Monopoli Cathedral the Basilica of the Madonna della Madia Dec062021 02

Monopoli (; ) is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in Italy, in the

Metropolitan City of Bari The Metropolitan City of Bari () is a metropolitan city in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Bari. It replaced the province of Bari and includes the city of Bari and some forty other ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). It was first c ...

and region of

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

. The town is roughly in area and lies on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

about southeast of

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

. It has a population of 49,246 (2014), and is important mostly as an agricultural, industrial and tourist centre.

History

Southern Italy was ice-free at least along the coast in the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Last Glacial Coldest Period, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period where ice sheets were at their greatest extent between 26,000 and 20,000 years ago. Ice sheets covered m ...

, and acted as a refugium for Late Paleolithic humans. The area of Monopoli was inhabited since the Early

Epigravettian The Epigravettian (Greek: ''epi'' "above, on top of", and Gravettian) was one of the last archaeological industries and cultures of the European Upper Paleolithic. It emerged after the Last Glacial Maximum around ~21,000 cal. BP or 19,050 BC ...

– roughly 15,000 years ago – at least. One infant buried at Grotta delle Mura rockshelter in the outskirts of the modern town was found to belong to a Late Western hunter-gatherer population of the Villabruna cluster, and possibly represented a smallish and close-knit refugee population originating in then-icebound Northern Italy or even Central Europe. The area's first documented permanent settlement, in about 500 BC, was a fortified Messapian city. In order to improve communication with the East, between the years 108 and 110 AD, the Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

ordered the construction of a ''Via Publica'' which was named after him. Monopoli is the city in

that has the longest stretch of the ''

Via Traiana The ''Via Traiana'' was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the ''Via Appia'' from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusium, Butuntum and Barium rather than via ...

''. This is one of the most important Roman roads of the Empire. In 2012 the city of Monopoli created an archeological park around the remains of this ancient road. The difference between this new road and the

Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is in ...

was the shorter distance between

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...

and

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

. The Appian Way started in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, reaching Benevento and continuing on to

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

, and from there the road continued to Brindisi, from which port people could take ship for

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, the Orient and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. The ''Via Traiana'', which followed an older route, began in Benevento and crossing the flat tableland up to Canosa continued on to Ruvo, where a fork in the road led in two different directions. The inland road went to Modugno, Ceglie del Campo, Capurso, Rutigliano and Conversano, while the coastal road went to

, Polignano, and Monopoli. These two roads joined again at Egnazia, from where the road continued to Brindisi. This road which Emperor Trajan had constructed became the route of choice to reach Brindisi because it was shorter than the Appian Way. It was travelled by military troops, merchants, slaves, pilgrims and, after the fall of Rome, even by hordes of barbarians. There is another important road on the other side of the

which seems to be the continuation of this road. It is called the

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a contin ...

(Egnazia Way) and starts in Dyrrachium ( Durazzo), in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, crossing a mountainous area to reach Thessaloniki (Salonica) and continuing on to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

). After the destruction of

Gnatia Gnatia, Egnatia or Ignatia () was an ancient city of the Messapii, and their frontier town towards the Salentini. As Egnazia Appula, it was a medieval bishopric, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. It is located near the modern Fasano, i ...

by the

Ostrogoth The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

king

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War (535–554), Gothic War, recovering b ...

in 545, its inhabitants fled to Monopoli, from whence it derives its name as "only city". In the following centuries the area would be controlled by the Byzantines,

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

and

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

. At the height of its splendour, the city was a point of departure for naval expeditions during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

. Later it was a fief under Angevine and Aragonese feudal lords. In 1484 the city came under Venetian control and saw an economic upswing as a seaport on the

, a base between Bari and

as well as through trading its own agricultural goods. It was frequently attacked by Muslim pirates in the following decades. These continuous threats forced Monopoli to build strong fortifications which allowed them in 1529 to resist the Armada of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

for three months, forcing the Spaniards to abandon the siege. In 1529 the city, protected by its highly effective defensive system, with the help of Venetian soldiers and its citizens, successfully resisted a three-month siege by the Spanish imperials under the command of the Marquis of Vasto Alfonso III d 'Avalos, which is forced to withdraw due to losses. After the peace with Venice, the city passes peacefully into the hands of the Spanish imperials of Charles V of Habsburg. However, though Monopoli pass back under

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

rule, it still was granted a free city status. It became part of the newly unified state

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

in 1860. The city, lying in the south of Italy or ''

Mezzogiorno Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or culture of the historic ...

'', enjoyed a certain economic development during the 1960s thanks to the opening of a Tognana (an important Italian ceramic manufacturer) industrial plant. The closure of the plant at the end of the 1990s was a major blow to the city's economy. Monopoli's economic recovery in the last year has been due mainly to new industries, the most important being MerMec, a manufacturer of railway material, along with the development of tourism, especially in the countryside and on the coast.

Geography

Overview

Located in the south-eastern corner of its province, near the borders with the one of Brindisi, and by the

Adriatic Coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to ...

, Monopoli borders with the municipalities of

Alberobello Alberobello (; literally "beautiful tree"; Bari dialect, Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,237 inhabitants (2022) and is famous for its unique ''trullo'' buildings. The ...

Castellana Grotte Castellana Grotte ( Castellanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. ''Grotte'' means "caves" in Italian. History Geography Agricultural center of the lower Murgia, it is south of Bari Ba ...

Fasano Fasano (; Bari dialect, Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Brindisi, Apulia, southern Italy. It is the second most populated town in the province after Brindisi, with a population in 2021 of 39,026. History According to a folk ...

(BR) and

Polignano a Mare Polignano a Mare (; Barese: ) is a town and municipality () in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Puglia, southern Italy, located on the Adriatic Sea. The local economy mostly depends on tourism, agriculture and fishing. History The area has been s ...

. The town is 15 km from Fasano, 33 from

Martina Franca Martina Franca, or just Martina (Bari dialect, Martinese: ), is a town and ''comune, municipality'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, Italy. It is the second most populated town of the province after Taranto, and has a population (2016) of ...

, 44 from

, 64 from

and 75 from

Frazioni

The territory outside the walled city counts 99 hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') and localities named ''contrade''. Some of them, which merged with the urbanized area of the town, were suppressed and became outer wards. The others are mostly rural localities, mainly composed by some scattered farmhouses. The 99 ''contrade'' are: Aione, Antonelli, Aratico, Arenazza, Assunta, Balice, Barcato, Bellocchio, Belvedere, Cacaveccia, Capitolo, Cardillo, Caramanna, Carluccio, Carrassa, Casale, Cavallerizza, Cervarulo, Chianchizza, Chiesa dei Morti, Ciminiera, Ciporelli, Conchia, Corvino, Cozzana, Cristo Cozzana, Cristo delle Zolle, Cristo Re, Due Torri, Gorgofreddo, Gravina, Grotta dell'Acqua, Guadiano, Guidano, Impalata, Laghezza, Lama di Macina, Lamalunga, Lamammolilla, Lamantia, Lamarossa, Lamascrasciola, Losciale, Macchia di Casa, Macchia di Monte, Mazzone, Monte Scopa, Moredifame, Mozzo, Nispole, Padresergio, Pagliericci, Pantano (inurbata), Parco di Tuccio, Paretano, Passarello, Passionisti (inurbata), Peroscia, Petrarolo, Piangevino, Pilone, Romanelli, Samato, Sant' Andrea, Sant' Antonio d'Ascula, San Bartolomeo, San Francesco da Paola, San Gerardo, San Luca, San Lucia, San Nicola, Sant' Oceano, Sant' Oronzo, Santo Stefano, Santa Teresa, San Vincenzo, Scarciglia, Sicarico, Sorba, Spina, Stomazzelli, Tavanello, Terranova, Tormento, Torichiano, Torre d'Orta, Torricella, Tortorella, Vagone, Virbo, Zampogna, Zecca and Zingarello.

Demographics

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:500 height:400 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:55000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 bar:2011 text:2011 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1861 from:0 till: 16486 bar:1871 from:0 till: 18681 bar:1881 from:0 till: 19608 bar:1901 from:0 till: 22169 bar:1911 from:0 till: 24697 bar:1921 from:0 till: 24729 bar:1931 from:0 till: 26746 bar:1936 from:0 till: 28856 bar:1951 from:0 till: 34437 bar:1961 from:0 till: 37095 bar:1971 from:0 till: 40487 bar:1981 from:0 till: 44155 bar:1991 from:0 till: 46733 bar:2001 from:0 till: 46708 bar:2011 from:0 till: 48529 PlotData= bar:1861 at: 16486 fontsize:S text: 16,486 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at: 18681 fontsize:S text: 18,681 shift:(-10,5) bar:1881 at: 19608 fontsize:S text: 19,608 shift:(-10,5) bar:1901 at: 22169 fontsize:S text: 22,169 shift:(-10,5) bar:1911 at: 24697 fontsize:S text: 24,697 shift:(-10,5) bar:1921 at: 24729 fontsize:S text: 24,729 shift:(-10,5) bar:1931 at: 26746 fontsize:S text: 26,746 shift:(-10,5) bar:1936 at: 28856 fontsize:S text: 28,856 shift:(-10,5) bar:1951 at: 34437 fontsize:S text: 34,437 shift:(-10,5) bar:1961 at: 37095 fontsize:S text: 37,095 shift:(-10,5) bar:1971 at: 40487 fontsize:S text: 40,487 shift:(-10,5) bar:1981 at: 44155 fontsize:S text: 44,155 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 46733 fontsize:S text: 46,733 shift:(-10,5) bar:2001 at: 46708 fontsize:S text: 46,708 shift:(-10,5) bar:2011 at: 48529 fontsize:S text: 48,529 shift:(-10,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Source ISTAT

Main sights

*Castle of

. Finished in 1525, it has a pentagonal plan. It is located on a promontory which was originally separated from the medieval city. It was restored and enlarged in the 17th century. Starting from the early 19th century, it was used as a jail, a status it kept until 1969. It is currently the seat of an art exhibition and cultural events. *Coastal castle of St. Stephen, built by the Norman lord Godfrey of

Conversano Conversano (Bari dialect, Barese: ) is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. It is southeast of Bari and from the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast, at above sea level. The counts of Conversan ...

in 1086. It was subsequently turned into a Benedictine monastery. *The Jerusalem Hospital, founded in 1350 by the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

s. * Monopoli Cathedral (18th century), minor basilica *''Palazzo Palmieri'' (18th century) *Monte San Nicola (Mount St. Nicholas) faunal reserve. The reserve, lying on the summit of a hill, high in the

Murge The Altopiano delle Murge (Italian for 'plateau of the Murge') is a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape in southern Italy. Most of it lies within Puglia and corresponds with the sub-region known as Murgia or Le Murge. The plateau lie ...

plateau, is important for the presence of some endemic plants.

Sport

The local football club is the S.S. Monopoli 1966. Its home ground is the

Stadio Vito Simone Veneziani Stadio Vito Simone Veneziani is a multi-use stadium in Monopoli, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and is the home ground of S.S. Monopoli 1966 , Monopoli. The stadium holds 6,880 attendance. References ...

Notable people

* Giorgio Lapazaya (c. 1495 – c. 1570), mathematician and musician *

Giacomo Insanguine Giacomo Antonio Francesco Paolo Michele Insanguine (also called ''Giacomo Monopoli'' after his birthplace Monopoli; 22 March 1728 – 1 February 1795) was an Italian composer, organist, and music educator. He was the last director (primo maestro ...

(1728–95), composer *

Domenico Morgante Domenico Morgante (Monopoli, 1956) is an Italian musicologist, organist and harpsichordist. Biography Graduated and specialized Cum Laude in Musicology, Organ, Harpsichord, Educational Sciences, he was a student of Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, G ...

(1956), musicologist, organist and harpsichordist ;Sportsmen and sportswomen *

Giandomenico Mesto Giandomenico Mesto (; born 25 May 1982) is a former Italian footballer. Known for his pace, work-rate, and versatility, Mesto usually played as a full-back or as a wide midfielder on the right flank. Club career After making his professional d ...

(1982), footballer; bronze medal Olympic games 2004, gold medal European Under-21 2004 * Gianpiero Sportelli (1987), martial artist; k-1 world champion 2010 and European champion k-1 2013. Chessboxing world championship, bronze medal 2017, 2024 and silver medal 2019 * Vito Sardella (1974), distance runner * Marialucia Palmitessa (1998) clay pigeon shooting, world champion Juniores Trap.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Monopoli is twinned with: *

Lyss Lyss () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Seeland (administrative district), Seeland administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2011, the former municip ...

, SwitzerlandConseil des Communes et Regions d'Europe
accessed 27 April 2011 *

Lugoj Lugoj (; ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities and towns in Romania, city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș, Timiș River divides the city into two halves: the "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank, and the "German Lugoj" on the left bank. Th ...

, Romania *

Vlorë Vlorë ( ; ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, third most populous city of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surr ...

, Albania

Transport

Monopoli is served by Monopoli railway station. Monopoli is served by the following nearby airports: *

Bari Airport Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and university city as ...

Brindisi Airport Brindisi Airport (), also known as ''Brindisi Papola Casale Airport'' and ''Salento Airport'', is an airport in Brindisi, in southern Italy, located from the city centre. History Foundation and early years This airport was originally establish ...

References

Bibliography

* Francesco Antonio Glianes, ''Monopoli nel Medioevo e nel Rinascimento'', Schena Editore. * L. Finamore Pepe, ''Monopoli e la Monarchia delle Puglie'', Monopoli, 1897. * Sebastiano Lillo, ''Monopoli sintesi storico geografica'', Grafiche Colucci Monopoli, 1976. * Stefano Carbonara, ''Monopoli nel Secondo Novecento'', Schena Editore. * Domenico Cofano, ''Monopoli nell'età del Rinascimento'', Biblioteca Comunale Prospero Rendella. * Giuseppe Andreassi, ''Mare d'Egnazia'', Schena Editore. * Domenico Capitanio, ''Il sistema difensivo e la città, Monopoli nel suo passato vol.5'', Comune di Monopoli, Grafischena s.r.l., Fasano. 1992.

External links

Monopoli official website

Office of tourism of Monopoli

Meteo and city webcam of Monopoli
{{authority control Cities and towns in Apulia Coastal towns in Apulia Castles in Italy Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC Territories of the Republic of Venice