Italy, Bari – Polignano a Mare and Monopoli

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Poligano a Mare trul is a quiant town sitting at the coast of the Adriatic Sea . Here you may see houses bulit on a rock above the sea. It takes about 10 minutes to get there from the train station to the city center to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. From here we went on to the old town. One can’t stop looking around himself. Narrow streets lined by picturesque stores, cafes, and restaurants. The most beautiful thing is the vista over the endless sea. At some places you can even spot little streets carved into the rocks. On these streets there are restaurants. Such vistas never get old. 

The old town is the most important part of the city. It is entirely built on the rock lining the beach. In the summer, the city is under great tourist attraction, so we recommend going off-season. The famous beach is situated under a robust Roman bridge. This part is called Lama Monachile. Lama in Italian means dry riverbed. You will be able to enjoy the surrounding beauty and views. Then we head to the station and head for Monopoli town, which we reach in 15 minutes.

At Monopoli, it's great that tourists do not go here often, so you can truly enjoy it. There are lots of small, sandy and especially clean beaches with beautiful clear water. But we go to town. Officially, the old town is entire a pedestrian zone, but even so, some cars appear here every now and then. Once the street is more than two meters away, the car will be banned from unrest. Close to the old town is the harbor. The streets are marbled in many places and lined with rustic-style white houses. The Monopoli Square is totally alive for the evening, the music coming from the bars and sitting outside is very pleasant. And so we drink to a glass of good Italian wine.

GPS: 40°59'47.7"N 17°13'10.3"E

Text and photos: Kateřina Janovská