To fully enjoy the village of Ostuni nothing better than starting from a walk on Viale Oronzo Quaranta, at the foot of the white walls and the Aragonese towers and then go through the alleys, arches, squares and palaces of the Città Bianca.
Our suggestions for the Città Bianca
A nice day certainly starts with breakfast at the Gran Caffè Tito Schipa (Corso Vittorio Emanuele 19-21, +39 0831 093465 – titoschipa@whiteostuni.it), named in honor of the tenor from Lecce who in 1936 passed from the Città Bianca and he fell in love with it.
Inside, where even our furry friends are allowed, there are three rooms where, sitting on comfortable sofas or enjoying the view from the terrace overlooking the sea and the old town, enjoy a cappuccino with croissant and a slice of cake or a cocktail or an aperitif.
Another pit stop, maybe for a coffee, you can do at one of Largo Trichera’s bars right under the spectacular facade of the Cathedral with the wonderful rose window that, like a huge eye, closed since it was walled in the eighteenth century, observes the neighbor and monumental suspended corridor of the Episcopio.
From here you can start to discover the village on board a gig of Ostuni Touring (piazza Libertà 34, +39 324 8353722 – +39 366 2186984 – info@ostunitouring.it), accompanied by the jovial and friendly Andrea or directly by Alessandro Soràda, one of the owners of the agency that also takes care of excursions, car and scooter rental, horse riding and boat hire.
The ride on board with Andrea was the classic one, from the Cathedral square to the central Piazza della Libertà, dominated by the Town Hall and the San Oronzo, continuing then towards Viale Oronzo Quaranta until Porta Nova ending up again at the foot of the Cathedral.
With Alessandro, instead, we walked the streets of the part of the city built after the earthquake of 1743 from where we have the full view of the village built on the three hills, reported as three towers on the city coat of arms.
Then you go back to the balcony of Ostuni, that Viale Oronzo Quaranta called for its breadth also “lu stradone”: from here the panorama is really magnificent on the silvery green of the olive trees that move their branches to the wind and the blue line of the sea to the horizon.
If you happen to be here at sunset you can not miss the aperitif of Walking Wine, the nomadic wine shop founded by an idea of Graziana and Giorgio, which with the “apetta” led by Andrea carries around the wine between Ostuni and surroundings. The Bagnardi spouses are not new to brilliant initiatives in the field of tourism.
In fact, for several years they have been managing I 7 Archi Guest Houses, a series of studios with vaulted ceilings and traditional furnishings, in one of the most picturesque areas of the old city characterized by seven 7 arches, all different in shape, construction and type.
In the streets of the old town the white dazzling is sometimes interrupted by the blue sea in the background where the Regional National Park of the Coastal Dunes extends: it would be a pity not to take a bath in the nature reserve that alternates beach-dunes-Mediterranean scrub for six kilometres.
But before planning a ride on the beach, without 4 legs because access to the park is forbidden to them, stop to refresh at Coffe and more, (Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 1 – +39 328 2711189 – coffeemoreostuni@gmail.com) just below the Guglia di Sant’Oronzo: Gabriele and Orsola will welcome you with a smile and their irresistible temptations among pucce, platters, salads and all kinds of meat.
For dinner we suggest three addresses. The first is in Corso Cavour, an artery that connects through the central square of the oldest village to the part of the city built between 700 and 800: Risto Caffè Cavour of chef Fabrizio Nacci where you can taste the delicious local productions elaborated in delicious dishes taste within the walls of an ancient underground oil mill.
Also the second is located a few steps from the historic center. We are talking about Al Solito Posto (via C. Braico 37, +39 0831 305850 – alsolitoposto.ostuni@gmail.com), where chef Francesco Carlucci offers meat and fish specialties, but also tasty pizzas cooked in a wood oven.
In the heart of the old city, on the slope leading to the Cathedral and on the right side of the church of San Vito Martire that serves as the entrance to the former convent of the Monacelle now home to the Museum of Preclassical Civilizations, there is Osteria Monacelle (via Cattedrale, + 39 0831 334212 – www.osteriamonacelle.com), where Melina prepares every dish with passion and dedication: pasta is home-made, as it once was, and the ingredients are all local, simple and genuine.
Tired? Do you want a good, restful sleep? If you want to stay between sea and countryside, the ideal place is Tenuta Parco Paolino (Località Monticelli – +39 335 8005515), a magical place where Francesco Deflorio and his wife Lella have created a small village of 4 lamias, low buildings, white and squared with large windows, which recall in a more modern sense the old local houses and are surrounded by greenery and silence. Here the afternoon siesta is relaxing among the olive trees by the pool with the cicadas singing in the background waiting for the arrival of the night quilted with stars.
The countryside around Ostuni is famous for its farms, among the most beautiful in Puglia. Many, then, have been converted into ideal accommodations for a careful and aware tourism in contact with nature. Between these Masseria Carparelli and Antica Masseria Brancati, both included in the Parco delle Dune Costiere in the area between the Millennial Piana degli Ulivi and the sea.
Tested and approved by us Masseria Tenuta Scaglione (Contrada Rienzo, 8 – +39 366 2120909 – info@masseriascaglione.com), a place of peace that takes its name from the stream that runs between the hill where the white Ostuni and the sea and that its owner Vito Ricci, vet, has decided to open to hospitality. Guests also have a vegetable garden, medicinal plants and a beautiful orchard that grows on the sides of a long grape pergola, as well as the fragrant extra virgin olive oil produced from the olives of the millennial olive trees that are a wonderful ornament in the large outdoor areas.
To those who want to have everything at hand and feet, reaching any point of the city with a walk, we suggest Palazzo Rodio (Largo Biancheri 43, +39 338 7062685 – +39 349 1627019 – palazzorodio@gmail.com), a ‘ imposing and elegant nineteenth-century dwelling in the heart of Ostuni where you can spend an atmosphere holiday in the company of our 4-legged friends.
So we have lived Ostuni until now. Naturally we are ready to “experience” again what for us has become a place of the soul in which to return often and willingly.