Ostuni Highlights

(Actual date....January 5, 2008)

I love Ostuni! It is by far one of my favorite Italian cities. Before leaving, we walked around the city one last time to get some more pictures. This is one place I can't wait to go back to!

As we were walking around out of nowhere came a pack of 6 or 7 stray dogs. Ollie who is not submissive started barking. We were able to quickly step into a tabacchi and avoid any confrontation. We were not so lucky in Sicily...thats for later.

One of the best things about living in Italy is that we were able to go to places that you might not pick if you were only going for a week or two. Ostuni being one of them. The city itself reminds me a lot of the island of Mykonos in Greece, just more subdued.

The Highlights of Puglia: Alberobello and some Trulli

(I'm behind posting....Actual Date: January 4, 2008)

On Friday morning we woke up early to a cloudy day with weather forecasts predicting rain!


I was disappointed since this was our only day to head to Alberobello and visit the trulli. The trulli are traditional stone structures with conical roofs that can be found in the Valle d'Itria in the Italian region of Puglia (the "heel" of Italy). One of the theories behind the origin of the design is that these structures is that they were built so they could be easily dismantled when property inspectors were in the area. (To read more about this area, check out two of our other posts: Alberobello and the Famous Trulli and Our First Taste of Puglia: Trani and Ostuni).

We grabbed a quick espresso at a cafe in the center of Ostuni before picking up the car for the 40 minute drive to Alberobello, our first stop.


We had a little trouble finding the exact road we were supposed to get on, but in no time we were heading on our way. Within a few minutes we had spotted our first trulli! We pulled off the side of the road and took some pictures.



The trulli are really amazing and the landscape is breathtaking. Even though it was January, was overcast, and was cloudy, the colors were amazing. I am sure that on a sunny spring day with a bright blue sky it would be even more stunning. As we rode along towards Alberobello, passing through the town of Locorotondo, there were more and more trulli!




As luck would have it, just as we pulled into Alberobello it started to rain. We quickly found a parking spot (benefit of traveling during the off season) and headed off to see the highlights of the town, not before stopping at a bakery to get some traditional bread from Puglia: bread stuffed with olives. We took our time wandering the streets but were kind of disappointed with how touristy the town was. I had read how signs throughout Alberobello are written in English, German, and Japanese, but was stilled shocked at the "Disney-esque" aspect of the town. Every few steps we took someone was asking us to come into their store or to see their trulli. After about an hour, we felt we had pretty much exhausted Alberobello. Before leaving, we stopped back at the bakery to pick up another loaf of olive bread...it was that good!





In our guidebook I had read that there was a panoramic overlook where there was a great view of the trulli. We searched but with no luck! We decided to head to our next stop....the city of Martina Franca.

In my exhaustive internet searching for our trip, I had read on the SlowTravel forum (a great website for travel planning!) that the best trulli were on a secondary road between Alberobello and Martina Franca and that in order to find this road and the trulli, you follow the signs pointing to the agriturismo Green Park. This is definitely the road to take! It was very scenic and we got\ to see how spectacular the trulli are! We both definitely agree that a visit to the trulli is a must, but that the experience of seeing the trulli in the countryside is far better than in Alberobello. A car is also a must because without one there is no way to experience it!

Inside of a trulli

We found ourselves in Martina Franca as it began to rain harder! Martina Franca is an amazing baroque city, completely different than Alberobello. It was founded in the 10th century by refugees fleeing the Arab invasion. It only became really prosperous during the 14th century when Philip of Anjou granted the city a tax exemption. (Franchigie being the French word for tax exemptions, hence the name Franca). In addition to wanting to wander the baroque streets of Martina Franca we were looking for capacollo di Martina Franca: a D.O.C. meat that is cured in brine and soaked in mulled wine.

Martina Franca details

Martina Franca's duomo

In the main piazza with the duomo, we found a great store selling all handmade cheese and meats including the capacollo and burata cheese, a specialty of the area. The lady was really nice and helpful and we bought some mozzarella and burata. It was getting close to pausa during which everything shuts down so we decided to head on to Locorotondo, wishing only that we had more time to wander the streets of Martina Franca. Next time!

We easily found a scenic secondary road dotted with rolling hills and trulli. We stopped many times to take some great pictures. We later decided that this was the best route for seeing the trulli, but unfortunately the next day we tried to find this road again and were unsuccessful.

As we were approaching Locorontondo we happened upon three very large (but lean!) pigs that were just hanging out. Oliver went ballistic when he saw the pigs. I have to admit, they were a lot faster that I thought pigs were!


When we got to Locorotondo, it was pretty much deserted; the daily market had just finished and it was pausa. We had wanted to try some of Locorotondo's moscato but no stores were open. Bummer. Next time hopefully! We wandered the streets for awhile looking for a place where we could get a quick bite. There were not a lot of options! We finally found a place and had a quick bowl of pasta. Considering that it was rainy and getting late, we decided to head back to Ostuni.




Once back in Ostuni, we debated going back to the restaurant from the night before, but decided against it seeing we had bought so much cheese in Martina Franca!




After dinner, we wandered around Ostuni's labyrinth streets. As we took turns opera music radiated from speakers. It was a great time, wandering through one of my very favorite cities in all of Italy. I was glad I got to experience it with Reed and Ollie but wished we had more time there!

Tomorrow we leave Puglia and head to see the sassi of Matera in Basilicata. Plus, Oliver gets his first taste of Italian Dog Gangs!

To read more about this fascinating region, check out the New York Times article The Heel is Rising

Our First Taste of Puglia: Trani and Ostuni

*** A series of posts about our travels through Southern Italy****

January 3, 2008

Puglia was probably the place that I was most excited about visiting...I was not disapointed. My only regret is that we did not have enough time there...we'll just have to go back! The writer, Carlo Levi, who was exiled in Puglia referred to the region as "that other world...which no-one may enter without a magic key." It is a very special place that should not be missed and we look forward to exploring it more in the future. If you are planning a trip to Italy in the near future, check out Puglia! If you want suggestions, contact us!

We got up bright and early on Thursday morning to go into Sorrento to pick up our rental car from Avis (FYI: stay away from Avis in Sorrento!! We are currently battling them over incorrect charges on our credit card!). Within an hour we were on our way, heading east towards Puglia, Italy's heel! One of the reasons why I was really interested in visiting Puglia, is that it seems to be gaining popularity; in the past year almost all of the main newspapers, including the New York Times, has featured Puglia in at least one article. With beautiful landscapes and charming cities, Puglia has it all. It doesn't hurt that Puglia is a wine and food lovers paradise and we definitely ate well here, having our best meal in all of Italy in Ostuni!

Within 3.5 hours we had left Campania and were in Puglia, the drive was quite beautiful: rolling hills (that look similar to Tuscany) some of them with huge windmills covering them. It was amazing to see the colors, especially the greens! We also learned Ollie hates windmills as much as hot air balloons!





Trani was our first stop....


Trani is known as the "Pearl of Puglia" and has a magnificent portside cathedral. During the Middle Ages, Trani rivaled Bari, another city in Puglia, for importance, and Trani became a major point of embarkement for merchants going to the Near East. The town's business interests grew so much that Trani devised the first maritime code, the Ordinamenta Maris, in 1063 to help regulate their business interests.

Trani port

We were hoping to make it to Ostuni before dark so we stopped in Trani only long enough to snap some pics of the cathedral (a great example of the Norman style of Architecture), and to have a quick lunch of cavatelli con fagioli e cozze (pasta with beans and mussles) at a portside restaurant.

Cats in Trani

The port and Adriatic

The cathedral

It really was interesting to see this cathedral, which is completely different than any other in Italy that we have seen. The ocean makes a beautiful backdrop!




It was just starting to get dark as we approached the city of Ostuni. Ostuni is known as the "White City" and is perched on three hills surrounded by olive groves. The view on the approach is absolutely stunning and I'm sure much more beautiful when it is not as cloudy. We were staying for two nights in an apartment right near Piazza della Liberta. Although the lodgings were merely adequate, we both fell in love with Ostuni and hope we have the opportunity to return some day!



We spent some time wandering around the maze like streets up the cathedral.

The duomo

During the day from the cathedral there are views of the olive groves at the blue adriatic.

Piazza del Duomo

The owner of the apartment we were renting, Francesco, also owns his own restaurant. He told us to stop by for dinner and I am so glad we did; it was the best meal we had in all of Italy! Locanda dei Sette Peccati (Seven Sins) is fantastic. For a starter we split a mixed antipasto platter that was superb. We did not know what half the things were, mainly vegetables, but there was not one bad thing. We ordered two pasta dishes to share, both specialties of Puglia: orecchiette ortolane (with mixed vegetables) and orecchiette pomodoro cacio ricotta (with tomato and cacio ricotta cheese). Cacio Ricotta tastes nothing like ricotta that we know in the U.S. It is firm and is most comparable to feta. Francesco is the host, waiter, and cook for the entire restaurant!

Our antipasto (we were too hungry to take pictures of our pasta!)

We went to bed tired and full and excited about exploring more of Puglia!

Goodnight Mr. O!

Tomorrow: We head out to visit the trulli in Alberobello and Martina Franca, a baroque city that makes a special kind of meat!

Locanda dei Sette Peccati
Via F.sco Campana 3
0831 339595
72017 Ostuni (BR)