Monopoli

13 minutes down the coast via train lies the city of Monopoli. From the train, a free shuttle takes visitors from the station to the old harbour, something the city is well known for. Ancient city walls are also well preserved and the city's beaches lie adjacent to the old town so you can sip an espresso then get a tan almost simultaneously. There's a lot going for this little haven.

Arriving around midday, much of the town was deserted, and we appreciated the brief respite from the crowds of Polignano. Tourists opted for either air conditioned restaurants or for the beach so we pottered around in the shade of antiquity before taking that precise plan.

Our lunch spot (below), was where I learned that the Italians have a multitude of names for the humble sandwich. A toasted sandwich is a panini; a sandwich cut up into little triangles, tramezzini; then you have a choice of focaccia, baguette, ciabatta. The permutations are endless AND delicious.

In order to get to the first beach we encountered, we had to cross an old section of city wall: 

The second beach, only slightly further afield, was decidedly less busy:

After a few hours of sun soaking, brains adequately addled, we made our way slowly back towards the train station and our cool B&B, some of us with more panache than others.