Mercato Settimanale del Lunedì
Every Monday morning a sprawling street market takes over the streets around Via Orazio Comes and the port area, drawing farmers, fishermen and vendors from across the Valle d'Itria. It is the single best place to eat, shop and eavesdrop like a local in Monopoli.
What to buy and eat
The food section is the reason to come early. Look for the Puglian specialty of friselle (twice-baked barley rings), fresh burrata trucked in from nearby Andria, enormous bunches of wild chicory, and jars of homemade sun-dried tomatoes preserved in local olive oil.
Fishmongers set up right beside the harbour wall selling whatever came off the boats that morning — sea urchins, orata and the small local squid called totanetti. Several stalls will prepare a paper cone of fried seafood on the spot for a couple of euros.
Beyond the food
The non-food section sprawls further back and sells everything from hand-embroidered linen tablecloths to cheap terracotta pots painted in the blue-and-white colours of Puglia. Prices are a fraction of what the tourist shops charge.
Arrive before 09:00 for the best produce and the least crowds; by 12:30 the stalls are packing up and the street sweepers move in.
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