HISTORY OF MONOPOLI:
The area of today’s Monopoli was settled since the 6th century BC by the Messapians, who built here a fortified city. Between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD, the town was also an important military port to the Adriatic Sea. Read More [...]
During the Middle Ages, Monopoli experienced its maximum expansion, incorporating the nearby towns of Fasano, Locorotondo, Alberobello and Cisternino. Later, the town was disputed between the Byzantines and the Normans, with the climax being the Battle of Monopoli, which took place in 1041.
In the second half of the 13th century, Monopoli passed under the domination of the Angevins, and later submitted to the Aragonese. At the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, the town was under the domination of Venice. Starting with the middle of the 17th century, Monopoli followed the fate of the rest of the Southern Italy, with the domination of the Bourbons, and then with the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
GEOGRAPHY OF MONOPOLI:
Today, Monopoli is a town of about 49,000 inhabitants, part of the Metropolitan City of Bari, in the Italian region of Apulia. Read More [...]
The territory of Monopoli is divided into units called contrade (districts). A contrada is characterized by the presence of ancient fortified farmhouses, rock churches and trulli (traditional Apulian stone huts with a conical roof).
The town is located 9 kilometers southeast of Polignano a Mare, 37 kilometers northwest of Ostuni, 43 kilometers southeast of Bari, 62 kilometers north of Taranto, 68 kilometers northwest of Brindisi, 75 kilometers northeast of Matera, 105 kilometers northwest of Lecce, 305 kilometers east of Naples, 470 kilometers northeast of Reggio Calabria, and about 475 kilometers southeast of Rome.
TRANSPORT TO MONOPOLI:
The closest airport is the Karol Wojtyła International Airport, located about 54 kilometers north, near Bari. From the airport, you can get to Monopoli by train, in two steps. Read More [...]
First, from the airport to the Bari Centrale railway station, you can take one of the trains of the private company Ferrotramviaria. A trip from the airport to Bari takes between 15 and 20 minutes, and the ticket costs 5€. Then, from the Bari Centrale railway station to Monopoli, you can take a train operated by Trenitalia. The trip takes about half an hour and the cheapest ticket costs 3.40€.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN MONOPOLI:
The historical center of Monopoli is beautiful, and the best way to discover the town is on foot. The most important landmarks are the Castle of Charles V, built at the beginning of the 16th century, the Old Port of Monopoli, and the Basilica of the Madonna della Madia, the Cathedral of Monopoli.
