Puglia · Bari
Monopoli
An Adriatic walled town forty kilometers south of Bari, the Charles V castle on the headland, 156 square kilometers of coastline behind it.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Monopoli is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu and Città dell'Olio.
Subscribe and you get Monopoli's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 42 min from Bari
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 47,757
- J13°
- F15°
- M15°
- A18°
- M23°
- J28°
- J31°
- A31°
- S27°
- O23°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Monopoli sits on the Adriatic forty kilometers southeast of Bari, a walled town extending from the sea fifteen kilometers inland to the first Murge hills. The territory covers 156 square kilometers with sandy coves, cliff sections and the old port at the centro storico. The site has been inhabited since the Epigravettian, around fifteen thousand years ago; a fortified Messapian settlement existed by 500 BC.
The name comes from the Greek for 'only city,' which Monopoli inherited when refugees from nearby Gnatia arrived after the Ostrogoth king Totila destroyed it in 545. Byzantines, Normans and Hohenstaufen followed. In 1484 Venice took the town and ran it as a trading port between Bari and Brindisi for sixty years. The Castello Carlo V on the headland and the resistance to the imperial Armada in 1529, which forced the Spaniards to abandon a three-month siege, both belong to that century of fortification.
How to get there
From Bari (BRI), about 54 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 3 h 47 min away.
By car from the center of Bari 42 min, Lecce 1 h 21 min or Salerno 3 h 46 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Bari?
Coming by train into Bari Centrale? Monopoli is about 44 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Bari airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello Carlo V
Sixteenth-century pentagonal fortress on the headland above the old port, built by the Spanish to defend against Ottoman raids and Venetian return.
Basilica Cattedrale Maria Santissima della Madia
Eighteenth-century baroque cathedral on the old town's central square, raised over earlier medieval foundations, the city's principal monument.
Centro storico
Walled old town on the small headland, white limestone alleys, the cathedral and the castle facing each other across narrow lanes above the port.
Porto Vecchio
Old fishing port at the foot of the centro storico, wooden gozzi tied along the quay, the working dock still used by local fishermen at dawn.
Cala Porta Vecchia
Small sandy beach tucked directly under the centro storico walls, the closest swim to the historic core and the easiest summer landmark.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
OrtoRistorante
Orto carries one Gambero Rosso fork (77/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
My Wine il piacere del palatoWine Bar
My Wine il piacere del palato has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
RadimareRistorante
Radimare has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.
1 more place the guides name in Monopoli
Saleblu de La Peschiera HotelRistorante
Saleblu de La Peschiera Hotel carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100).
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Monopoli meets 2 of our 3 rules for a small town.
- 47,757 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Bari, a city of 315,831, is 42 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 47,757, down 2.5% since 2015
- Nearest city Bari, 42 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,800 to €2,100 per m² to buy, €5.90 to €6.90 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 81% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Bari airport (BRI), 54 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bari, 42 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Georgia and China, against 9% across Italy. 93 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, Germany and France. There are 236 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 30% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Bari province ranks 67th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Martina Franca, 30 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Bari, 42 km away. The nearest IB school is St. Stephen's School, 414 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is International School of Brindisi, 64 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €8,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Puglia spends about €1,500 a month, €440 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €545 a year for water, on the Puglia average. In Bari, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.21, a meal in a pizzeria €11.13 and a man's haircut €14.53.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 2% in a high or medium one. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
CHARLES V CASTLE
Pentagonal Spanish fortress of the 1550s on the headland above the old port, the centerpiece of the town's sixteenth-century defenses.
ADRIATIC PORT
Working fishing harbor at the foot of the centro storico, Venetian trading hub from 1484, sixty years of Republic of San Marco rule.
COVES AND BEACHES
Fifteen kilometers of coast with sandy coves, cliff sections and the small Cala Porta Vecchia directly under the old town walls.
MOZZARELLA DI GIOIA DEL COLLE
The commune lies inside the Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Monopoli known for?
- Monopoli is an Adriatic walled town forty kilometers south of Bari, the Charles V castle on the headland, 156 square kilometers of coastline behind it.
- Where is Monopoli?
- Monopoli is a comune in the province of Bari, in Puglia, at 9 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Monopoli?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bari (BRI), about 54 min by car.
- Can you get to Monopoli without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Bari to Monopoli?
- About 42 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Monopoli?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Monopoli?
- Gallipoli, Polignano a Mare and Carovigno.
- How many people live in Monopoli?
- 47,757 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Monopoli a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Monopoli is a small town that meets 2 of our 3 rules. The nearest city, Bari, is 42 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 81% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 9 m
- Population: 47,757
- Surface area: 157.89 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Monopoli appears in
- The best cheese towns within 45 minutes of BariNear Bariwithin 45 mincheese zone6 towns · smallest 5,908 residents · closest 22 min away
- The best coastal towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of BariNear Baricoastalby trainwithin 90 min6 towns · smallest 17,353 residents · closest 31 min away
- The best olive oil towns that eat well within 90 minutes of BariNear Bariolive oilwithin 90 mineats well6 towns · smallest 19,156 residents · closest 31 min away
- The best towns that eat well in the province of BariBari provinceeats well6 towns · smallest 10,102 residents
- The best cheese towns within two hours of LecceNear Leccewithin 2 hourscheese zone8 towns · smallest 10,102 residents · closest 80 min away
- The best coastal towns with a serious restaurant in PugliaPugliacoastalserious restaurant8 towns · smallest 4,276 residents
Featured on
Monopoli appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Monopoli
What all six share with Monopoli: on the Adriatic coast · over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
The letter
Monopoli is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Monopoli comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Scheggino, 419 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.