A guide to Monopoli.

Monopoli is one of the most overlooked towns on the Italian Adriatic. It has a working fishing port, a cathedral-topped old town that predates the Normans, and a stretch of white sand beaches that the rest of Italy is only now starting to notice. This is a short guide — what to do on your first morning, where to eat in the evening, and which day trips are actually worth the drive.

The old town

Start in Piazza Garibaldi and walk down toward the port. The whole centro storico is about ten minutes end-to-end, but you'll want longer. The Basilica Cattedrale Maria Santissima della Madia is the landmark — baroque, gilded, and free to enter. Behind it, the old town hums with espresso bars, ceramic shops, and a few genuinely excellent restaurants hidden down stepped alleys.

The best time to walk it is just before sunset, when the stone walls go amber and the locals head out for the evening passeggiata. From Grimaldi Residence it's three minutes on foot.

The harbour and the beaches

Monopoli's port is still a working one. Fishermen sell their catch directly off the boats in the morning — swordfish, octopus, the tiny sweet shrimp the Adriatic is famous for. It's worth being up for.

The best nearby beaches:

• Cala Porta VecchiaA tiny cove inside the old town walls, walkable from the apartment in five minutes.
• Cala Porto BiancoWhite sand, calm water, ten minutes south by car.
• CapitoloThe main beach strip, long and sandy, with beach clubs if that's your thing.

Where to eat and drink

The food in Puglia is the reason half the people coming here come here. These are the places we actually send guests to, and all of them are a short walk from the apartment.

• Martinucci LaboratoryBreakfast and pastries — the place to start the day, straight out the door of the residence.
• La Locanda sul PortoA trattoria right on the old harbour — tables almost touching the water, seafood straight off the boats.
• Il Punto CardinaleTrattoria al Borgo — classic Pugliese cooking, tucked inside the walls of the centro storico.
• My WineA wine-led restaurant in the old town — il piacere del palato, as the name says.
• HagakureFusion and sushi, for a night off from Pugliese food.
• Chinè MonopoliOur pick for pizza — wood-fired, in the centro storico.
• Alchemy Bar and ThingsThe cocktail bar of the old town. Worth the after-dinner walk.

Day trips worth making

Puglia is compact. You can be anywhere on this list in under an hour from Monopoli.

• Polignano a Mare15 min. The town built on the cliff. Go early to beat the crowds, swim at Lama Monachile, leave before lunch.
• Alberobello35 min. The trulli town, UNESCO-listed, touristy but genuinely extraordinary if you've never seen it.
• Ostuni30 min. La città bianca — a whitewashed hill town with views over the olive groves.
• Locorotondo40 min. Smaller, quieter, better lunch.
• Lecce1 h 15 min. The baroque capital of the south. Go for a day, stay for two if you can.

When to come

May, June, and September are the best months. The sea is warm, the crowds are thin, and the evenings are still long. July and August are beautiful but busy — book early and expect company on the beaches. October is underrated — the food festivals start, the light turns golden, and you still get swim days.

Getting here

Fly to Bari (BRI) — 40 minutes to the apartment by car. Brindisi (BDS) is slightly further but often cheaper from northern Europe. Trains from Bari Centrale reach Monopoli in 35 minutes and the station is a short walk from the old town.