Arco Meraviglia, the romantic legend of the two lovers

Old Bari also has its Romeo and Juliet, but the setting is a graceful stone arch

As already mentioned in other pages of this blog, old Bari is characterized by around fifty arches , each with its own historical reference; in this case the legend linked to the Arco Meraviglia concerns a curious and romantic love story which, in some ways, recalls that of the famous Romeo and Juliet of Verona.

The legend revolves around the love story of two young people whose parents, against this relationship, prevented him from seeing his beloved. The two lovers lived opposite each other, a factor that led the young boy to devise a plan to circumvent his girlfriend's family's choice; so, thanks also to the help of his family, the boyfriend decided to build a bridge that could connect his home with that of his girlfriend.

According to the history of this bridge , characterized by a beautiful stone arch , it is said that it was built in a single night precisely so as not to arouse suspicion, so as to make the two young people "happily ever after" as the best ending of all the most beautiful love stories.

The one told is obviously just a legend; the Arco Meraviglia takes the name, in reality, of a Milanese family (the Meraviglias) and was also built to connect the two medieval houses (we are talking about 1500) , but with a very different objective from that of the story of the lovers.
Now this beautiful arch is one of the most evocative architectural structures to visit in old Bari , as well as an exemplary testimony to the thousand-year history linked to this splendid village in the Apulian capital .