Monopoli, Coastal commune in Puglia, Italy
Monopoli is a commune on the Adriatic Sea in the Metropolitan City of Bari in southern Puglia. The old town sits on a rocky peninsula where white houses and narrow lanes run from the harbor up to the 16th-century city gates.
Refugees from the destroyed city of Gnatia settled along this stretch of coast in the 6th century and called the new settlement their only city. The fortifications were later reinforced as Spanish and Venetian rulers competed for control over the Adriatic coast.
The marble column in the main square shows Mary floating above the harbor basin on a raft, recalling the legend of the icon's arrival by sea. Fishermen still mend their nets along the harbor wall while older residents gather under the arcades to talk.
The town sits about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Bari and is accessible via the coastal road and regular regional trains running along the Adriatic. Walking through the old town requires comfortable shoes because of cobblestone surfaces and slopes leading down to the harbor.
The surrounding countryside consists of 99 separate rural hamlets spread over more than 150 square kilometers (58 square miles), each preserving its own farmsteads with stone walls and old olive groves. Many of these settlements are older than the city walls and once served as refuges for farming families during coastal raids.
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