Ostuni is a city in Italy’s Apulia region that’s known for its whitewashed old town.
Ostuni is a city in Italy’s Apulia region that’s known for its whitewashed old town. Ostuni, the White Town, is picturesque and to be experienced. Ostuni, a renowned tourist destination, boasts a wonderful medieval village, rich with alleys and whitewashed houses, in a maze of streets which recalls an Arab Kasbah.
1. The Cathedral
The Cathedral is the best-known landmark of Ostuni. Built between 1435 and 1495 in the late Gothic style, it has a tripartite façade, divided by two pilaster-strips. Above the central portal, there is a magnificent rose window with 24 finely carved ribs. The interior of the church is of the XVIII century and has a level ceiling and Baroque side chapels.
2. Palazzo Vescovile
Inside the piazza, on either side of the cathedral, one can see the Palazzo Vescovile and Palazzo del Seminario joined by an elegant arched loggia (1750) where there is a winged putto (originally two) on the fastigium. In the palazzo, Vescovile lies the remains of the castle built in 1148 and destroyed in 1559.
3. The Surrounding Wall of Ostuni
The historic events that brought about the construction of the defensive walls date back to the Messapians, the Byzantine, the Normans, the Angevins, and the Aragonese, probably after the earthquake of 1456, reinforced the walls and the towers of the previous period and enlarged the defensive boundary towards the south.
4. Palazzo Municipale
It was originally an ancient Franciscan convent built-in 1304. In the year 1739 two wings of the cloister and part of the convent were redesigned. Later in 1864 the convent was enlarged and transformed to become the Town Hall by redoing the façade in neoclassic style.
5. The Column of Sant’Oronzo
It is a column built in 1771 based on an idea by the local maestro Giuseppe Greco. It has a pyramidal shape, more than 20 meters high, with a statue of Saint Oronzo at the top. On the sides are various decorations and putti. At the four sides of the balustrade are statues representing San Biagio, Sant’Agostino, Santa Irene, and San Giorgio Armeno. It is a perfect expression of the Baroque style.