Collect 200 Euros.

Translated as the “Unique City”, Monopoli is not known for building hotels on Park Avenue or collecting rent from four railways. but is one that that you should not pass if in Puglia.

Dating back to the time of the Ancient Greeks, this white washed seaside town is a lovely place to stroll on a sunny day in May.

Although during our visit the same strong winds that washed a famous portrait of Mary ashore near Monopoli forced us to hang on to hats and put on jackets.

The Modonna della Madia is a local 12th-century legend. It dates to 1117 when the construction of the town’s cathedral was halted due to a lack of roof beams. In December of that year a raft washed up in the Monopoli harbor carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary. Miraculously the wooden beams from the raft were enough to be used to complete the cathedral’s roof.

Lots of shops and restaurants line the passageways of the old town allowing plenty of down time as you stroll from the main squares to the seaside.