Monopoli, Italy

Who wants to ~~play~~ see Monopoli ?? Of course you are going to want to see Monopoli and maybe in fact you will get the chance to play Monopoly in Monopoli! Unfortunately we didn’t since we were only there for one night. Upon arrival, we were dropped off right at the walls of Old Town and we were able to walk to our B&B. The town of Monopoli is a fishing town that dates back to 500 B.C. The town was explained to us as quaint..which it was, but I would have to say it felt bigger than Polignano a Mare. Still the narrow cute streets, shutters and flowers but more people filled the streets at night. Scroll down more to find out about our 36 hours in Monopoli.

B&B A C-caste

B&B A-Caste (Booking.com) was such a lovely B&B. We were greeted by Riccardo, who showed us in and helped bring our luggage up the stairs to our room. The place was immaculately clean and well decorated. Simple, traditional and chic. The exposed lecce stone always makes these quaint spaces more traditional/homey. Riccardo was very responsive on WhatsApp and gave us some recommendations for public and private beaches along with some restaurants and bars. The breakfast in the morning (on the patio) was very lovely and what a spread. Fruits, yogurt, bread, meat and even homemade cakes! Thank you Riccardo for your hospitality!

La Perla Nera

Just a 10 minute walk along the coast from our B&B was La Perla Nera – a private beach club. Private meaning, you paid for the lounge chairs and umbrellas. We arrived later in the day and were able to get a spot on the grass (ocean views of course!) After a day of touring, it was time for us to relax and order some aperol spritz! There is a pool onsite, a bar, restaurant, showers and changing rooms. We enjoyed the setting so much, we decided to go back on the second day after touring. Unfortunately we didn’t get lounge chairs because we didn’t reserve them the day before. Highly suggest reservations if you plan on coming here on a weekend! We still made the most of it and went down towards the water and sat on the rocks. Ouch…good thing we only had about 2 hours there!

Don Ferrante

Don Ferrante was our first choice of accommodations, but unfortunately it was already booked. (This doesn’t mean we didn’t love our B&B) We decided to grab drinks on the rooftop and watch the sunset at Don Ferrante. It was a very romantic/beautiful setting so that called for some champagne…so classy! With our champagne, they brought some snacks to nibble on – nice touch! If you aren’t staying here, suggest going to the roof for a drink if you want to low-key, crowd-less and beautiful ambiance.

Komera

Komera was recommended to us by our B&B host Riccardo. We decided to dine here for diner on our only night in Monopoli. The food was delicious – order a pasta and shared a whole fish (branzino that was caught earlier in the day). The restaurant was set inside a palace and we were seated in the courtyard which looked inside the glass enclosed kitchen where you can see all the action. The staff was attentive and very friendly. Great recommendation!

Alchemico

Post-dinner we headed to Alchemico for a drink. It was a lively spot with a beautiful bar and outdoor seating. Most of the people there were locals – young, middle aged and some families. We didn’t order any food, so can’t validate that. The cocktails were unique – I really enjoyed mine!

Porto Rosso

On our way back from the beach on our last day, we needed to grab a bite to eat before we hit the road. We stopped at Porto Rosso (along the water) and dined in the outdoor area – the pizzeria. We ordered some Peronis, caprese and bianca pizza. It was a nice spot for lunch – the views made it all!