Ostuni

White walls of the Ostuni city and its fortification in Italy at sunset

Ostuni

Ostuni is one of the most beautiful and characteristic cities in all of Puglia and is also known as the White City.
A distinctive feature being the houses in the historic centre, entirely white and painted with lime. The inhabitants of the town, in fact, decided to paint the houses in this colour so that the sunlight, reflecting on the white walls, blinded the enemies coming from the sea. 
However, there were also hygienic reasons. In 1656, following a period of drought that had caused epidemics and famines, the inhabitants of Ostuni had the idea of ​​painting the houses with lime to avoid any type of contagion.

Ostuni

Today the centre of Ostuni which is defined by its inhabitants as “La Terra”is only partially painted. The houses climb the steep sides of a hill and the village is characterised by a tangle of winding streets, a succession of small squares, alleys and courtyards. The lower part of the village is surrounded by the ancient city walls where the only two entrances (Porta Nova and Porta San Demetrio} to the city have remained intact.
On the top of the hill stands the fifteenth-century Cathedral of Ostuni with its large rose window having 24 rays, the Bishop’s Palace and the Old Seminary.

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Along the Cathedral way, near the Baroque church of Santa Maria Maddalena is the Carmelite Monastery. In this historic structure stands the Museum of Preclassical Civilisations of Southern Murgia which preserves the cast of Delia, a pregnant woman who lived 25,000 years ago and was found in a cave near Ostuni in 1991. Also evidence of female cults and divinities from the Paleolithic to Christian age are present.
Every year it represents the favourite destination for thousands of tourists who appreciate its exceptional panoramas, climate, culinary art and history.

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Ostuni
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