On a coastal Adriatic route
with splendid beaches and coves, a few kilometres from Polignano
al Mare, is where one can find Monopoli, also known as a City
of one hundred districts.
The City’s name derives from the Greek monos (only)
and polis (city), referring to the solitary Peuceta City of
Dirium or Dyria.
The foundation of Monopoli was by the inhabitants of Egnazia,
who were escaping after devastation by the Ostrogoths of Totila,
during the Greek-Gothic War (535-553 AD). The outcome of this
war was the assignment of Puglia to centuries of occidental
domination by the Eastern Roman Empire.
The Longobards arrived to counteract this domination during
the 7th Century, as recounted by historian Paolo Diacono (663).
Monopoli’s development as a commercial port, subsequently
put it at the centre of clashes, mainly between the Saracens,
Longobards, Normans and Byzantines.
In 1042, the City was besieged and destroyed by Maniace, who
later became a Byzantine emperor.
In 1086, the Normans built the foundations of the Santo Stefano
Castle, which then became a Benedictine Abbey and safe shelter
for ships directed to the Holy Land, under the management
of the Cavaliers of Malta (13th Century).
Not long after, Bishop Romualdo had the Romanesque Cathedral
built on a previously pagan cult plot (1107) and named it
Madonna of the Madia, due to a find of an icon dedicated to
her, on a punt in 1117. The punt was used to construct the
Cathedral’s roof, which for some time lay unfinished.
Monopoli, during centuries of Norman, Swabian and Angioina
domination, flourished and augmented its influence over surrounding
cities. This urban development was only reversed with pestilence,
famine and bad governing by the Angiò.
In 1401, Monopoli became a feudatory of the Orsini Family.
Under Aragonese domination (1442), the City was besieged in
1456 and conquered by the Venetians who continued to enlarge
their commercial empire in the Adriatic and Mediterranean.
Venice, dominated the coast of Puglia until the following
century (1530), when the citizens of Monopoli, to avoid a
further feudatory in the City, paid Carlo Vth of Hapsburg
51.000 ducats from their own pockets to be autonomous.
A few years earlier (1528), during the clashes between Spanish
and Franco-Venetian troops in Southern Italy, Monopoli had
walls put up against siege by Commander Alfonso of Avalos
who was loyal to Carlo Vth of Hapsburg.
During the same Century, to affront the dangerous Turkish
raids, defensive walls and some watchtowers were erected along
Spanish domination was interrupted in 1713, with the beginning
of twenty years of Austrian domination, after which Monopoli
and the whole of Southern Italy became part of the Reign of
the Two Sicilies under the Bourbons (1734).
The City adhered, like most other cities, to the insurrectional
motions of the 19th Century, inspired by French revolutionary
ideals and the experience of Republican governing by Bonaparte
and Murat (1806-1815). The process concluded with a plebiscitary
vote in 1860 and its subsequent annexation to the Reign of
During both the First and Second World Wars, Monopoli was
bombarded from the sea (1916, 1940). Today, Monopoli is a
touristic meta of major importance in Puglia, due to its history
and its beautiful coastal regions, which are dotted with coves
and sandy lidos.
There are many tourist metas in the City, which are impossible
to list, but we would like to highlight the main ones: the
Carlo Vth Castle, Gerosolomitan Hospital (1350), S. Giacomo
Hospital, Palazzo Palmieri, the Rendella Communal Library,
Santo Stefano Abbey, the 16th Century town-walls building,
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.
Among the churches, excluding the Romanesque Cathedral, which
however has a 17th Century aspect, it is worth visiting: the
S. Maria Amalfitana Basilica (20th Century), SS. Apostles
Peter and Paul Church, of Paleochristian foundation and the
16th Century Church of S. Francesco of Paola and S. Domenico.
This characteristic commercial vocation, supported by freedom
of administrative decisions, also continued under Swabian
(13th Century) and Angioini (14th Century) domination, during
which the City expanded further.
The arrival of the Aragonese (1442) in Naples and the entire
South, coincided with a break in equilibrium between the European
powers, who for many years were protagonists of continuous
clashes and terrible battles.
At the time, Molfetta experienced a similar tragedy to that
suffered in Rome, namely the Sacco dei Lanzichenecchi (Sack
by the Lanzichenecchi mercenary soldiers). On the morning
of 18th July 1529, Venetian and French troops were protagonists
of the Sacco di Molfetta (Sack of Molfetta), which saw the
death of 1000 inhabitants over two long days of reprisals.
With the Utrecht Treaty, stipulated in 1714 between the Hapsburgs
and Bourbons, the South passed to the Hapsburgs who kept it
until the arrival of the Bourbons in 1734.
In October 1860, by plebiscitary vote, annexation of the Reign
of the Two Sicilies to the Reign of Italy (1861) came about.
During the First World War, Molfetta was bombarded by Austrian
naval and air units, causing the loss of civilians and considerable
damage to the City.
The main centre and nucleus of Molfetta is the Island of Sant’Andrea,
where one can visit the magnificent Duomo of San Corrado;
a Romanesque building dating back to the 11th Century, and
the Baroque San Pietro Church. The panorama and walks near
to the Duomo are splendid and not to be missed, together with
a visit to the suburb’s ancient port to admire the remains
of the Medieval walls.
Not too far away one can visit the Cattedrale dell’Assunta
(Assumption Cathedral) and the churches of Saint Anna, Saint
Stefano and Purgatorio (Purgatory).
Another religious building of great artistic importance is
the Basilica of the Madonna of Martiri, a Norman construction
(1162, then re-adjusted).
It is impossible to name all its churches, but we would like
to mention the oldest: the Santissima Trinità (Holy
Trinity) and San Pietro Apostolo (The Apostle S. Peter).
Among the beautiful civil buildings we would like to cite
the High Renaissance building of Palazzo Giovene, today seat
of the Town Hall.
The Neolithic site, a circular Karst-formation cave 23 m deep
with grottoes and remains known as Pulo, is of historical
and naturalistic interest.