Ostuni by camper what to visit in one day

Today we go on a journey and go to Ostuni by camper what to visit in one day

Ostuni “the white city” par excellence that rises on three hills is visible from miles away, while with your camper you go down from Bari towards Lecce and Salento.

From its historic center of medieval origins, perched on one of the hills, you can enjoy a unique glance, with a view that in winter is lost in the intense green of the olive trees and crops up to the cobalt of the sea and the blue of the sky.

Inside its Angevin walls you find yourself among a maze of narrow alleys, squares, stairs and climbs, where the Chianchia stone and the white of the houses alternate as in an Arab casbah; sometimes crossed by buggies that transport tourists and where it is pleasant to get lost.

So put on comfortable shoes, get your camera or mobile phone ready, let’s start our tour a stone’s throw from the sea.

Ostuni what to visit in one day

We usually go up from the parking lot in Via S. Tommasi to the pedestrian widening in Via Vito Tamborino which, with the staircase, leads directly to Piazza della Libertà, the hub and the city lounge. Here are the Town Hall in a former Franciscan convent, the Church of the Holy Spirit and opposite the obelisk of San Oronzo to act as a watershed for car traffic.

We leave the square and enter the stone paths where every time I return I let myself be carried away by the pleasure of walking and finding new corners and particular views that I had lost.

• We walk along via Cattedrale and we stop at the church of San Vito and the Museum of Preclassical Civilization of southern Murgia. Within this environment you will find archaeological collections from the Messapian age and finds from the Neolithic age. You will also find a unique find: the oldest pregnant woman in the world which dates back to 26,000 years before Christ. A woman of about twenty found in perfect condition and still with the fetus. Any info for her visit can be found here.
• We continue along the road and stop at the Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Majestic construction of the fifteenth century with its 3 doors for as many naves enriched by chapels, on which precious painted canvases dominate the ceiling. The exterior is characterized by the precious 24-spoke rose window among the largest in Europe.

• You can’t get lost right in front of the Co-Cathedral, the ancient Arco Stoppa that connects the Bishop’s Palace, seat of the Diocesan Museum, to the Seminary. Do you find similarities with the Arch of Sighs in Venice? Well it was initially built in wood inspired by it. But since it became subject to a slow deterioration in 1750, the then Cardinal Stoppa ordered its restoration in stone.
• In all this prevalence of white, you will have noticed that, as in the typical villages of Greece, doors and windows appear in an intense blue. So you want not to take the souvenir photo in front of the famous house with the blue door? It is a house for tourist rentals, which has the good fortune of being located in the upper part of the historic center and whose square overlooks the panorama of the centuries-old olive trees of which the whole area is rich as far as the sea.

• Returning to Piazza della Libertà it is the obelisk that attracts attention: also called the spire due to its shape, it is 21 meters high and is surmounted by the statue of San Oronzo, the patron saint of Ostuni. It was built as an ex voto for having protected the city from plague and famine.

Curiosity

By the way, do you know why Ostuni is called the white city?

Initially the inhabitants of Ostuni decided to paint every single house white as the sunlight reflected on the houses would have blinded the enemies intending to attack the city, placing themselves in a position of advantage over their opponents … then an ordinance issued by the municipality imposed citizens to paint the walls with white lime for hygienic reasons.

(cit. Pugliasecret)

A choice that proved useful for fighting the plagues of the 1700s.

Ostuni in one day what to eat

The rest of the walk is in this interlocking of volumes and superimpositions of very close houses that creates a real white labyrinth in which numerous souvenir shops, typical products, bars and restaurants stand out. After all, we are in Puglia and it would be a sacrilege not to talk to you about the cuisine and invite you to taste it!

For the evening aperitif, certainly one of the most particular and scenic places for its interior is Riccardo Caffè. Or Borgo Antico Bistrot where the aperitif can become a real tasting of typical Apulian dishes.

To taste the real local cuisine, made not only of focaccia, frize, and where you can taste the puree of fava beans and chicory, or the minchiareddhi with turnip greens, the excellent local cheeses, meatballs or bread and mint, and fish dishes such as octopus in pot we recommend a couple of restaurants:

• Osteria del Tempo Perso. This restaurant is located in the upper part of the historic center and since 1983 has been offering Apulian cuisine in a very romantic place in my opinion.
• Broad beans and Fogghje. It is located a stone’s throw from Piazza della Libertà and in a particular environment, you can enjoy dishes of the classic Apulian home cooking.
• If, on the other hand, you want to have a quick lunch enjoying friselle and Apulian cheeses combined with tastings of local pickles, I suggest you the Drogheria Pugliese. Here you can also drink craft beers. It is located right in the square behind the San Oronzo obelisk.

Tips for visiting Ostuni by camper

My invitation to visit Ostuni is to combine it with other beauties of the surrounding area. Although it is in fact a city of unique beauty, it is nevertheless not large. So, weighing a camper tour, I suggest you combine it with the surrounding villages such as Carovigno with its small center dominated by the Dentice di Frasso Castle and the stories that surround it.

If you love the sea, here are the splendid beaches of Monticelli, Costa Merlata, Lamaforca and Torre Santa Sabina. They are all small bays, but which offer a spectacular sea, to be admired even in winter.

I recommend that you also go as far as the Torre Guaceto nature reserve with its Aragonese tower and the beaches of fine white sand. In winter, you can take long walks along the coastal scrub, or inland among the expanses of centuries-old olive trees, which like silent guardians characterize the stretch from Carovigno to Torre Guaceto.

There are many paths to do on foot and by MTB or bicycle in this area.

Alternatively, the coastal dunes from Torre Canne to San Leonardo will be the place to take long walks in nature.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for more gastronomic proposals, the Ostuni area is scattered with farms and oil mills where you can enjoy fun and interesting tastings and purchases. I would like to point out a couple of them that I visited a while ago:

• Oleificio de Cillis nestled among the olive trees on the road that goes from San Vito dei Normanni to Torre Guaceto. Find the info here.
• Macchia Grande Farm on the road from Carovigno to San Vito dei Normanni. Here, in addition to their oil, you will also find a small mill for their flours. Find the info here.

I would say that one day at this point will not be enough for you, but the beauty of the visit and the intensity of the colors, aromas and flavors of this portion of Puglia will surely remain in your eyes.

Camper stop in Ostuni

To visit Ostuni you have some possibilities to stop even out of season.

• Paid parking in summer and free in winter in the municipal parking in via S. Tommasi under the walls, with only the loading / unloading pit. Convenient to the historic center.
• Private and paid Stella parking. It is located right under the walls in the Santo Stefano district, guarded H24, with an area dedicated to campers and connections. Rates according to the period. Cell. 339/2458720
• Daytime stopping point at the parking lot between via Pisanelli and via Specchia, in the modern area of Ostuni. it cannot be used on market days.
• Parking i Getsemani in Villanova di Ostuni. Always open with 65 electrified pitches. Showers only in summer, loading / unloading always available. Very kind and helpful owner. Info here