The Palazzo of Acquedotto Pugliese in Bari

Designed as a cathedral of water, the Palazzo of Acquedotto Pugliese is one of Bari’s treasures

Behind the Petruzzelli Theatre, along Via Cognetti, stands one of the brightest gems of the city of Bari: the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese. Completed in 1934, this majestic building was constructed to celebrate the birth of the Apulian aqueduct and combines the architecture of the Apulian Romanesque style with Italian Art Nouveau decorations. The result is absolutely unique and unrepeatable in Italy, a monument aimed at celebrating the arrival of healthy and drinkable water even in Puglia.

In this guide, I will tell you its history, the creators, and some anecdotes about the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese in Bari, but to truly experience the beauty of this place, a visit is a must. Of the six floors plus basements on which the palace extends, three are open for free visits every Saturday and Sunday morning by reservation: the ground floor, with its splendid courtyard and the recently established industrial archeology museum; the noble floor, above the mezzanine, used as offices; and finally the second floor where the president’s apartments were, where he lived with his family.

The Apulian Aqueduct brings drinking water to Bari

In 1915, drinking water arrived in Bari, an event celebrated in Piazza Umberto with the historic 25-meter water jet sprayed from the city’s first fountain. The problem of water shortage plagued all of Puglia until modern times. The famous poet Giuseppe Ungaretti also spoke of it when he was sent as a journalist for the Gazzetta del Popolo to report on the South:

“Monumental fountains! Certainly, in all of Puglia, drinking water is valued as a miracle, and there were drier areas in the region, all rock; but where will the voice of will seem more amiable to me if not in this last arrived water?”

But how did this monumental work come about? The first to propose transporting the waters of the Sele across the Apennines to Puglia was engineer Camillo Rosalba in 1868, towards the end of the 19th century. Subsequently, the honorable Matteo Renato Imbriani took up the idea and initiated the realization of the Apulian aqueduct. Before 1914, the Apulians used rainwater collected in cisterns; from that moment on, everyone could access fresh and healthy water. An evolution so felt that it was celebrated not only with the fountain event but also with the construction of two Palaces of the Apulian Aqueduct, one in Bari and the other in Foggia. Thus, in the early post-war period, the autonomous Apulian Aqueduct entity was created, also tasked with constructing these palaces, and in 1924 the then-president Gaetano Postiglione decided to entrust Cesare Brunetti with the design of the Bari palace, which in its design also had to be a true monument celebrating water.

The realization of the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese in Bari

The young Cesare Vittorio Brunetti, an engineer from Ravenna graduated from the Politecnico di Milano, began designing a building clearly inspired by the Apulian Romanesque style in 1925: work began in 1927, and by the end of 1930, the six-floor Palace (plus basements) was completed in a rough state. It was here that Brunetti and the Autonomous Entity made history, deciding to entrust the furnishings and decorations of the palace to the creative genius of Duilio Cambellotti. A painter, set designer, architect, decorator, designer, sculptor – to name just a few – the Roman artist was one of the greatest exponents of Italian Art Nouveau thanks to a multidisciplinary production guided by a always clear vision of the aesthetics of his time.

All the work carried out by Cambellotti between 1930 and 1934 in the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese has water as its dominant theme, stylistically translated into arches, channels, and waves that follow one another from the ceilings to the carpets, from the windows to the handles, and everywhere the eye rests. The artist provided sketches, sections, and models that were completed and made executive by Brunetti. Upon completion, it was always Cambellotti who approved what was realized.

Entering the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese of Bari

In the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese, two artistic traditions so distant mix to the sound of a common hymn to water and the grand work that made water accessible to everyone. The decorations and furnishings by Cambellotti soften the architectural rigor of the Apulian Romanesque, whose echo is already present from the entrance facade on Via Cognetti. Made of Trani stone and dotted with biforas and triforas, typical windows of the Romanesque style, the entrance facade of the palace is topped in the center by a canopy that replicates the one present inside the medieval church of Santa Maria del Casale in Brindisi.

The parallel with the Apulian cathedrals continues as you cross the entrance, in this large atrium that – like a sacred place – has a wooden ceiling supported by sturdy octagonal columns. The choice of such an unusual shape is obviously not accidental and recalls precisely that Castel del Monte that Cambellotti wanted to depict on the wooden entrance door. Around the depiction of the castle, arches develop that the Roman artist introduces here and then repeats constantly inside the palace: it is a representation of the canal bridge typical of our aqueducts. Looking at the floor, finally, it is hard not to imagine the vision of the movement of the waves through the alternation of black and light marble arranged in a zig-zag pattern.

In this triumph of marble, wood, iron, and glass that is the atrium of the water palace, the portraits of Rosalba and Imbriani are kept on one side, and the coats of arms of the Apulian provinces on the other. The corridor on the left leads to three rooms where photos and historical documents tell the story of the Apulian aqueduct and its significance not only in terms of progress but also in its cultural and social impact. The courtyard is certainly the most enchanting point on this floor, with the sculpture of a tree in Trani stone covered with vegetation, from which the coats of arms of the Apulian provinces now barely emerge, tied by a bridge to symbolize the necessary synergy between cities to bring water to everyone’s homes. Looking in the opposite direction to the fountain, we notice some snakes coiled around the walls: used to clean stagnant and rainwater, they are the symbol of an era now surpassed thanks to the aqueduct.

Visit to the first floor of the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese

The first flights of stairs to the upper floors are always the most difficult to overcome, due to the richness of details that forces every visitor to linger at every step. Amphorae, bridges, waves, and even ears of wheat chase each other among railings, wall decorations, and windows. Climbing beyond the mezzanine, we find ourselves on the first floor, the noble floor in this type of building where the refinement of the decorations reaches its peak. Here, where once were the apartments of the aqueduct president and his family, today we have the offices still used for their original functions: management room, waiting room, council room, vice-presidency, and presidency.

Even just the waiting room is worth a long examination of the eye and mind, for the multiplicity of details starting from the floor with these female figures set in Egyptian poses. A new protagonist of the great narrative about water appears here in the decoration of the furniture: the horse, which by nature only drinks clean water. Admiring the painting on the wall that separates the waiting room from the management room, one can hear the echo of Futurist styles to which Cambellotti was certainly exposed, being the brother-in-law of Boccioni. The great protagonist of the management room is certainly the desk designed by Cambellotti – like all the other furniture in the palace – with the central structure similar to a pulpit and mother-of-pearl decorations. A design object so impressive for beauty and functionality that even the English, when they arrived in Bari as allies in the post-war period, tried to take it away, fortunately without success.

The council room is definitely the most magical room of the visit to the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese. The tempera frescoes by Cambellotti depict a Puglian countryside inhabited by women washing clothes, with their clothes moved by the wind also reflected in the marble veins framing the scene. The castles of Lucera and Castel del Monte stand out in the background, while next to the peasants we also find horses drinking. In the center of the room, the armchairs supported by arches are many small thrones crowning the finely decorated table.

Living in the palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese

Climbing to the second floor marks the transition from public to private, from offices to the apartments of the president and his family. Here, one enters a more intimate and personal dimension, far from the solemnity of the offices and the representative rooms. The furnishings, carefully reassembled through dedicated studies, convey the intimate vibrations that Cambellotti infused into the showcased furniture. Always inspired by the natural imagination, the artist this time turns to the world of fairy tales: the horse and the swallow find their place in the small square niches carved into the headboards and bedside tables, as well as in the perforated backs of child-sized chairs. These details evoke a magical and dreamy atmosphere, transporting the observer into an enchanting and fascinating context.

In the monumentality of the bedroom intended for the high presidential office, the distinction of roles between children and adults is also recognized in their living arrangements. In the lady’s toilet, the design is summarized in a sort of great secret altar, reflecting feminine elegance, while in the president’s bedroom, Cambellotti reprises the undulating lines of an imposing colonnade in the bed’s headboards and the wardrobe doors. This reiterates the stylistic features of furnishings representative of the upper bourgeoisie of the ruling classes in the 1930s. Every detail, from the soft lines to the precious materials, underscores the prestige and sophistication of a residence designed to reflect the prominent role of its inhabitants, creating a fascinating contrast with the intimacy and magic of the children’s room furnishings.

Visit to the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese

Visiting the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese is not just a journey through an architectural masterpiece, but also an immersion into the history and culture of Puglia. This building, a symbol of the achievement of providing potable water, represents the triumph of technology and human ingenuity. Its decorations, rich with water-related symbolism, and the harmonious combination of Romanesque and Art Nouveau elements, make the Palazzo a unique and precious example of Italian artistic heritage.

Exploring its spaces, from the sumptuous rooms of the president to the fascinating corridors decorated by Cambellotti, one perceives the greatness of the endeavor that allowed Puglia to overcome one of its greatest challenges: water scarcity. It is a place that tells stories of progress, collaboration, and beauty, inviting every visitor to reflect on the value of water and its impact on community life.

A visit to the Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese not only enriches one culturally but also offers a unique opportunity to appreciate the historical and artistic heritage of Bari and Puglia. Book a visit and let yourself be captivated by the magnificence of this “cathedral of water,” a monument that celebrates the very essence of life: water.