Ostuni and Polignano a Mare

are two of the more popular cities to visit in Puglia (the region where we live, sometimes referred to as Apulia in English) and sit between Bari and Brindisi

Ostuni

is relatively famous in Italy and referred to as the “la Città Bianca” (the White City).  It sits on a plateau overlooking not only the Adriatic Sea to the east, but also the Valle d’Itria to the west.  It is clearly visible from the train between Bari and Brindisi as a white citadel overseeing your trip down the Adriatic coast.

Like many places we have visited in this area, its history of habitation dates back to the stone age and it has been conquered and reconquered more times than I have space to outline here.  The current old city dates back to medieval Norman times.  With its narrow streets and views to the Adriatic, it is a wonderful place to spend time strolling and shopping.  Should you ever visit, be aware that like some other cities we have visited, the train station is not in the center of town, but rather on the coastal plain and the city is either a bus or a taxi ride away.  You could walk (it is only a mile and a half) but the road was not made to handle pedestrians and if you know anything about drivers here, you probably don’t want to take the chance.

Photo credit to Italy Magazine

The view of the Adriatic from Ostuni

Ostuni shares its patron saint with Lecce and Brindisi, Sant’Oronzo

The streets

Had a recommendation for this restaurant, but it was not open.

View to the sea

Il Duomo

Inside Il Duomo

Imaginative gate

A bridge over a tranquil street

My girls

Polignano a Mare

is one of the stops on the regional train from Lecce to Bari and one that we thought little about as we continually passed through it on our way to Bari and other places.  Then one day a friend asked us, “Have you been to Polignano a Mare, yet?  No?  Well, you must go.  It a beautiful town hanging over the sea and a you don’t want to miss it.”  How do you not give into a recommendation like that?

So we bundled ourselves up on a cool, clear day in late January and took the 45 minute train ride and I must say, it did not disappoint.  It is curved around a small inlet with a sandy beach (I imagine it is very crowded during the tourist season) that is accessed by a beautiful path leading down under an arched roadway bridge with restaurants along the way.  The edge of he town is perched along low cliffs and lava flows over the Adriatic and is absolutely enchanting.

Since we were there on a cool winter day, there were few tourists and it felt at times like we had the city to ourselves.  The only drawback there was that very few of the shops or restaurants in the old city were open.  But we found a restaurant and we don’t do much shopping anyway, so all in all it was a win.

Just a couple of weeks after our trip there, Holly found an article on the internet about the 10 most beautiful cities in Italy to visit and Polignano a Mare was on it and I concur.  If you are ever in this area, take the time, it is worth the effort.

We are off to Barcelona on Sunday and in the next couple of months we have trips planned to Budapest, Venice and then Albania.  Should be interesting.

Jim