BARI, 18.03.26
A wave of heritage restoration projects along Corso Vittorio Emanuele is driving unprecedented orders for handcrafted wooden staircases in Bari. Local manufacturers report order backlogs stretching into autumn 2026. Mayor's office coordinator Dario Colella confirmed on Tuesday that at least twelve palazzo renovations have entered permitting stages since January, each requiring bespoke timber stair installations.
When we spoke with Marcello Laricchia, owner of a family-run stair workshop in the Libertà district, he described weeks of eighteen-hour shifts just to keep pace. His artisans specialise in cantilevered treads and traditional baluster turning, techniques passed through three generations. Oak and chestnut remain the preferred species, though Laricchia noted growing interest in thermally modified ash for its dimensional stability. The surge, he explained, traces partly to new regional tax incentives favouring historically sympathetic refurbishments. According to figures that could not be independently verified, his output has tripled since last spring. Across the courtyard from his workshop, an elderly woman sells fresh friselle from a cart, a scene unchanged in decades even as sawdust drifts past her stall. The Apulian Artisan Trade Association released data last month showing a forty-one percent year-on-year rise in registered carpentry enterprises, many of them pivoting toward interior staircases specifically.
Our correspondents in Bari observed multiple construction crews installing open-riser stair systems in the Murat quarter, an area once dominated by utilitarian concrete steps. Architects in the city increasingly specify engineered timber stringers paired with solid-wood treads, a hybrid approach balancing cost against aesthetic warmth. Structural demands vary widely. Some projects call for single-flight designs no longer than three metres; others require elaborate helical configurations winding through restored atria. The National Institute for Wood and Furniture Research, based in Pesaro, has issued updated load-bearing guidelines applicable to domestic stairways. Compliance remains a concern. Several smaller installers lack in-house engineers, forcing them to outsource structural calculations. The timeline remains unclear for when municipal inspectors will begin systematic audits of completed installations. Still, the mood among workshop owners leans optimistic.
Material sourcing presents its own challenges. European beech supplies tightened after sawmill closures in Slovenia last year, pushing Italian buyers toward domestic Calabrian forests. Prices for kiln-dried planks suitable for stair treads rose eleven percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Puglia Regional Statistics Office. Finished staircases now fetch between nine thousand and thirty-five thousand euros depending on complexity, timber grade, and handrail detailing. Finish choices have evolved as well; matte hardwax oils dominate over polyurethane lacquers, which homeowners increasingly view as dated. Environmental certifications matter more than before. FSC-labelled timber commands a premium, though verification processes can delay procurement by several weeks. One supplier on Via Amendola admitted to stockpiling certified ash in anticipation of summer shortages. Whether that speculation will pay off depends on variables no single trader controls.