Centro Storico (Old Town)
Polignano a Mare's medieval old town is a compact labyrinth of whitewashed alleys, bougainvillea-draped balconies and sudden sea-view terraces that jut out over sheer drops — all of it built on a limestone promontory that the Adriatic has been undercutting for millennia. An hour of aimless wandering here rewards more than any guided tour.
Key streets and squares
Enter through the 16th-century Arco Marchesale on Via Martiri di Dogali and you are immediately in the tangle of Vicolo Cardone, Via dell'Orologio and Via Pescatori — the oldest residential lanes where geraniums spill from every window box. Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is the social heart: a small square ringed by bars where locals argue football over espresso at all hours.
Piazza Garibaldi, just outside the arch, hosts the bronze statue of Domenico Modugno — the singer who wrote 'Volare' and was born here in 1928. Locals rub the statue's outstretched hand for luck; the square itself is the best place to orient yourself before heading into the lanes.
What to look for
Peer down every side alley for sudden sea views — some of the most dramatic open between ordinary residential buildings with no warning, framing a slice of blue Adriatic 20 metres below. The terrace at the end of Via Conversano, behind the Chiesa Matrice di Santa Maria Assunta, is particularly vertiginous.
The old town is genuinely residential, not a tourist theme park: you will pass women hanging washing, fishermen mending nets on doorsteps and old men playing cards in doorways. Respect the quiet of the inner lanes before 9 am and after 9 pm.
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