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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Monopoli
Monopoli
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Monopoli is a town in Italy, in the province of Bari, region of Apulia. The town is roughly 156 square kilometers in area and lies about 40 kilometers southeast from Bari. As of 2004 it had about 50,000 inhabitants. The area was first settled as a Greek establishment as the city of Egnatia, Monopoli being a smaller outer village. After the destruction of Egnatia by the Ostrogoth king Totila in 545, its inhabitants fled to Monopoli, from which it derives its name as only city. In the following centuries the area would be controlled by the Normans, Byzantines, and Staufer. In 1484 the city came under Venetian control and saw an economic upswing as a seaport on the Adriatic Sea as a base between Bari and Brindisi, as well as through trading its own agricultural goods. Under Spanish rule Monopoli became a free city in 1545. It became part of the kingdom of Italy in 1860.
Monopoli, justifiably so, enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers, and is one of the most visited place. It is also said the place of best geographical environment and can trace its origins back to prehistoric times.
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