Puglia · Bari
Polignano a Mare
The Adriatic cliff town thirty kilometers south of Bari, built on a twenty-metre limestone bluff, birthplace of Domenico Modugno.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Polignano a Mare is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 36 min from Bari
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 17,353
- J13°
- F15°
- M16°
- A19°
- M24°
- J29°
- J33°
- A32°
- S28°
- O23°
- N19°
- 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
Polignano a Mare sits on a limestone cliff twenty to twenty-seven meters above the Adriatic, thirty kilometers south of Bari. The historic center is a maze of whitewashed lanes cut into the rock, dropping down to the Lama Monachile cove, the narrow beach between two rock walls and under the arches of the Roman bridge of the Via Traiana. Archaeology in the Santa Barbara district shows continuous settlement since prehistory, and the site has been identified with the ancient Greek Neapolis of Apulia, possibly founded by Dionysius II of Syracuse in the fourth century BC.
Julius Caesar features in another origin claim along the Via Traiana. Domenico Modugno, who wrote and sang "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and won the 1958 Grammy with it, was born here in 1928; his statue stands on the lungomare that bears his name. The Grotta Palazzese, a sea cave under the old town, has held a restaurant since the eighteenth century when the Leto princes used it for banquets.
How to get there
From Bari (BRI), about 48 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 3 h 42 min away.
By car from the center of Bari 36 min, Lecce 1 h 30 min or Salerno 3 h 41 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? Polignano a Mare is about 38 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Bari airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Lama Monachile
Narrow cove between two cliff walls in the center of town, under the arches of the Roman bridge of the Via Traiana, the town's signature postcard.
Centro storico
Whitewashed old town on the limestone cliff, narrow lanes, balconies hanging over the sea, and three surviving medieval gates.
Grotta Palazzese
Sea cave under the cliff used by the Leto princes for banquets in the eighteenth century, now a restaurant carved into the rock.
Ponte Romano di Lama Monachile
Stone bridge of the Via Traiana spanning the lama, the original Roman crossing rebuilt over the cove.
Statua di Domenico Modugno
Bronze of the singer with arms open in the gesture of Volare, on the seafront promenade that bears his name.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
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.
PashàRistorante
One Michelin star for Pashà, along with three Gambero Rosso forks (90/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
CasanovaRistorante
Casanova has two Gambero Rosso forks (81/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
JamantèRistorante
A Gambero Rosso listing for Jamantè, and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
3 more places the guides name in Polignano a Mare
MeravigliosoRistorante
Meraviglioso holds one Gambero Rosso fork (77/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
L'Osteria di ChichibioTrattoria
L'Osteria di Chichibio has two Gambero Rosso prawns to its name.
Masseria Le TorriHotel
Masseria Le Torri carries a La Liste score of 94.
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?
Polignano a Mare meets all 3 of our rules for a small town.
- 17,353 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Bari, a city of 315,831, is 36 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 17,353, down 3.2% since 2015
- Nearest city Bari, 36 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Monopoli, 12 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,000 to €2,800 per m² to buy, €6.70 to €9.60 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 92% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Bari airport (BRI), 48 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bari, 36 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
4% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Georgia, Bangladesh and Tunisia, against 9% across Italy. 55 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United States. There are 217 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 41% 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
The nearest emergency room is in Monopoli, 12 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Bari, 34 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Bari, 34 km away. The nearest IB school is St. Stephen's School, 407 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is International School of Brindisi, 72 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 at the 2025 rate, 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 €15,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
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. 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 4% in a high or medium one. 3% 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
LAMA MONACHILE
Cove beach under the Roman bridge between the cliff walls of the centro storico, the most-photographed view in Puglia.
DOMENICO MODUGNO
Born here in 1928, wrote Volare, won the 1958 Grammy Award for Record of the Year, the most internationally famous Italian song ever recorded.
GROTTA PALAZZESE
Sea cave restaurant under the old town, used for noble banquets since the eighteenth century, now booked months in advance.
Common questions
- What is Polignano a Mare known for?
- Polignano a Mare is the Adriatic cliff town thirty kilometers south of Bari, built on a twenty-metre limestone bluff, birthplace of Domenico Modugno.
- Where is Polignano a Mare?
- Polignano a Mare is a comune in the province of Bari, in Puglia, at 24 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Polignano a Mare?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bari (BRI), about 48 min by car.
- Can you get to Polignano a Mare 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 Polignano a Mare?
- About 36 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Polignano a Mare?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Polignano a Mare?
- Gallipoli, Carovigno and Monopoli.
- How many people live in Polignano a Mare?
- 17,353 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Polignano a Mare a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Polignano a Mare is a small town that meets all 3 of our rules. The nearest city, Bari, is 36 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Monopoli, 12 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 92% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 24 m
- Population: 17,353
- Surface area: 63.09 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 Polignano a Mare appears in
- The best beach towns worth staying overnight in PugliaPugliaclean beachworth staying overnight6 towns · smallest 17,353 residents
- 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 towns that eat well in the province of BariBari provinceeats well6 towns · smallest 10,102 residents
- The best towns worth staying overnight that eat well in PugliaPugliaeats wellworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 5,566 residents
- The best coastal towns with a serious restaurant in PugliaPugliacoastalserious restaurant8 towns · smallest 4,276 residents
Featured on
Polignano a Mare appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Instead of Polignano a Mare: coastal towns within 90 minutes
Similar
Towns like Polignano a Mare
What all six share with Polignano a Mare: on the Adriatic coast · over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
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