In the 6th century, Polignano was ruled by the Byzantines, and later by the Normans, who dominated the area until 1194. In the following centuries, the village passed under the domination of the Angevins and, later, under the Aragonese. Between the Angevins and Aragonese, for a period of about 20 years, Polignano was also ruled by Venice. Read More [...]
GEOGRAPHY: Today, Polignano a Mare is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants, part of the Metropolitan City of Bari and the Italian region of Apulia. Its territory is characterized by a high jagged coast with numerous bays and grottoes.
The town is located about 9 kilometers nothwest of Monopoli, 34 kilometers southeast of Bari, 45 kilometers northwest of Ostuni, 68 kilometers north of Taranto, 78 kilometers northwest of Brindisi and about 114 kilometers northwest of Lecce.
TRANSPORT: The closest airport is Karol Wojtyła International Airport, located about 44 kilometers north, near Bari. From the airport, you can get to Polignano by train, in two steps. First, from the airport to Bari Centrale, you can take one of the trains of the private company Ferrotramviaria. A trip from the airport to Bari takes about 16 minutes and the ticket costs 5€. Then, from Bari Centrale to Polignano, you can take a train operated by Trenitalia, for a 30 minute trip. The ticket costs 2.5€.
LANDMARKS: The most important tourist attraction of Polignano a Mare and probably the most photographed spot on the Apulian coast is, without doubt, the small beautiful beach of Lama Monachile, enclosed between two rocky walls. A bridge with the same name, part of the ancient Via Traiana, is passing over the beach.
In Polignano, you can also take beautiful walks through the small historical center of the city. With its narrow streets and old buildings, restaurants and cafes, the old town is a beautiful maze in which you can lose yourself for a while.