Monopoli, located about 50kms south of Bari, was founded by Greek settlers. During the Roman Empire, it was connected to the Via Traiana. When the neighbouring Gnathia (Egnatia) was destroyed by the troops of the Ostrogoth king Totila in 545, its inhabitants fled to Monopoli, which from then on lived up to its meaning as the “only city” (literal translation of the city's name).

In the following centuries, the area was ruled by Normans, Byzantines, Staufers, Venetians, Spaniards, Habsburgs and Bourbons. In 1860 Monopoli, like the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.

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"Madonna del Soccorso" is a crypt 6 metres under the former Dominican Convent. It may have been created in a cave during the 10th century.