Originally, Monopoli was a Messapian fortress (5th century BC) equipped with an important port and surrounded by formidable defensive walls. From the Roman era (1st century BC), the large fortified gate with guardhouses—incorporated into the foundations of the Castle—and some tombs among the remains of the Cathedral’s crypt are still visible today.
From a small fortified town, Monopoli truly developed into an urban center during the Middle Ages, thanks to a significant demographic increase caused by the migration of inhabitants from the nearby city of Egnazia. This migration began in 545 AD after partial destruction by Totila, King of the Goths, and continued progressively in the following centuries. By the 10th century, Monopoli had become an important commercial hub, thanks to its port—the largest between Bari and Brindisi—serving as a crossroads for trade between Puglia and the East.
Over the centuries, many peoples ruled Monopoli, drawn by its prosperity: Byzantines, Normans, Angevins, Aragonese, Venetians, and French. One famous episode is the 1529 siege by the Spaniards, during which Monopoli heroically resisted for three months with the help of Venetian soldiers, before peacefully surrendering to Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. It was under the Spanish emperor that much of the historic town’s architecture took shape, from Castello Carlo V to the city’s massive defensive walls and the effective coastal tower system (Torre Incina, Torre D’Orte, Torre Cintola, Torre S. Giorgio, Torre Egnazia). To counter frequent raids by Turks and Saracens, even the Abbazia di Santo Stefano, south of the city, was transformed into a fortress to defend the territory.
Spanish rule lasted until 1713, followed briefly by Austrian control, before the Bourbons took over Naples and the Kingdom in 1734. The influence of Neapolitan culture was thus strong in Monopoli, with numerous artisans from Naples or trained in the Neapolitan style shaping the city’s main monuments of clear Baroque origin: from the Cathedral of the Madonna della Madia with its precious polychrome marble, to the imposing Palazzo Palmieri, and the many Baroque additions in various churches, not to mention the priceless artworks preserved in churches and in the Diocesan Museum of Monopoli.
By the late 18th century, Monopoli was a rapidly expanding city, and the historic center, confined within the 16th-century walls, could no longer accommodate the growing population. A portion of the walls was demolished to build the “new Monopoli,” centered around a large rectangular square, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, around which elegant townhouses were constructed in a rigid grid pattern typical of the “Murattiano” urban scheme. This district represents the “modern” and “ordered” part of the city, with wide streets lined by houses featuring refined portals and balconies, in strong contrast to the narrow and chaotic streets of the old town.
Today, it is precisely this contrast between the “old” and the “new” town that enhances the beauty of Monopoli, making it a city of striking charm, capable of surprising visitors with ever-changing and unexpected views.
