This view of these blue fishing boats in Monopoli’s Old Port, and its location along the Adriatic Sea, are two of the reasons i was excited to visit. I am completely charmed by the little blue fishing boats. From the link : “The iconic little blue and red fishing boats in Monopoli, Italy, known as gozzi (or locally vozz), are traditional wooden vessels with roots dating back centuries. Found in the ancient Porto Vecchio, these boats were historically used for coastal fishing, octopus hunting, and, in the past, were equipped with lanterns for night fishing. “

Almost everything about Monopoli felt charming to me! When we arrived, our hotel directed us to park in an enclosed parking deck several blocks outside of the Centro Storico where we were staying. I was thrilled to find out we’d be shuttled to our hotel in this cute thing:

Our absolutely charming hotel, was the Santa Maria 24. The young man who drove us over in the Citroen, told us it is owned an operated by a French woman. It is at Via Santa Maria, 24 . 70043 Monopoli, Puglia, Italy. We had the cutest room in the best location! A short walk to the Old Port, and the hub of restaurants within the Old Town.

When we arrived in Monopoli and unloaded, we walked a few blocks to the Old port to find the old boats. I could have stayed for hours, and we stayed long enough to hear a man play the saxophone, see shrimp boats come in and dock, and watch the sunset. The man in the video below is playing “How deep is your love” by The Bee Gees (1977) I’ve linked the music and lyrics there in case you’re interested! It’s a tune familiar enough to me that I could sing along to the chorus (in my head, of course).

My younger daughter, goes by the nickname “Mare”. So I was truly delighted to find out that “Mare” means Ocean or Sea in Italian. In a coastal town, her name was everywhere! Even though shes’ now an adult, it still made me get all sentimental. In the same way, I was also delighted to find that one of the little blue fishing boats was named for my older daughter, Anna, I discovered it after having seen all of the Mare signs everywhere, and honestly, I turned into a pile of sentimental goo right there on the spot. And again, when later we came upon an Anna street sign. “Both of my girls right here in Monopoli!” Neither of them are as sappy as me, and seeing this will probably make them cringe just a little bit. Needless to say, I was charmed with and in love with having their beautiful names all around me here:

At the Santa Maria 24, in addition to an incredible hotel suite, we were served an impressive breakfast buffet each morning. I’ve got a video so you can get an idea of the delicious selection of pastries, juices, fruit, meats and cheeses, but what the video doesn’t capture, is the perfect cappuccino and espresso made to order. A beautiful outdoor bistro to eat in, white washed walls and beautiful weather – it was idyllic and again- charming.

Just a couple of happy honeymooners having breakfast. In Italy. Pinched myself a lot.

We could not wait to set out and walk up and down the streets and alleys in Monopoli in the Centro Storico. We started walking and got lost in the maze of beautiful buildings.

The port of Monopoli is historic. It is a “fortified medieval port” with defensive walls and buildings. The Castle of Charles V stands along the coastline and although we did not choose to tour it, it is a beautiful, old, impressive building that we walked by several times and marveled at.

There is a beautiful seafront walkway (lungomare), and in the ocean along the coastline, you’ll see large square stones just below the surface. These “Large square stones, (from the linked search) often concrete blocks or artificial structures (like tetrapods), placed in the water along the Italian coast, including near Monopoli, primarily act as anti-trawling defenses. They break fishing nets to prevent illegal trawling, protect marine ecosystems, and reduce coastal erosion. These structures also promote biodiversity. 

One of our dinners in Monopoli offered an interesting version of a fried seafood platter. The restaurant was MiCasa Ristorante and Shannon ordered the Fruittura Mista Dell’ Adriatica or “assorted fried seafood from the Adriatic”. Where we’re from, when one orders a fried seafood platter, one expects for the shells to be removed from the shellfish and the scales and fins to be removed from the fish before it is battered and fried. Not so in Monopoli. It was an interesting if not exotic experience.

I wanted to order something more “Italian” and had the pumpkin Gnocci with panaccetta. We both enjoyed our meal, and especially the al fresco patio and private table with views of the Adriatic.

We visited a few beautiful churches in Monopoli also. The First was the Campanile Della Cattedrale Di Monopoli. An incredibly beautiful church which is entirely made of marble. It is said to be one of the most beautiful churches in all of Puglia.

Next, we visited the Chiesa Di Santa Maria Del Sufferagio. Noted by the skulls and skeletons carved into the doorway, this church contains not only a crypt, but also some actual mummified founding church members and local administrators visible from a side window. These former humans were all former members of “the brotherhood of our sufferage”. As it was locked at the time of our visit, we were unable to visit ‘Plautilla Indelli” a mummified child wearing a frilly white frock.

I would have been perfectly happy to stay in Monopoli for another week. I’m a sucker for charming places – even ones with mummies. Here are 2 final photos of interesting and beautiful sights in Monopoli:

But alas, we had plans to see more places! Before we left, we did go on a day trip to Polignano a Mare. I’ll tell you about that place next!!!