What to See in Polignano a Mare, Italy: Free Audio Guide

Polignano a Mare is a coastal town in Apulia, perched above the sea in southern Italy. Its historic centre, religious heritage and sea caves make it a rewarding place to explore on foot, with viewpoints and open squares appearing among its streets. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Polignano a Mare with 8 narrated places.

What to see in Polignano a Mare

The most important sights are concentrated in and around the historic centre, while other landmarks extend along the coast and just beyond the town.

Torre Incina

Torre Incina is a castle-like tower and one of the places to discover around Polignano a Mare. Its presence adds a defensive landmark to the town’s coastal landscape.

Galleria Santo Stefano

Galleria Santo Stefano, also known as the ex chiesetta, is identified as a museum. The former small church provides another cultural stop among Polignano a Mare’s historic places.

Badia di San Vito

A little north of Polignano a Mare, Badia di San Vito—also known as the Abbey of San Vito Martire—offers the chance to see an abbey in an Apulian setting. Its location adds a cultural attraction beyond the town centre.

Grotta di Sella

Grotta di Sella is a sea cave where the coastline and the Adriatic meet in a striking natural setting. It is one of the places that shows how closely Polignano a Mare is connected to the sea.

Grottone

Grottone is another sea cave shaped into the coastline. Although small, it is a clear reminder of the natural formations that define the town’s edge.

Purgatorio

On Via Mulini, Purgatorio is an eighteenth-century Baroque religious building with a history linked to remembrance, burial and the hope of salvation. The church was built with financial support from the Brothers of the Congregation of Purgatory.

The site previously held a fifteenth-century chapel dedicated to Saint Martin. A cemetery beside that chapel was used for the burial of children from poor families. The earlier chapel was later incorporated into the present church as its sacristy.

Santa Maria Assunta

Facing Piazza Vittorio Emanuele in the heart of the historic centre, Santa Maria Assunta is Polignano a Mare’s parish church, or chiesa matrice. It was once the town’s cathedral, a status it retained until 1818, when the Diocese of Polignano was united with the Diocese of Monopoli.

Inside, the church preserves works attributed to Stefano da Putignano, a sculptor active between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It also contains a fifteenth-century gilded polyptych depicting the Madonna with saints, attributed to Bartolomeo Vivarini.

Urban squares in Polignano a Mare

The town’s urban squares provide open spaces in which to pause and experience Polignano a Mare at street level. They are part of the town’s public life and offer a change of pace between the historic buildings and coastal viewpoints.

Exploring Polignano a Mare on foot

A walk through Polignano a Mare brings together religious buildings, squares and sea caves in a compact route. The town’s historic centre is particularly suited to unhurried exploration: Purgatorio stands on Via Mulini, Santa Maria Assunta faces the main square, and the urban squares create natural pauses along the way.

For visitors looking for a Polignano a Mare audio guide, Neywo turns this sightseeing route into a self-guided experience. Stories play as you reach each place, so you can explore independently rather than following a group or a fixed schedule.

Polignano a Mare is also a useful base for discovering other destinations in the region, including nearby Monopoli, as well as Ostuni and Locorotondo.

Explore Polignano a Mare with Neywo

Download Neywo for a free self-guided walking tour of Polignano a Mare. The app offers 1 walking tour covering 0.82 km in 32 minutes, with 4 narrated stops: Purgatorio, Santa Maria Assunta, Urban squares in Polignano a Mare and Grottone.

The tour is called “Polignano a Mare: Chapels, Squares and Sea Caves.” Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, allowing you to explore the town while listening to its history along the route.