Monopoli (Monòpolis in Greek) is a town and comune in Italy, in the province of Bari, region of Apulia. The town is roughly 156 square km in area and lies about 40 km southeast from Bari. It has about 50,000 inhabitants.

The area was first settled as a Greek establishment as the city of Gnatia, Monopoli being a smaller outer village known as Dyria, of Peucetian origins.

After the destruction of Gnatia 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 Byzantines, Normans and Hohenstaufen, and was a starting point for naval Crusades expeditions, living in that period the peak of its splendour. 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 Adriatic Sea as a base between Bari and Brindisi, as well as through trading its own agricultural goods. It was frequenelty attacked by Muslim pirates in the following decades. Under Spanish rule Monopoli became a free city in 1545. It became part of the newly-unified Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

Main sights

• Castle of Charles V. Finished in 1522, 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 stutus it kept until 1969. It is currently the seat of art exhibition and cultural events.
• Coastal castle of St. Stephen, built by the Norman lord Godfrey of Conversano in 1086. It was subsequently turned into a Benedictine monastery. It has a circular plan.
• Jerusalem Hospital, founded in 1350 by the Hospitaller
• Cathedral Basilica.
• Palazzo Palmieri (18th century)