Pretty much all major cities in Italy have by now expressed their interest in hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. The next on the list is the ninth biggest city of the country: Bari. There’s just one issue… They are not quite sure of the venue, so the city is now contemplating whether to bid at all. Mayor Antonio Decaro announced his interest on TV.
PalaFlorio too small for Bari?
Bari are currently thinking about putting a bid in to host Eurovision 2022. They are exploring the options and have asked RAI for the potential requirements a host city should fulfill. The city, which is located in the south of Italy, is home to approximately 320,000 people. Mayor Antonio Decaro has confirmed that two of the requirements are easy for Bari. There are enough hotel beds in the city and an airport is nearby as well. Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport, which carries the birth name of Pope John Paul II, is close to the city and offers flights to many destinations.
So far, so good for Bari. There’s just one issue for them, as it now appears. Currently, Bari don’t have a venue the size of the other candidates. PalaFlorio sounds like the most logical option. It is the home stadium of CUS Bari Pallacanestro, the local basketball team. After a renovation in 2010, it can now host up to 6,000 people for concerts. That’s about half of what Milan and Turin are offering.
Other options in Bari depend on temporary constructions. Stadio San Nicola is a football stadium but would require a roof. Convention centre Fiera del Levante may also be an option, but it is hard to imagine how they would organise Eurovision there, with many smaller halls, with relatively low ceilings as well. The ceiling height is a big part of being able to host Eurovision: With all the lights and constructions there, the ceiling should be quite high and strong. So if Bari were to bid, the PalaFlorio will probably be their venue.
Twelve cities now on the list
It is still very much early days in the race to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. The first six cities which expressed their desire to host the contest came in on Sunday morning. We wrote about them in greater detail that day, so check out our article! Rome added themselves to the list, with Florence and Rimini joining on the same day, ahead of Sanremo. Our latest addition was the Verona Arena in Verona, once again depending on the construction of a roof.
The twelve cities, including Bari, wishing to host Eurovision 2022 are:
- Turin
- Milan
- Pesaro
- Reggio Emilia
- Bologna
- Naples
- Rome
- Rimini
- Florence
- Sanremo
- Verona
- Bari
Måneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with Zitti E Buoni, taking us to Italy for the first time since 1991. We will report as more bids to host come in!