Itria Valley
Informazioni sulla città/località
Rising high above the vast olive-carpeted plateau of the lower Murgia, Ostuni has long been an awe-inspiring sight for those travelling across Puglia. Strong defensive walls and tumbling clusters of white-washed houses wind around the hillside, at the top of which, proudly surveying the surrounding land, sits the magnificent Gothic cathedral.
First founded by an indigenous tribe some 600 years before Christ, Ostuni’s long and varied history saw it pass from the Romans to the Ostrogoths, from the Lombards to the Saracens, from the Byzantines to the Normans, from the Hohenstaufen to the Angevins and from the Aragonese to the Bourbons. Traces remain from each domination but most of what visitors can see today dates from between the 1400s and the 1700s.
The most distinguishing characteristic of Ostuni and the reason for its taking the epithet La Città Bianca, is its uniformly white buildings. Originally the practice of lime-washing the town's served as a means of lightening up the dark, labyrinthine medieval streets but in the 17th century it became a matter of life and death and was used to limit the depredations of the plague.
Wandering through the streets today, visitors are charmed by Ostuni's medieval layout. The narrow back streets, little passages and flights of steps make it delightfully easy to lose one's bearings! Suitably, however, the climax of any visit arrives when you reach the highest part of town, home to the imposing Archbishop’s palace and the 15th-century Concattedrale with its curvaceous, symmetrical façade and rose window.
The views from Ostuni are, by themselves, reason enough to make a trip there. Wonderful vistas abound from all angles, the best of which offer 360-degree panoramas of the surrounding countryside and the Adriatic Sea.
The coastline near Ostuni (just 8km away) boasts some of Puglia’s loveliest beaches whose cleanliness and quality of amenities are testified to by the 5 Blue Flags won in recent years.
Festivals and events
- The Cavalcata di Sant’Oronzo, a celebration of the town’s patron saint, takes place between the 24th-27th August. The high point, on the penultimate day, is a knightly, costumed procession on horseback.
- For food lovers, Ostuni is the place to be on 15th August, when the Sagra dei Vecchi Tempi comes to town, offering visitors the chance to try some of the area’s most traditional dishes.
886 recommandé par les habitants
Ostuni
Rising high above the vast olive-carpeted plateau of the lower Murgia, Ostuni has long been an awe-inspiring sight for those travelling across Puglia. Strong defensive walls and tumbling clusters of white-washed houses wind around the hillside, at the top of which, proudly surveying the surrounding land, sits the magnificent Gothic cathedral.
First founded by an indigenous tribe some 600 years before Christ, Ostuni’s long and varied history saw it pass from the Romans to the Ostrogoths, from the Lombards to the Saracens, from the Byzantines to the Normans, from the Hohenstaufen to the Angevins and from the Aragonese to the Bourbons. Traces remain from each domination but most of what visitors can see today dates from between the 1400s and the 1700s.
The most distinguishing characteristic of Ostuni and the reason for its taking the epithet La Città Bianca, is its uniformly white buildings. Originally the practice of lime-washing the town's served as a means of lightening up the dark, labyrinthine medieval streets but in the 17th century it became a matter of life and death and was used to limit the depredations of the plague.
Wandering through the streets today, visitors are charmed by Ostuni's medieval layout. The narrow back streets, little passages and flights of steps make it delightfully easy to lose one's bearings! Suitably, however, the climax of any visit arrives when you reach the highest part of town, home to the imposing Archbishop’s palace and the 15th-century Concattedrale with its curvaceous, symmetrical façade and rose window.
The views from Ostuni are, by themselves, reason enough to make a trip there. Wonderful vistas abound from all angles, the best of which offer 360-degree panoramas of the surrounding countryside and the Adriatic Sea.
The coastline near Ostuni (just 8km away) boasts some of Puglia’s loveliest beaches whose cleanliness and quality of amenities are testified to by the 5 Blue Flags won in recent years.
Festivals and events
- The Cavalcata di Sant’Oronzo, a celebration of the town’s patron saint, takes place between the 24th-27th August. The high point, on the penultimate day, is a knightly, costumed procession on horseback.
- For food lovers, Ostuni is the place to be on 15th August, when the Sagra dei Vecchi Tempi comes to town, offering visitors the chance to try some of the area’s most traditional dishes.
Three is the magic number, so they say, and nowhere is this truer than in the Valle d'Itria with its trio of enchanting, historic towns: Alberobello, Locorotondo and Cisternino.
Like its sisters, Cisternino, boasts a small, utterly charming old town centre that has remained virtually intact for centuries. Its whitewashed houses, narrow, shady streets, historic churches and elegant central piazza open out onto a series of panoramic viewpoints from which visitors can take in the surrounding countryside, with its rolling hills, dry stone walls and white-tipped conical trulli roofs piercing the green fields.
Cisternino is pleasant to visit at any time of day, though there is something particularly magical on a summer's evening as the sun sets and the locals come out for their evening passeggiata (stroll). The restaurants, gelaterie and bars around the piazza fill up and the atmosphere becomes gently hedonistic.
You don't need to go to a restaurant to eat in Cisternino, however, as the town is famous for its barbecuing butchers! All you have to do is choose your meat - maybe the local speciality, bombette, little meat parcels filled with mince, ham and cheese - and take a seat outside with a carafe of local wine. The butcher will then barbecue your chosen goodies and bring them out to you when ready. A truly local (and delicious) eating experience!
The streets of Cisternino are home to some buildings of considerable architectural interest, including the 13th century Norman-Swabian tower, topped with a little statue of San Nicola, the 14th century Church of San Nicola with its 18th century facade and 6th century foundations, the curvaceous baroque Church of San Cataldo and tower-flanked Palazzo Amati.
In August, Cisternino celebrates the summer with a series of festivals, including the processions for the Festa di San Quirico, one of the town's patron saints, and a couple of food festivals, or sagre, one dedicated to orecchiette (Puglia's signature ear-shaped pasta), the other to rabbit! Then in September, the town turns its attention to the grape harvest, which is toasted with yet another party!
385 recommandé par les habitants
Cisternino
Three is the magic number, so they say, and nowhere is this truer than in the Valle d'Itria with its trio of enchanting, historic towns: Alberobello, Locorotondo and Cisternino.
Like its sisters, Cisternino, boasts a small, utterly charming old town centre that has remained virtually intact for centuries. Its whitewashed houses, narrow, shady streets, historic churches and elegant central piazza open out onto a series of panoramic viewpoints from which visitors can take in the surrounding countryside, with its rolling hills, dry stone walls and white-tipped conical trulli roofs piercing the green fields.
Cisternino is pleasant to visit at any time of day, though there is something particularly magical on a summer's evening as the sun sets and the locals come out for their evening passeggiata (stroll). The restaurants, gelaterie and bars around the piazza fill up and the atmosphere becomes gently hedonistic.
You don't need to go to a restaurant to eat in Cisternino, however, as the town is famous for its barbecuing butchers! All you have to do is choose your meat - maybe the local speciality, bombette, little meat parcels filled with mince, ham and cheese - and take a seat outside with a carafe of local wine. The butcher will then barbecue your chosen goodies and bring them out to you when ready. A truly local (and delicious) eating experience!
The streets of Cisternino are home to some buildings of considerable architectural interest, including the 13th century Norman-Swabian tower, topped with a little statue of San Nicola, the 14th century Church of San Nicola with its 18th century facade and 6th century foundations, the curvaceous baroque Church of San Cataldo and tower-flanked Palazzo Amati.
In August, Cisternino celebrates the summer with a series of festivals, including the processions for the Festa di San Quirico, one of the town's patron saints, and a couple of food festivals, or sagre, one dedicated to orecchiette (Puglia's signature ear-shaped pasta), the other to rabbit! Then in September, the town turns its attention to the grape harvest, which is toasted with yet another party!
Visite turistiche
Wonderful beach!
What is better than an unpolluted beach? Torre Guaceto is a Marine Protected Area, as well
as a WWF Nature Reserve, with very fine sand and crystal clear sea. Torre Guaceto is a
wonderful visual spectacle, a beach characterized by a rocky part that gives the sea an
exceptional color and a sandy part for families and couples who want to relax.
220 recommandé par les habitants
Torre Guaceto
Wonderful beach!
What is better than an unpolluted beach? Torre Guaceto is a Marine Protected Area, as well
as a WWF Nature Reserve, with very fine sand and crystal clear sea. Torre Guaceto is a
wonderful visual spectacle, a beach characterized by a rocky part that gives the sea an
exceptional color and a sandy part for families and couples who want to relax.
12 km from Ostuni city center
Gorgognolo is one of the beaches near Ostuni recommended for those who love water sports.
In particular, in Gorgognolo it is possible to make snorkeling tours and excursions admiring
the marvelous marine life in the crystalline waters. It is also possible to lose yourself in long
walks among the rocks enjoying the scents of the Mediterranean bush
Spiaggia di Gorgognolo
Contrada Gorgognolo12 km from Ostuni city center
Gorgognolo is one of the beaches near Ostuni recommended for those who love water sports.
In particular, in Gorgognolo it is possible to make snorkeling tours and excursions admiring
the marvelous marine life in the crystalline waters. It is also possible to lose yourself in long
walks among the rocks enjoying the scents of the Mediterranean bush
12 km from Ostuni city center
The Pilone beach is one of the best known by the local inhabitants. The symbol of this place is
the imposing Aragonese Tower. On the beach, there are several dunes that create very
beautiful visual effects. The golden beach of Pilone is perfect for families since it is very
wide and allows children to move freely
12 recommandé par les habitants
Pilone Beach
Via mare Adriatico 12 km from Ostuni city center
The Pilone beach is one of the best known by the local inhabitants. The symbol of this place is
the imposing Aragonese Tower. On the beach, there are several dunes that create very
beautiful visual effects. The golden beach of Pilone is perfect for families since it is very
wide and allows children to move freely
Quarto di Monte is a small and charming beach, not far from Villanova Port. This beach
is usually not very considered by tourists. However, this beach is a real piece of paradise, the
perfect place to relax and take a break from everyday stress. The peculiarity of the beach is
the clean and soft sand, extremely pleasant to the touch.
During the summer evenings, there is also a night bar for lively evenings on the beach.
8 recommandé par les habitants
Quarto di Monte Beach
Quarto di Monte is a small and charming beach, not far from Villanova Port. This beach
is usually not very considered by tourists. However, this beach is a real piece of paradise, the
perfect place to relax and take a break from everyday stress. The peculiarity of the beach is
the clean and soft sand, extremely pleasant to the touch.
During the summer evenings, there is also a night bar for lively evenings on the beach.
Alberobello,is a small town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique trullo buildings. The trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
A first occupation of the area started only in the early sixteenth century on the impulse of the Count of Conversano Andrea Matteo III Acquaviva d'Aragona. He allowed about forty peasant families from Noci to settle here and cultivate the land, with the obligation to give him the tenth of the crops.
In 1635 his successor, Count Giangirolamo II (1600-1665) erected an inn with a tavern and an oratory and started the urbanization of the forest with the construction of few small houses. The expansion of the urban area was helped by the abundance of limestone, karst and calcareous sedimentary, and by the permission of the count to build houses only with dry walls without the use of mortar, which would become the peculiar trulli. This obligation to have houses built with dry stones was an expedient of the count to avoid paying taxes to the Spanish viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples. The centre of Alberobello was built on the streets of the ancient river Cana, where is now the largo Giuseppe Martelotta.
Alberobello remained a fief of the Acquaviva of Aragon until May 27, 1797, when King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon elevated the small village to the royal city, freeing it from the feudal servitude of the counts. On 22 June 1797, the first mayor Francesco Giuseppe Lippolis was elected.
Alberobello is the only inhabited center with an entire district of trulli, and is considered to be the cultural capital of the trulli of the Itria Valley.
The history of the trulli is linked to the Prammatica De Baronibus, an edict of the 15th-century Kingdom of Naples that subjected every new settlement to a tribute. In 1481 the Counts of Conversano D'Acquaviva D'Aragona from 1481, owners of the territory of Alberobello, then imposed on the residents that they built their dwellings dry, without using mortars, so that they could be configured as precarious buildings and easily demolished.
Having to use only stones, the peasants found in the round form with self-supporting domed roof the simplest configuration. The roofs were embellished with decorative pinnacles representing the signature of the architect
963 recommandé par les habitants
Alberobello
Alberobello,is a small town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique trullo buildings. The trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
A first occupation of the area started only in the early sixteenth century on the impulse of the Count of Conversano Andrea Matteo III Acquaviva d'Aragona. He allowed about forty peasant families from Noci to settle here and cultivate the land, with the obligation to give him the tenth of the crops.
In 1635 his successor, Count Giangirolamo II (1600-1665) erected an inn with a tavern and an oratory and started the urbanization of the forest with the construction of few small houses. The expansion of the urban area was helped by the abundance of limestone, karst and calcareous sedimentary, and by the permission of the count to build houses only with dry walls without the use of mortar, which would become the peculiar trulli. This obligation to have houses built with dry stones was an expedient of the count to avoid paying taxes to the Spanish viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples. The centre of Alberobello was built on the streets of the ancient river Cana, where is now the largo Giuseppe Martelotta.
Alberobello remained a fief of the Acquaviva of Aragon until May 27, 1797, when King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon elevated the small village to the royal city, freeing it from the feudal servitude of the counts. On 22 June 1797, the first mayor Francesco Giuseppe Lippolis was elected.
Alberobello is the only inhabited center with an entire district of trulli, and is considered to be the cultural capital of the trulli of the Itria Valley.
The history of the trulli is linked to the Prammatica De Baronibus, an edict of the 15th-century Kingdom of Naples that subjected every new settlement to a tribute. In 1481 the Counts of Conversano D'Acquaviva D'Aragona from 1481, owners of the territory of Alberobello, then imposed on the residents that they built their dwellings dry, without using mortars, so that they could be configured as precarious buildings and easily demolished.
Having to use only stones, the peasants found in the round form with self-supporting domed roof the simplest configuration. The roofs were embellished with decorative pinnacles representing the signature of the architect
Martina Franca, or just Martina, is a town and municipality in the province of Taranto, Apulia, Italy. It is the second most populated town of the province after Taranto, and has a population of 49,086. Since 1975, the town has hosted the annual summer opera festival, the Festival della Valle d'Itria.
414 recommandé par les habitants
Martina Franca
Martina Franca, or just Martina, is a town and municipality in the province of Taranto, Apulia, Italy. It is the second most populated town of the province after Taranto, and has a population of 49,086. Since 1975, the town has hosted the annual summer opera festival, the Festival della Valle d'Itria.