Ostuni and Ceglie Messapica: the white and the gourmet town
Description
Ostuni is called “the white city” because of its skyline: a pictoresque white town up on a hill. It’s one of the most lively, touristic and interesting town of Apulia.
During the tour we will visit Piazza della Libertà (the main civil square) with the column of St. Oronzo and St. Francis church, beautiful cathedral (national monument), some aristocratic palaces, the ancient walls and the doors of the city, the quaint white streets, a terrace overlooking a breathtaking panorama of the countryside with an expanse of olive groves slopes down to the seaside.
Ceglie Messapica is considered the temple of apulian cuisine for its renowned restaurants and the international cooking school. We will enjoy the delicious Biscotto di Ceglie (a typical almond biscuit, Slow Food presidia) but also its art and history: the ancient gates of the city, a terrace overlooking the Itria Valley, the historic city center with the pictoresque streets, the aristocratic palaces, the ancient gates, the Ducal Castle (built during the Norman domination and restructured by the Swabians, the Angevins and by the Sanseverino family), the Collegiata church (with Domenico Carella paintings) and some other church (San Domenico, San Gioacchino, San Rocco, etc.), the theater. The tour will end in Plebiscito square with its clock tower.
Some idea for changes to the itinerary
It’s also possible to extend / modify the tour with a lunch / dinner in a typical restaurant; a cooking lesson; a winery, cheese, extra virgin olive oil or some other typical product tasting; a visit to the interesting historic city centers of Francavilla Fontana, Carovigno, San Vito dei Normanni and Mesagne, the medieval hamlet of Oria, Grottaglie with its traditional ceramics, Manduria with the Messapian (a pre-Roman population) archeological site and the Primitivo wineries, Brindisi (the gate to Orient), Martina Franca (with its baroque palaces), the coast with its seaside natural parks, a century old olive grove, etc.