When I began looking into Puglia as a region I wanted to visit, I knew I wanted to stay somewhere special. There are so many incredible places in Puglia and I didn’t know how to choose. I had at some point narrowed it down to Polignano a Mare and Monopoli and I was at this fun experience in Philadelphia learning how to make limoncello. The guy hosting the class just happened to be FROM Italy and even better he happened to be FROM Puglia! I talked to him about it at length and he encouraged me to stick with Monopoli so I did. I am so glad I met him and took his advice because we absolutely loved basing in Monopoli! I trust the universe when these types of things happen. I truly believe that every town in Puglia would be a great base for various reasons, but we choose Monopoli so here we go!
Location/Accessibility
Monopoli can be reached by train or car. This definitely factored into our decision as we were traveling by train. We were able to get a train here from Bari and then take a direct train to Rome to fly home.
We also used a taxi service to take us from town to town at times since we were traveling as a group of 6 here and I found it very reasonable. We used Autoservizi Amodio to get around and they were so incredible. They showed up exactly on time every time, gave us the cost for place to place in advance, and the vehicle was clean and safe. I would highly recommend using them if you need to get around. For example: they took us to Polignano Al Mare and back and also to Alberobello and back.
Cute Places To Stay
We stayed in a really charming airbnb here! It had beautiful rooms, nice shared space, a full kitchen, and a really nice rooftop. The only issue for us was the air conditioning. It wasn’t in every room so we spent a lot of time all sitting in the living room together with the doors closed trying to stay cold. We also visited Monopoli during a HUGE heat wave, so it really wasn’t anyones fault. It was also very well located, we could walk to the old town, walk to the beach, walk to the train station, and any thing else we needed. Overall if I were to come back I may want to stay IN the town area. But this was really charming and worked out just fine.
The Most Charming Streets
One of my favorite parts of Monopoli was just simply walking around the streets. The colors here are unreal, most of the buildings are white or very light pastel colors. The alleyways and homes are filled with plants and the most beautiful succulents. Every single corner and street here is a photo opportunity. I enjoyed running/walking around in the mornings so much to just see every corner of this beautiful place.
Excellent Food/Drinks
We ate in so many wonderful places in Monopoli. It is good to know that you can base in a place with lots of options so you don’t get bored. Here are some of our favorites…
Piazza Palmeri: Not only was everything here absolutely delicious, but the place itself was so aesthetically pleasing. It was in the most beautiful square and everything was white, the perfect contrast to our beautiful midday aperol spritz. The seafood here was SO fresh and incredible. I did a sampler of a bunch of different types of seafood and I was so happy with it. Everything that we ate was amazing and I would have gone back here to eat again if we had more time.
La Locanda Sul Porto: Lunch here was also fantastic and had a slight ocean view. Again the quality of the seafood here was just beyond! We shared and tried so many delicious things here and our friends had a GIANT seafood stew type thing that was to die for! Highly recommend this spot!
Carlo Quinto: This place was special due to its unique location on the walls of Monopoli. We saw a lot of people queueing for this spot and I was glad we had made a reservation. They had excellent pastas and we enjoyed the vibe.
Vini & Panini: We loved having a little happy hour at this spot. It was super lively and the staff were really kind and fun. We had a charcuterie board and tried a number of drinks. This was a great spot to hang for apertivo time!
Sotto Coperta Pub: If you’ve researched Monopoli this place comes up as sort of iconic for a drink. It overlooks the area where the charming little fisherman’s boats are parked and it is just such a beautiful scene to sit and sip a drink. It is popular but seems to turn over people quite often so you should be able to get your chance.
Many Unique Beaches
If you walk out of the town and along the coastline you will continue to be met with small, charming beaches. They are seemingly just carved right out of the land and are all different shapes and sizes. There a few places you can get into the water right at the edge of town as well. We did a little beach hopping and really enjoyed trying new spots, you could never get bored here as a beach lover.
Shops & Stops
Monopoli is full of the cutest shops and stops throughout all the alleys and streets. We loved shopping for souvenirs, popping into artists spaces, getting gelato, and generally just exploring all that was on offer.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that Monopli is an excellent place to base for your time in Puglia.
If you’re interested in a full 2 week itinerary to Albania and Puglia check out my post here.
If you’re interested in what to do and see in Bari click here.
If you’re interested in more Italy posts in general click here.
Monopoli Italy | where to stay in Puglia | Things to do in Monopoli| what to eat in Monopoli | visiting Puglia Italy |
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