Ostuni is a hilltop town above the Adriatic sea with views over
the endless olive trees to the ocean. It's pretty impressive!
Narrow winding streets, great cafes, restaurants, quaint shops filled with ceramics,
shoes, olive oil and much more make the center well worth a trip for a visit.
We arrived by car and parked in one of the designated parking areas on the edge of the city.
You can find them on google and we'll put a link in the description. Don't try and park
in the historic center it's a limited traffic zone and you could get a fine if you do so.
If you're coming by train then the city is well connected to other east coast cities
like Brindisi, Polignano, Monopoly and Bari. Although the train station is two kilometers
away from the city centre, there is a shuttle bus that'll bring you into
the centre of town in just five minutes at a cost of one euro fifty per person.
As you walk into the old town area you'll likely arrive at the lavish square of Piazza Liberta.
Here you can grab an aperol spritz and some olives in one of the many cafes, sit and watch
the world go by. Although you might want to do that once you've navigated the steep steps to
the church at the top. In the square you find a 20 meter high baroque style column or obelisk
of Saint Laurenzo which has stood here since 1771. There is an open archaeological excavation
showing portions of the former ancient old town of Ostuni, but there's not really much to see.
On one side is the town hall building once a convent and next to it is the church of San
Francesco d'sisi. We wanted to go inside but for some reason unknown to us they wouldn't let us in
maybe there was an event going on we couldn't really understand the guy.
It's worth noting that Ostuni does have a daily siesta and the majority of shops close between
1-30 and 4-30 pm daily. The main street is lined with little boutiques and souvenir shops
selling local olive oil and trinkets. The web of streets can be confusing a maze of alleyways,
arches and dead ends but they're really charming and the best way to experience a town is to dive
down one of the narrow streets and just get lost walking around. If you don't fancy the steep
uneven walk up to the top and the cathedral you can take a tuk-tuk but at 15 euros a go,
really is very expensive and not worth it when you can climb it in under 15 minutes.
It's a popular place and we were there in the busiest month of August
when many italians take their holidays, you may well find it quieter at other times of year.
As you make your way up to the cathedral there are many beautiful
places and churches to stop at to take photos and pop inside if you're allowed.
At Ostuni's highest point you'll find the cathedral, built in the 15th century in the
late gothic style, rare in Puglia where most of the churches are romanesque or ornate baroque.
There's a lovely rose window with Christ in the center surrounded by
24 finely carved columns representing the hours of the day.
As for the interior it was nothing special and we didn't go inside.
In front of the cathedral is an interesting arch called the Arco Scoppa
connecting the bishop's palace to the seminary.
As you walk back down the hill make sure you go via the side facing the
sea, it will give you a different perspective and view with lovely
cute whitewashed streets and stunning views of the sea and olive tree fields.
Overall Ostuni has a lovely old town to wander around for a few hours if you're in the area
and don't mind the small hike up to the top and all the steps coming down.
Next time we're in the amazing coastal fishing port of Gallipoli. The incredible fortified old
town perched on an island was a real highlight of our trip. Steeped in history, a delightful
beach and wonderful seafood it's somewhere you'll want to spend a few days. Watch next time for a
full guide to visiting. Remember to subscribe and set notifications so you don't miss it,
but thanks for watching and happy travels from the memoryseekers!