Monopoli is a charming town on the sea, famous, apart for its beaches and clean waters, for its baroque churches.

The town grew considerably in the Baroque period, with the twelfth-century cathedral given a new facade, while many noble houses were built, among them the lovely Palmieri mansion. The historic-artistic heritage is notable, starting with the lovely historic centre – its old houses facing onto quays, giving a clear impression of medieval landing stages – and the cathedral, one of the most interesting examples of Apulian Baroque.
A hard-working agricultural and fishing town, Monopoli has developed a strong touristic vocation in recent years: in fact, the jagged coastline has many enchanting bays.
What to see:

Madonna della Madia Cathedral, built in 1107 and completely rebuilt in the 18th century – one of the most attractive examples of Baroque in the entire Apulian region. Notable is the Byzantine icon portraying the Madonna della Madia – legend tells that the sacred image was washed up from the sea on a raft made of huge wooden logs that were then used for the building of the trussed roof which dates from 1280 and is very well preserved and of fine workmanship

Santa Maria degli Amalfitani near the port of Monopoli, is a Romanesque building erected at the beginning of the 12th century on a pre-existing rock settlement.

Abbey of Santo Stefano, a fortified complex built in 1086, is the remains of an old church survive in the inner courtyard, still inside there are the visible remains of the Roman settlement of Turris Paola.

Charles V Castle bounded on three sides by the sea and protected on the fourth by a moat that no longer exists, was erected by the Aragonese during the first half of the 15th century. Used as a prison until the beginning of the 20th century, the castle has been recently restored and today houses the Municipal Archaeological Museum on its first floor.

Purgatorio Church inside you will find familiar Baroque interior but on the adjacent chapel you will find mummies of some local citizens. If the church is closed then you can watch some of the mummies through the street window.

Palazzo Palmieri is a central square of the Centro Storico.

Madonna del Soccorso, is a old grotto with frescoes which was dug out of a natural cavity in the rock.

The countryside it consists of 99 districts characterized by the presence of “Masserie Fortificate” of ancient roman origin, Rupestrian Churches, neo-classic villas and houses.

Activities in Monopoli:

APULIAN COOKERS COURSES - Cookery courses and laboratories aim at keeping and promoting the Apulian popular, agricultural and wine and food traditions and at emphasizig the value of Apulian territory  tourist resources. For more informations click here

MASSAGGIO – TAI CHI & QI GONG – Tai Chi has become very popular in the recent years for its health benefits. It is based on soft and gentle movements, connected to one another forming a sequence called a “form”. For more informations click here

BOAT HIRE –  We hire motor boats (with or without crew) to let you enjoy the enchanting sea and the charming coasts offered by this Apulian corner. For more informations click here

PARAGLIDING – The tandem flight represents the real air baptism and is the simplest way to approach the paragliding world; for people who want to feel this emotion, we offer the possibility to fly in two-seater paragliding in complete safety. For more informations click here

FISH TOURISM – With fish tourism our guests are given the possibility to know sea and its beauties in a direct and authentic way. For more informations click here

EGNAZIA –  Very old resort between Bari and Brindisi, continuous object of archaeological studies and surveys. It was an important trade centre, where probably ceramics were produced. Excavations have showed units including houses, workshops, markets, two paleochristian basilicas, an amphitheatre, a necropolis and an acropolis. For more informations click here

PIZZICA AND FOLK DANCES STAGE – The project aims to rediscover and develop costumes and traditions of our land through rhythms and dances such as “Pizzica”, “Tarantella” and “Tammurriate”, representative of Puglia history and culture. For more informations click here