It is located in the coastal area of the province of Bari, not far from Polignano a Mare the town of Monopoli. With a history dating back to the 7th century BC, the “unique city” (from the Greek monos and polis) is a bridge between West and East, with a strategic position on the Adriatic Sea which over the centuries has made it the destination and conquest of different populations.
Today the ancient fishing village is a tourist center that is especially striking for its historic center, full of ancient squares, noble palaces and whitewashed houses. idealista/news walked the streets of the ancient city with the guide of Marcella Dibello, president of the Egnatia association and tourist guide.
“Monopoli – explains Marcella DiBello – is a town of around 50,000 inhabitants in the center of Bari, which today lives mainly from tourism, but which in the past was a city of fishermen and farmers. “The foundations of the city date back to the 7th century BC, its quite original name tells us that it is a “unique city” from monos “unique” and polis “city”.
The reasons could be various, because it was the first city to embrace the Catholic religion, or because different populations lived in this area and this city had to be certified by giving the name of only one people and we didn’t want to displease anyone”
“In the old port we find the typical fishermen’s boats” the gozzi, made of wood, produced in Monopoli, but which are used throughout Puglia. Here we find them about this red and blue color because lThe protector of the city is the Madonna della Madia.
Palazzo Martinelli overlooks the old port with the typical arches that remind us of the Venetian style, one of the oldest noble palaces in the historic center, or Palmieri Palace a building from the 1700s that serves as the police station for the famous RaiUno drama Lolita Lobosco. Overlooking the ancient port we also find thethe Castle of Charles V from the Spanish era, built in 1552 by order of Charles V and is dedicated to him”
“In the historic center of Monopoli we find Piazza Vittorio Emanuele which is the largest square in Puglia. A short distance away we find the Cathedral from 1700 with a Neapolitan Baroque decoration inside. Also worth mentioning is the Church of the Madonna del Suffraggio, known because inside we find the mummies of the brothers, notables of the time who could afford this type of conservation”.
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