If you decide to spend your holidays in Puglia then Ostuni, one of the most beautiful cities of the Southern coast of Italy, will certainly be a must.

The ancient Messapian town is located on top of 3 hills of southern Murgia about 6 km away from the sea. It is one of the most visited cities on the Adriatic coast, which is characterized by the blinding white color of its houses, from which comes the name of the “white city”.

The vital center of Ostuni is Freedom Square, so named to commemorate the restoration that took place after the collapse of the House of Bourbon. This nineteenth-century style square was renamed Piazza Sant’Oronzo because within it stands the obelisk dedicated to the patron saint of Ostuni and Salento. The decision to elect him patron saint of the city was a way for citizens to thank him for the protection received in 1657 from the plague. To celebrate that moment every year on August 26 takes place an evocation of those times with a parade in period costumes and a silver statue of the saint who is escorted in the characteristic streets of the city.

Then on the highest summit of the hill stands the Cathedral, dating back to the fifteenth century in Gothic-Roman style, accompanied by the bishop’s palace, a long residence of the bishop who gave refuge to Byzantine monks who fled from the iconoclastic struggle.

But Ostuni is also a fascinating succession of streets, squares and alleys with houses often dug into the rock and linked by arches and semi-arches with buttresses and supporting function. A labyrinth of white tunnels and narrow streets, where getting lost will be wonderful. Within the historical center that the ostunesi call “earth” there are a number of features whitewashed buildings in lime water, the same natural disinfectant that preserved the city from the plague.

But Ostuni is also a fascinating succession of streets, squares and alleys with houses often dug into the rock and linked by arches and semi-arches with buttresses and supporting function. A maze of small, white, narrow tunnels where to get lost will be wonderful. Within the historical center – that the ostunesi call “earth” – there are a number of features whitewashed buildings in lime water, the same natural disinfectant that preserved the city from the plague.

Here you can stop in restaurants and old taverns that offers specialties based on fish, meat and vegetables, but also local sweets. However, to really get the flavors of local cuisine and a unique and relaxing experience, immersed in the green Apulian countryside, you can choose to stay in one of the farms of Ostuni, as Masseria Il Frantoio. It’s where the preparation of dishes based on local products but also vegetables and organic vegetables, grown and harvested directly from the gardens of the same properties.

Finally do not forget to make a jump in the most beautiful beaches in the area, because if Ostuni has become a popular tourist destination is also (and especially) for its coastline, one of the cleanest of the Apulian coast. We will be glad to help you giving you our tips for you best Puglia holidays.