A trip to the Fiera del Levante

It may seem odd to call a visit to the Fiera del Levante a “journey”, but for many people, above all those coming from the province or the neighbouring regions (Calabria, Basilicata and Campania first and foremost), it is comparable to a trip with manic preparation involving “tickets, tasty treats, shoes and bags, and the inevitable, utterly useless gadget to buy”. I like going to the fair; it is an appointment I consider unmissable, even if perhaps a touch demode. But at this point a little history of the Campionaria is in order: the “Fiera del Levante” is one of the main fairs in Italy and the Mediterranean, based in Bari. Its main event is the “September campionaria”, an event that draws over a million visitors and two thousand exhibitors.

The first edition of the international campionaria was held in 1930. In 1969 the first specialised shows were born. The fairground, of about one hundred thousand square metres, has been expanding over time and today occupies a total surface of three hundred thousand square metres, hosting around forty events over the course of the year. Overall, the exhibitors taking part each year in the scheduled events number over five thousand, and visitors over two million, coming from Europe and the Mediterranean basin. The fair's induced economic impact is estimated at one hundred and fifty million euros.

The fair's main declared objective is the internationalisation of the southern economy, relying on a market made up of the regions of southern Italy, south-eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa. The main initiatives abroad are the “Fiera del Levante in Albania”, participation in the fairs of Ulm and Essen, the international fair of Skopje, and those of Tripoli and Bucharest.

Law no. 84 of 21 March 2001 designates the fair as the reference and monitoring body for southern companies interested in investing in partnership with Balkan businesses.

The Fiera del Levante is the institutional seat of the secretariat of Corridor VIII, the trans-European corridor that is to connect Bari to Varna, on the Black Sea. Important, is it not? I might add that it is easily reached from the city ring roads or by taking the classic seafront road that leads to the monumental entrance. On the day of my visit Napolitano was there too, but amid the confusion, police and paraphernalia we did not cross paths – what a pity!!!