As you’d expect in a fishing port, there’s a lot of great seafood available here in Monopoli. And it’s all, literally, fresh off the boat. Octopus, mussels, prawns and, of course, fish … the choice is seemingly endless.

We often head down to the harbour in the morning to watch the boats return and the fishermen unload their catch. Usually there’s a number of small vans waiting on the dock to collect the seafood for that day’s lunch and dinner customers, or to stock up the fridges of the town’s fishmongers.

Then on the wharf right in front of the boats, the tables come out, the brollies go up and boxes of fish and shellfish are brought up from the holds – the daily fish market is open for business. As the crowd gathers, there’s always a lot of discussion about ‘what’s good today’ and the fishermen are kept busy bagging and weighing. It’s a very social event – sellers, buyers and onlookers alike – everyone is up for a chat and a laugh.

And then there’s the ‘king of the sea’. It’s sea urchin season here at the moment and on some days around the corner near the Old Port, you can find a little stand selling i ricci. Divers harvest the sea urchins from the rocks in the harbour and then sell them later that morning. If you see a couple of divers working, it’s a fairly safe bet there’ll be ricci available for lunch.

Of course the seafood itself is delicious, but as much as that, we’re really enjoying everything else that goes with it. To stand on the wharf taking advice from locals on what to buy and how best to cook it; to be encouraged by the sea urchin guy to try ‘ricci‘ for the first time (‘just stick your tongue in and lick it out’); even simply to sit in the warm sun in front of clear blue water watching fishermen mend their nets … great experiences and, for us, all part of Monopoli’s ‘fruits of the sea’.