Diana Petterson 60 Days of Italy, European Continent, Italy

60 Days of Italy – Ostuni

This elegant arched loggia from 1750 was once just a bridge connecting the Palazzo Vescovile and Palazzo del Seminario in front of the Ostuni Cathedral. ((June 8, 2023)

Italy Day 52: Ostuni Day Trip from Lecce

We took the train, about a 15 to 20 minutes walk from our suites in Lecce, to catch our 40 minutes or so ride to Ostuni for our walking tour.

Alice and I have been using the Trenitalia App so to purchase our train tickets individually and it’s worked pretty dang good. A couple of months before we left for this trip, we went online and filled out the application for the senior discount and got our individual code on the Trenitalia App so when we purchased our tickets, the discounts were included. Thankfully as we were researching what we wanted to see in Italy on this trip, we also checked out the train stops.

Although we walked to the Lecce train station, we do use the taxi services to get from the train station to our hotel when we really don’t want to schlep our bags. But there was no need to schlep bags today since we were just heading to Ostuni for a few hours.

Ostuni is known as the “White City” for the whitewashing of its homes since the Middle Ages. Lime, as a raw material, was plentiful and it was used to ensure that the alleys and narrow rooms had both direct and reflected light.

Here’s a glimpse into Ostuni.

Catching the bright sun off the white surface of Ostuni and getting in a group photo with views of the thousands of healthy olive trees and the beautiful blue Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
This elegant arched loggia from 1750 was once just a bridge connecting the Palazzo Vescovile and Palazzo del Seminario in front of the Ostuni Cathedral. (June 8, 2023)
The Basilica concattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta or Ostuni Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Ostuni, is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. A Romanesque church was built here in 1228 -1229 but this present landmark church was built in the late Gothic style between 1435 and 1495. Above the central portal is the rose window with 24 finely carved ribs. (June 8, 2023)
The rose window with 24 finely carved ribs of the Basilica concattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta or Ostuni Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Ostuni, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. (June 8, 2023)
The Basilica concattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta or Ostuni Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Ostuni, is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the Piazza del Balio. (June 8, 2023)
Inside the Ostuni Cathedral. Built between 1469 and 1496 as a response to the earthquake that devastated the city in 1456, it is situated in the Piazza del Balio. (June 8, 2023)
The high altar inside the Ostuni Cathedral. (June 8, 2023)
The beautifully painted ceiling inside the Ostuni Cathedral in Ostuni are the paintings of The Preaching of St. Horace, Jesus Healing a Paralytic at the Pool and The Martyrdom of St. Biagio. (June 8, 2023)
The beautifully painted ceiling inside the Ostuni Cathedral in Ostuni are the paintings of The Preaching of St. Horace, Jesus Healing a Paralytic at the Pool and The Martyrdom of St. Biagio. (June 8, 2023)
The Baroque side chapel next to the high altar inside the Ostuni Cathedral with the carved wooden busts of the city’s patron saints. On the left is Saint Biagio (St. Blaise) from the late 1600’s; in the center is Saint Oronzo (St. Orontius) and Saint Agostino (St. Augustine) from the first half of the 1700s. (June 8, 2023)
The carved wooden bust of Saint Oronzo (St. Orontius), the city’s patron saint inside the Baroque side chapel next to the high altar of the Ostuni Cathedral in Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Inside the Ostuni Cathedral with its Baroque side chapels. (June 8, 2023)
Inside the Ostuni Cathedral with its Baroque side chapels. (June 8, 2023)
This antechamber inside the Ostuni Cathedral had been covered up for years and when the cathedral was renovated, this fresco was found. The scene, painted in the second half of the 1500s represents the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, recovering the True Cross from among the many crosses accumulated on Mount Calvary. (June 8, 2023)
In a niche of this antechamber inside the Ostuni Cathedral is this unusual and large statue of Christ, surrounded by six cherubs, dating back to the late 15th century. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
Walking around the whitewashed old town of Ostuni. (June 8, 2023)
The old former defensive wall, the Porta San Demetrio, and the entrance into the historic old town of Ostuni. The defensive walls were turned into homes. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls, built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea, have been turned into homes. From what I can tell, the original walls and towers were erected in the 1400s and improved upon throughout the centuries from its various inhabitants like the Ostrogoths, Lombards, Moors and the Spanish. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls, built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea, have been turned into homes. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls, built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea, have been turned into homes. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
The white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
Entering back into Ostuni through the white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
Entering back into Ostuni through the white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
Entering back into Ostuni through the white-washed city walls and towers built to protect the old town of Ostuni from its enemies approaching from the Adriatic Sea. (June 8, 2023)
The Piazza Sant’Oronzo in Ostuni with the obelisk of Saint Oronzo who is said to have spared Ostuni from the plague when it swept through Puglia in 1657. (June 8, 2023)
The Piazza Sant’Oronzo in Ostuni with the obelisk of Saint Oronzo who is said to have spared Ostuni from the plague when it swept through Puglia in 1657. (June 8, 2023)
The alleyway where we had lunch in Ostuni at Bar Perso. (June 8, 2023)
Lunch at Bar Perso in Ostuni with seats outside in the alleyway along the steps. Along with crumbs on my face, I’m holding a delicious sandwich of cut up pieces of avocados, cherry tomatoes, salt and olive oil. And for my protein, which you cannot see, I had small fried meatballs while quenching my thirst with a delicious, refreshing Lemonchello Spritz and gorgeous views. (June 8, 2023)