Known for its beautiful sea, Monopoli, from the Greek ‘monos polis’ is located south of Bari. 

Its ancient walls date back to the 1500s and rise mightily above the sea. Skirting them, one arrives at the heart of the historic centre where the Castle of Charles V is located, and the small port where the icon of the Virgin of the Madia, protector of the city, arrived in 1117. 

Among the narrow streets of the ancient medieval village is the Cathedral of Maria Santissima della Madia. It is the city’s most important and most visited church, known also because it houses the painting of the Madonna della Madia. Legend has it that on the night between 15 and 16 December 1117, a raft landed in Monopoli harbour with an icon depicting the virgin with child.

Every year, there are two re-enactments of the raft’s landing, on 16 December and 14 August; the latter is mainly in honour of the many tourists visiting the town. 

It is possible to combine the guided tour of Monopoli, for a full-day service, with that of nearby Polignano a Mare. Polignano is the birthplace of singer Domenico Modugno. Its charming coastline and historic centre, with the 13th-century Matrix Church, surrounded by defence towers in which it is possible to recognise traces of Arab, Byzantine and Norman origins. 

Set of numerous films and home to the Sudestival, a film festival of national preview screenings.

For the past decade, Polignano has hosted the Red Bull Cliff Diving Word Series during the summer, offering thousands of visitors memorable and epic dives from great heights.