One of the most visited and famous towns in Puglia is the town of Ostuni. Its whitewashed buildings are suggestive of the Greek island of Santorini. Located up in the foothills of the southern end of the Apennine mountain range, it overlooks the olive groves that span the entire region of Puglia. We had a walking tour with Dorothea, a transplanted Sicilian from Catania who married an ostensibly snobby (according to her) Ostuni native. The town has been historically whitewashed to wash away the Black Death (plague of the 15th century). An impressive white castle sits at the edge of the centro storico, built by a wealthy and lazy Spanish noble who wanted to do a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela but never got around to doing it.
The main piazza is triangular in shape, bringing in symbolism of the trinity. A statue of one of the town’s patron saints, Sant’Orazio, overlooks the piazza and Church of San Francesco.
The cobblestoned, hilly and narrow streets are a labyrinth of homes, shops, restaurants and old olive oil mills now converted to commercial uses.
The Duomo was built during the Romanesque period but the interior had been remodeled to a baroque style, unfortunately covering the rose window.
We enjoyed wandering the shops and people watching while enjoying a beer at an outdoor cafe.
A typical pastry is a tetta di monaca, filled with a pastry cream.
The next stop was the seaside resort of Polignano al Mare. Although it is off season, the sunny and cool weather enticed many (mostly) Italians to visit the town center and stroll the lungomare.
Our destination for the next two nights is Alberobello. A tortuous road climbs up again into the hillls to the village of characteristic buildings called trulli. These circular structures with cone shaped roofs are found scattered in the countryside and many of them have been converted to accommodations. In fact, we are staying in a trullo that has been renovated.
After we settled in, we had a great dinner at the Trattoria Terra Madre, a place that served only locally sourced food. We had the vegetable tasting (multiple seasonal dishes), beet tortelloni filled with local cheese with a braised rabbit sauce and a tiramisu.
Desperate to get some clothes washed, we found a laundromat and after dinner managed to get our laundry done before 11pm.
Camino Musings 