Ostuni

Ostuni, 40km northwest of Brindisi (just 35 minutes by train), is known as the “White City” and is easily one of southern Italy’s most striking small towns. Spread across three hills at the southern edge of Le Murge, it was a key Greco-Roman city as early as the first century AD.

The old town, perched on the highest hill, is a maze of sun-bleached streets and cobbled alleyways that seem to glow against the landscape. Just 7km away, Blue Flag beaches line the coast. As part of an Italy culinary trip, Ostuni offers the perfect blend of hilltop beauty, coastal charm, and rustic Apulian cuisine served in tucked-away trattorias.

What to see in Ostuni

The maze of well-preserved winding streets provides a fascinating amble, and there are some exceptional views – particularly from Largo Castello over the woods to the north. Bits of cavorting Baroque twist out of unexpected places, including an ornamented eighteenth-century obelisk, 21m high, dedicated to St Oronzo, which stands in Piazza della Libertà (or Piazza Sant’Oronzo) on the southern edge of the old town. This is the focal point on summer Saturday nights for hordes of people who drive in from the countryside, meet their friends and pack out the bars and cafés. From here, follow Via Cattedrale uphill, past a series of monumental palaces and churches that trim the ascent. One of these, the Chiesa di San Vito, houses an ethnography museum, newly reopened after a long restoration – its highlight is “Delia”, the skeleton of a young pregnant woman found in a crouched position, her bones decorated before burial. At the top of the hill, the fifteenth-century Duomo nestles into a charming piazza dominated by the Palazzo Vescovile and the Palazzo del Seminario.

Top image: Panoramic view of Ostuni, Puglia, Italy © Miti74/Shutterstock