Ostuni is white and sparkles in the sunshine near the Puglia coast. There was a howling gale, it was cold and rain came in waves, so it was not sparkling the day we visited.
Here is a photo taken by Orna O’Rielly on a better day. She lives near Ostuni and writes a fabulous blog…Orna O’Reilly: Travelling Italy.
The region of Ostuni has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The town is reputed to have been originally established by the Messapii, a pre-classic tribe. It was destroyed by Hannibal during the Punic Wars and rebuilt by the Greeks. The name comes from Greek, Astu neon, new town.
The houses were originally whitewashed to help lighten up the dark, narrow medieval streets, but later, in the 17th century the whitewash was used to limit the devastation of the plague.
Ostuni is 8 kilometres from the coast in the province of Brindisi. It has a population of 32,000 in the winter, but it can swell to 100,000 in the summer. It is one of the main tourist towns in Puglia. There were a few people out and about on a cold, windy day in May.
We began our walk through Ostuni at the huge piazza at the bottom of the town.
From there a pretty street lined with shops and restaurants winds up the hill where the Ostuni Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace sit at the top of the town.
There are lots of shops filled with colourful local ceramics. A couple of pieces have found there way to Casa Debbio and Australia.
We passed an old church which is now an excellent museum. We ducked in to escape an approaching squall.
The cathedral looms large as we approach from the side.
The facade is impressive.
The interior is too.
The sculptures both inside and out are stunning.
There is a lovely area in front of the cathedral that must look fabulous on a summer evening.
We would have stayed longer to explore some of the smaller side streets, but the awful weather drove us out. I don’t mind cold, but the wind was ferocious making things most unpleasant.
Ostuni probably has more to offer than we saw.