Barialto has been the city's course since the late 1990s. The American William W. Amick and the Italian Giorgio Ferraris laid out an 18-hole par 70 on flat ground planted with palms and ancient olive trees, with five reed-fringed lakes that come into play on several holes. The Bermuda fairways run well in dry weather. A technical rather than long course, ideal for a first day or an afternoon round, with a hotel and restaurant on site.

Official website

Where to stay

Palazzo Calò

A fully restored 16th-century palazzo in Bari's old town, turned into a boutique residence with spacious rooms and apartments. Stone vaults, contemporary furniture and, on the roof, a terrace looking over the rooftops of Bari Vecchia and the cathedral bell tower. An address for experiencing the city on foot, from the Basilica of San Nicola to the seafront.

Borgo Egnazia

At Savelletri di Fasano, a village built of local limestone in the traditional Apulian style, owned by Aldo Melpignano: 63 rooms, 28 villas, casette along little lanes, the Vair spa and the San Domenico course right next door. It hosted the G7 summit in June 2024. The region's most complete address for a golf and relaxation stay, with the Michelin-starred Due Camini on site.

Masseria San Domenico

A fortified masseria whose watchtower dates back to the Knights of Malta, set among olive trees 500 metres from the sea. The San Domenico course belongs to the house and starts right outside your room. A seawater pool surrounded by natural rock, a thalassotherapy centre and private beaches: the most direct option for playing round after round.

Courtyard of a whitewashed masseria with arcades, a square tower, olive trees and a pool at dusk

Where to dine

Terranima

Opened in 1988 in the centre of Bari, Terranima serves everyday Apulian cooking: tiella of potatoes, rice and mussels, orecchiette with turnip tops, stuffed mussels. White walls covered in old photographs: a good address for a first dinner in Bari.

La Bul

Chef Antonio Scalera's restaurant, selected by the Michelin Guide, offers modern cooking rooted in Apulian produce, à la carte, as a vegetarian menu or as a surprise menu depending on the market. The wine advice is precise and well told. Open in the evening only, closed on Sundays.

Due Camini

Borgo Egnazia's gastronomic restaurant, with one Michelin star, where Domingo Schingaro cooks mainly with vegetables: heritage varieties grown by neighbouring farmers, each ingredient prepared in several ways. The dinner to book after a day at San Domenico, open Tuesday to Saturday evenings.

Beyond golf

Bari Vecchia and San Nicola

The relics of Saint Nicholas, brought back from Myra by Bari sailors in 1087, rest in the Romanesque basilica built for them and consecrated in 1197. Around it, the old town is a maze of pale limestone lanes. Finish at the Norman-Swabian castle, built by Roger II around 1132 and rebuilt by Frederick II in 1233, and with a walk along the seafront at sunset.

Polignano a Mare

South-east of Bari, Polignano a Mare is built on the edge of the cliffs, above sea caves carved out by the Adriatic. The cove of Lama Monachile, spanned by a Bourbon bridge at the foot of the old town, is the view everyone comes for. The village is easily visited in half a day, by car or by train from Bari.

The Egnazia archaeological park

Right next to the San Domenico course, Egnazia was a Messapian town and then a Roman municipium, abandoned in the Middle Ages. The park preserves a cryptoporticus, an amphitheatre, early Christian basilicas and a vast necropolis; the museum displays Gnathia-style pottery, black-glazed and highlighted in white, yellow and red. A visit of an hour or two after your round.

Pale limestone-paved lane beneath an arch, wooden shutters, potted plants and a Romanesque bell tower beyond

When to go

Spring, from March to June, and the late season, from September to November, are the best periods: mild days, courses in good condition and low light across the olive groves. Summer is hot, with highs around 31 °C, and the coast is very busy in July and August; play early in the morning. Winter stays mild, around 13 °C, but windier and wetter.

Getting there

Bari Karol Wojtyła airport (BRI) is 8 kilometres north-west of the centre, about twenty minutes by car, and a rail link connects it to the central station. Barialto is about twenty minutes from the city, San Domenico about fifty minutes to the south-east. Brindisi airport is an alternative for a stay centred on the Fasano coast.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Bari?

San Domenico Golf, at Savelletri di Fasano: a par 72 designed by European Golf Design between the olive groves and the Adriatic, which has hosted the European Challenge Tour Grand Final.

How many golf courses are there around Bari?

Two 18-hole courses combine easily: Barialto, at Casamassima, about twenty minutes from the centre, and San Domenico Golf, about fifty minutes to the south-east.

When is the best time to play golf in Puglia?

From March to June and from September to November. Summer is hot and the coast very busy; winter is mild but windier.

Where should I stay for a golf trip to Bari?

In Bari's old town for city life, or in a masseria at Savelletri, such as Masseria San Domenico or Borgo Egnazia, to play San Domenico straight from your room.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Bari?

Bari airport (BRI), about twenty minutes from the centre. Brindisi airport also works for a stay on the Fasano coast.

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Upper town girdled by pale stone ramparts, a bell tower and dome at sunset, mountains behind

Lombardy