Bari's Mediterranean Library opens with nocturnal Domingo Milella show

The new Polo Bibliotecario Regionale, renamed Biblioteca del Mediterraneo, opens in Bari's ex-Caserma Rossani with a nocturnal exhibition by photographer Domingo Milella. The show, 'Il Teatro del Tempo', runs June 5–29, 2025, from 9 PM to midnight, curated by Michele Spinelli with artistic direction by Giuseppe Teofilo. It features 13 large-format works by Milella, including several unpublished images, evoking the Grotta dei Cervi di Porto Badisco, a Neolithic site closed to the public. The exhibition is produced by Fondazione Pascali with support from the Museo della Preistoria di Nardò, the Segretariato regionale MiC, the Soprintendenza per le Province di Lecce e Brindisi, and ICCD. The library complex, covering over 5,000 square meters, can hold up to 100,000 volumes and houses collections from the Teca del Mediterraneo, the Mediateca Regionale (including 33,000 film posters), the Archivio della Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, and IPSAIC. The project cost over €13 million. Meanwhile, the ex-Caserma Rossani will also host the Accademia di Belle Arti by the first half of 2026, with three new buildings totaling over 9,000 square meters, including a 300-seat auditorium and a green roof. The site features a Piazza delle Arti designed as a garden evoking Puglian landscapes, adjacent to the existing Parco Rossani. A separate project, 'La casa nel parco', funded by ANCI with up to €350,000, aims to create a youth hub for under-35s.