Ostuni

Ostuni sits on a hill about eight kilometres inland, and its old town is whitewashed throughout, a practice that predates its use as a look: lime was cheap, reflected heat, and acted as a disinfectant, which mattered during plague outbreaks. The result is a maze of white lanes, arches and steps around a late Gothic cathedral with an unusual rose window. The plain below holds olive groves with trees of great age, some estimated at over a thousand years, protected under regional law; many have been affected by the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium, which has killed millions of olive trees in southern Puglia since 2013.

History

The area has been lived in since the Stone Age; the town is said to have been founded by the Messapii, a pre-classical people, and to have been almost wiped out by Hannibal during the Punic Wars. The origin of the name is uncertain, perhaps Messapic, or from the Greek Astu neon, "new town" (Wikipedia, Ostuni).

What you'll find

• The white town - lanes limewashed for heat and disinfection.
• The cathedral - a late Gothic front with a large rose window.
• The ancient olives - protected trees on the plain, some over a thousand years old.
• The coastal view - the Adriatic visible from the upper terraces.

When to go

April to June and September to October; August is very hot and crowded. Olive harvest runs from late autumn. The old town is steep in any season.

Things to know

The old town is steep and stepped with difficult parking outside. Xylella has left many dead olive trees visible across the plain. Summer heat is severe.

Nearby

Locorotondo lies inland; the Adriatic coast is east.

Key facts