Ostuni

Ostuni

Ostune  (Neapolitan)
Stune  (Sicilian)
Astynèon  (Greek)

Comune

Comune di Ostuni

Panorama of Ostuni

Coat of arms

show
Location of Ostuni

Region Apulia

Province Brindisi (BR)
Frazioni Barbagianni, Boccadoro, Cavallerizza, Cervaloro,
Chiobbica, Costa Merlata, Deserto Parco
Monsignore, Fantese, Galante, Giovannarocca,
Grotta Figazzano, Monticelli, Pascarosa, Pilone,
Pinto, Ramunno, Refrigerio, Rosa Marina,
Villanova.

Government

 • Mayor Guglielmo Cavallo (Center-right coalition)

Area
[1]

 • Total 223 km2 (86 sq mi)

Elevation 207 m (679 ft)

Population

 (31 December 2017)[3]

 • Total 31,197

 • Density 140/km2 (360/sq mi)

Demonym(s) Ostunesi

Time zone UTC+1 (CET)

 • Summer UTC+2 (CEST)
(DST)

Postal code 72017

Dialing code 0831

Patron saint St. Orontius of Lecce

Saint day August 26

 Website Official website

Ostuni (Barese: Ostune; Salentino: Stune; Ancient Greek: Αστυνέον, romanized: Astynéon) is a city

and comune, located about 8 km from the coast, in the province of Brindisi, region of Apulia, Italy.
The town has a population of about 32,000 during the winter, but can swell to 100,000 inhabitants
during summer, being among the main towns attracting tourists in Apulia. It also has a British and
German immigrant community and an industrial zone. The region is a producer of high quality olive
oil and wine.

Contents

 1History
 2Main sights
 3Tourism
 4References
 5External links

History[edit]

Ostuni square with Saint Orontius' column

The region around Ostuni has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The town is reputed to have been
originally established by the Messapii, a pre-classic tribe, and destroyed by Hannibal during
the Punic Wars. It was then re-built by the Greeks, the name Ostuni deriving from the Greek Astu
néon ("new town").
Sacked after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, in 996 AD the town became part of the Norman
County of Lecce. The Normans built their medieval town around the summit of the hill (229 m), with a
castle (only remains can be seen) and city walls with four gates. From 1300 to 1463 it was part of
the Principality of Taranto and from 1507 (together with what is now the frazione of Villanova
and Grottaglie) passed to Isabella, Duchess of Bari, wife of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan.
Under Isabella's rule, Ostuni thrived during the Italian Renaissance. Isabella protected humanists and
people of art and letters, including bishop Giovanni Bovio. She died in 1524 and Ostuni passed as a
dowry to her daughter Bona Sforza, wife-to-be of Sigismund I of Poland, King of Poland. During Bona
Sforza's government, Ostuni continued to enjoy a stable rule. In 1539 she had towers built along all
the shoreline as protection against anticipated attacks from Turks who controlled the Balkans. These
towers (still extant, including Pozzella Tower, the Pylon, Villanova and others), were garrisoned and
communicated using fiery beacons.

Main sights[edit]

Cathedral.

The "Old Town" is Ostuni's citadel built on top of a hill and still fortified by the ancient walls. Ostuni is
commonly referred to as "the White Town" (La Città Bianca in Italian) for its white walls and its
typically white-painted architecture. Monuments in their own right, the town's largest buildings are
the Ostuni Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace, together with a number of palazzi of local aristocratic
families: Aurisicchio, Ayroldi, Bisantizzi, Falghieri, Ghionda, Giovine, Jurleo, Marseglia, Moro,
Palmieri, Petrarolo, Sansone, Siccoda, Tanzarella, Urselli and Zaccaria.
In the surrounding countryside there are typical Pugliese "masserie", fortified large estate-farms, one
of which, San Domenico, was once held by the Knights of Malta.

Tourism[edit]
View of Ostuni

Ostuni is the fifth city in Italy by percentage of British residents and the first for sale of houses and
villas. Starting from 2010, Ostuni and its nearest towns were characterized by so many arrivals from
foreign countries, that some local and national newspapers coined a new term, "salentoshire" to
describe this phenomenon, taking the term from the useful "chiantishire", taken for the similar
phenomena that has characterized Tuscany some years ago.