Emiliano Ragno is 41 and from Bari, in the Puglia region in south-eastern Italy. He follows his local team, and for Destination Calcio’s My Town, My Team series, we spoke to Emiliano to find out more about the place he calls home – where to eat and drink, sights to see and top tips you won’t find in the tourist guides.

Why Bari?

I was never attracted to the big teams and I had a couple of friends from my class at primary school who were already going to the stadium with their dad and brothers. I was about six years old. It was a good time to go, they were going well in Serie B and then when I was nine, in the 1993-94 season, they got promoted to Serie A.

Tell us about the San Nicola

The stadium isn’t close to the city. It’s a drive or a bit of a walk, there’s not a lot there, no pubs, it’s really just countryside. But it’s nice, it is my stadium and climbing up the stairs, when you get to the last few steps before seeing it in front of you, it’s always emotional. 

It was built for the World Cup in 1990 and it has that huge wide shape. When it’s lit up at night it’s like a big flying disc. And there have been some good times over the years when it was packed. You can hear foreign voices at the stadium now so tourists do come to watch the games. 

After Italy played Scotland in 2007 some drunk, kilted Scots got lost in the countryside and many stories are still told about old farmers finding them asleep under olive trees the following morning.

And what about the city?

It’s become very touristy and you could say a victim of gentrification, like so many other places. There’s a lot of souvenir stuff that you find everywhere. But if you look, you will find the real native way of life in the old town and all around. And you will definitely get a good meal.

There are so many places in the area around Bari, within an hour or so, that have amazing views and plenty of history. Small, old towns where things will be cheaper and they are nice to walk around. 

Polignano a Mare, Monopoli and Alberobello are well known and people go there already but there are many more. You also have Matera – famous but a must – Gravina, Laterza, Conversano, all these rural places are worth visiting. 

There’s the beach too. On the promenade you will find nice restaurants and places to have a drink.

How has it changed?

We used to joke with friends from Lecce about them losing their authenticity as it was the first place in Puglia where tourism became a big thing. Now years later most places are a bit like that.

But here you can still find kids playing football using the door of the church as a goal and scooters flying past within one centimetre of you as you go about your business. Or people outside old bars drinking beer, playing cards. That’s still there.

Look, going back, up until 30 years ago it could be dangerous for tourists to go in the centre of Bari so they did a good job getting rid of that problem.

Nowadays, people take advantage. The women who sell homemade pasta on the narrow roads aren’t there the way they used to be… some of that is now fake. They buy from the supermarket. But this type of thing happens everywhere, not just Bari, not just Italy. 

So what should we be eating?

There are many dishes we can call our own but one of the most traditional is patate riso e cozze – potatoes, rice and mussels but done in a very special way in the oven. And every bakery does its own focaccia, in Bari style. Every place has its own style, other villages use other recipes. It’s the most traditional street food. 

We also have taralli, a salty pastry ring, so simple but so tasty. And of course orecchiette – the pasta from Bari. Italy has hundreds of pastas, orecchiette is from here and you can have it with ragù di braciole (meat rolls in gravy) or the famous orecchiette with cime di rapa (a local vegetable a bit like broccoli). The food is something that makes us proud. It’s a good reason to come here.

For traditional seafood dishes, Al Sorso Preferito is superb. It is close to the waterfront and has been around longer than I have. Another place, just a few minutes walk away, is La Uascezze, more traditional food in an intimate atmosphere.

For pizza, Al Buco is a favourite among locals and is authentic and lively. Their pizza is amazing. It’s slightly away from the waterfront. If you want one closer, try Enzo e Ciro.

As for bars, close to Al Sorso Preferito just a couple of minutes from each other, you have Speakeasy and Luau Tiki Bar. They are great places to go for a drink.

Where else do you enjoy visiting?

For football, Genoa. Both teams there. Sampdoria are at the bottom of Serie B but they have that huge support. Naples of course, but in terms of the smaller teams, Salernitana is a must for me. They are so passionate. 

I always liked Livorno, Reggiana, Cesena, Spal. Small places often have the warmest support.

Lecce is very nice but without the big groups of supporters. They have many families watching so it might not be the same atmosphere as other stadiums but it’s still authentic in terms of local support.

The best for me will always be Taranto but we haven’t played them for years. They’ve slipped down the leagues after scandals and bad times. And Foggia is worth a mention. It’s only an hour north of Bari.

Tell us about the people

This is one of the things that makes me proud. Older people take chairs and tables from their houses and go and have their dinner by the sea, or even just to sit and chat and have a beer there in the fresh air in the evening. That’s typical here and it’s very nice. They all eat together, it’s social. Young people do it too, so there is a big social side to Bari.

Finally, I must mention the Saint Nicola celebrations, our patron saint. Very early on December 6 go to the Saint Nicola Basilica and get a hot chocolate in the old town. Or come between May 7-9 for three days of celebrations.