Ostuni - the White City of Southern Italy

The White City

From an even plane and an ever expanding vista of green fields the white city of Ostuni rises up out of nowhere. It is just as they say, - pure and white, It flows over a tall hillside, its cathedral topping the hill in a moment of gleaming glory. It is eye catching, road-stopping, breath taking.














Ostuni is a clustered mass of pure and ancient urban architecture. It is about the forms and shapes understood hundreds, - maybe thousands - of years before tv programmes painted whole house interiors white to understand the spaces. This is organic architecture which has flowed out and over the available spaces and in a completely unselfconscious way created architecture which is memorable for all who come across it.






Inside Ostuni the sense of 'whiteness' is not so profound. The charms of Ostuni are not just about pure white architecture. They are about a town which flows and expands through arches and tunnels; through narrow streets opening to expansive plazas.; through layers of white on white. The flashes of colour in Ostuni may be subtle but they are all the more outstanding because of this. An artist who displays a handful of colourful canvasses in a small cul-de-sac of neutral walls catches the attention of all who pass by.

In Ostuni the town dwellers understand the subtle charms of their small town. Ostentation is avoided. A restaurant provides white settee seating under pure white gauze canopies. Many of the whitewashed older buildings have only the dun coloured flagstones in contrast.








Ostuni's streets are often narrow - too narrow for vehicles - made for foot traffic or for bicycles at most. These streets weave snake-like between the buildings and disappear around a corner in the distance. It is deceptively easy to get lost in Ostuni but also easy to re-find oneself, as a glimpse down the hillside to the nearby coast provides instant re-orientation.












Ostuni speaks of Mediterranean sun and summer skies. Bright clusters of bougainvillea climb up the sides of buildings. Geraniums and petunias flash from terraces and window boxes. In the plazas the time is always right for a coffee or a glass of wine under the golden sun. La Citta Bianca - the White City - is a seasonal town swelling significantly in size in the summer months.

 To enjoy the charm of Ostuni without the crowds of high summer it is late spring and early autumn that capture the White City at its best.

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The Unesco protected city of Lecce, Southern Italy

Lecce -  Where History Comes Alive

As you travel up the eastern coast of Italy the stunningly beautiful coastal towns glide by, enticing you to stop and enjoy these idyllic coastal resorts. However it is not just the coast which is awe-inspiring. Inland you will find the city of Lecce - an exceptional city; a living museum. The town of Lecce -  capital of Apulio - is steeped in history; the excavations of parts of the Old Town are ongoing and a permanent fixture which the locals accommodate in the midst of their community. The second century Roman ampitheatre has been partially unburried - enough to be used for events today, even though it is at least eighteen centuries old. This ampitheatre sits in the heart of one of Lecce's busy squares. Traffic and pedestrians make their way around it as the dig goes on.

The essence of Lecce is in its history and in the great beauty of the many carved buildings still in use in the town today. The historic buildings of Lecce are recognisable for their soft warm glow. These buildings are carved from rich coloured sandstone called Lecce stone, which is imminently workable. As a product of their building materials, the churches, towers and palaces of Lecce are richly carved and decorated. Their facades are intricate and modulated, Their striking frontages may be weathered and pitted but they retain their integrity and are essentially unharmed by time. Building after building shows this same strikingly intricate frontage to the streets and squares. It is an architectural heritage that must be the envy of most other cities and towns in Italy. It is in fact, sometimes referred to as the Florence of the South.


Lecce remains a city of great dignity. Tourists come through the city gates in small groups, but there is a respectful hush as they make their way through the streets and piazzas. Perhaps there is a touch of awe at the magnificence of these buildings. Lecce has risen above the temptation to become a highly commercial tourist town, even though it has much to lure in the tourists, with so much living history within the city walls. Lecce is not a town for trinkets and souvenir shops. It is a town of art, of bookshops, of cathedrals and museums. It is a serious town surrounded by its more frivolous neighbours.


The Baroque period is where Lecce put on the mantle of its present day character. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries many of its current

buildings were first erected, and many of its older buildings were given a Baroque-style face-lift. Because of the consistency of the Baroque style that pervades much of the Old Town, Lecce is now on the nomination list for preservation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. A final decision has not yet been made,

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Otranto and its unique Cathedral in southern Italy

In Memory of the Martyrs

On a coast of glorious beaches, numerous solidly defensive castles, all day sun, turquoise blue seas and endless mellow walls of cream and gold, there lies Otranto. This is the town that resisted invaders and fought for its survival. This is the town where the martyrs died and this is the town where the ossuary displaying the bones of the martyrs can be found.




The Cathedral of Otranto is a sombre place. It is a place to gaze upon the bones of those who fought for Otranto's survival, and to think back on the sacrifices that were made. It is because of these persons - now so gruesomely displayed - that Otranto stands as a proud and independent town today. Did these fighters save Otranto and preserve it for future generations? This is not an easy question but one can be certain that this is what those who died believed. They were fighting for the preservation of the town and the life and country that they loved.












The siege of Otranto took place in the fifteenth century. It was the last attempt by an Ottoman force to conquer southern Italy. The legend is that the 813 martyrs were those who refused to convert to the religion of the invaders and were therefore slaughtered. Whilst like all legends there are some questions as to the facts, it is clear that many did die and their bones were preserved. The Ottomans after less than a year failed to receive reinforcements and retreated. The Siege of Otranto was over. Perhaps the 813 who died did make a difference.




The cellar under the Cathedral of Otranto is an array of graceful columns and soaring arches supporting the nave above. It is a play of light and shade, a graceful and impressive crypt that invokes a sense of hushed awe. Above, in the heart of the cathedral is an intricate tiled floor and a magnificent tessellated  mosaic ceiling, both telling encrypted stories of the mysterious past. At the altar the candles stand tall, the marble surfaces retreat in layered tiers to the cross and a pensive statue of Mary. Behind this altar are three tall cases built into the walls of the cathedral, each filled with the bones of the martyrs. Grim and unforgettable, these are the relics that tell the tale which makes Otranto so notable, These are the bones of those who died. This is what is left.

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Italy's Gallipoli

The Fortress Town

In a northern bite of the Ionian Sea are some of Italy's most perfectly formed coastal towns, and Gallipoli is one of these. Here the ocean wraps calmly around the coast in stretches of golden beach, small bays and sheltered harbours.



Fishing fleets cluster in the port area of Gallipoli and here too the occasional cruise ship may pull in to berth for the night. The sun beats down in a permanent summer glow. The outdoor cafes never close. The waterfront promenades are much used. The shops spill out onto the pavement where the rain rarely falls.















Gallipoli is a quintessential southern Italian town, steeped in history, rich in the signatures of its past. On a small island off the coast but connected to the modern city by bridge, the Old Town is perfectly captured and remains in tact. The streets twist and turn; the beaches fringe the island; the castle staunchly guards the harbour.







With its muscular, stocky tower walls and its impregnable frontage here is again a castle built in the Aragonese style; a style found up and down the southern Italian coast. Originally spreading out from a small Spanish kingdom the Aragonese Empire at one time ruled over large portions of southern Italy, Greece, France, and of course Spain where it originated. The polygonal walls and rounded towers are the signature of the Aragonese fortress and can be seen in a number of port towns in southern Italy.


















In Gallipoli the open air cafe/bar at the top of a waterfront tower is the ideal spot to pause and enjoy the warm coastal breezes after strolling through the heart of the Old Town. Gallipoli is casual and relaxed - not part of the standard tourist trails but perhaps more appealing because of this.







In Gallipoli there are amazing Baroque facades richly carved in limestone to admire; there are yachts moored in the shadow of the castle walls; here are golden sand beaches to enjoy; there are ancient bridges, historic churches and of course the twisting maze of Old Town back streets to wander.

Gallipoli is a town with a clear separation between old and new, yet one is an easy walk to the other. It is an eminently walkable town, an eminently appealing town, and one that has surprisingly managed to slip through well below the radar of the drive to modernise and industrialise.

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Taranto - a town of gritty beauty

Working the Docks

Taranto - an amazing city of industrial chimneys and factories, juxtaposed with fabulous waterways and harbours: a city of purple hazed skies and sparkling seas; a city of pleasure crafts and waterfront promenades alongside a twenty four hour port and a harbour of battleships at the ready.

Taranto has history by the handful. Its Borgo Antico is gritty, old and unadulteratedly true to its past. In fact it is lucky to have even survived its past, and its torrid role in the wars of the twentieth century. With its harbour having always been a crucial home to Italy's naval fleet this beleagured city has found itself a target in any conflict. The Borgo Antico is constricted by a boundary of seas on all sides. Here the old city survives, tattered, ragged and real. Its colours are pealing, its walls are patched and repaired. Interspersed amongst its narrow streets are the arches and the decorative lights that bring so many Italian towns to life in the dusk.

Taranto is known as the Town of Two Seas.  - Mare Grande and Mare Piccolo. Bridges link the sides of an inlet separating the seas, except when the great swing bridge is lifted to allow access to the inner harbours. The protected nature of the harbour makes it a sought after berth for the many fishing boats which trawl the Ionian Coast.

At the entry to the Mare Grande is the Aragonese Castle. This castle was used as a fort to help protect the harbour, and then also as a prison in times past. The castle may look untouched by the battles which raged, but in fact it is magnificently repaired to its former glory. Its rounded battlements, its squat walls and tiny windows present an impregnable face to the ocean.

Beautiful Taranto is the holder of one astonishing statistic -  it has been declared the most polluted city not just in Italy but also in Western Europe. This unenviable title owes its origin to the industries and in particular the steel mills which are scattered around the edges of Taranto. Although work is being done to reduce emissions and control pollution in the area, the fight is by no means won. Just one more battle in this city's long and difficult history.

Astonishingly the city remains a city of great charm and beauty. For a large city it remains compact and walkable.

Its divided parts create pockets of history, areas of intimacy and architecture unlike any other city in Italy. Its harbours, bridges and boardwalks define a multitude of quarters, each with a unique style and attraction, all against a background of tall chimneys and billowing clouds rising up into the sky.

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Belvedere Marittimo and the Castello del Principe

Beautiful Ruins

Castello del Principe

The Normans invaded Italy during the tenth and eleventh centuries, and made their most significant impression on the south-most of the southern states and on Sicily. Belvedere Marittimo is a small town in southern Italy, split between the beach and the steep hills behind. The beach and port edge the coast below, and the hill town above looks out over the sea, the port, and the lush surrounding countryside.

Belvedere Marittimo has an exceptional centro storico (historic centre) and in particular the most exceptional castle ruins. These dominate the hillside and create the centre around which the hill town clusters. These ruins may have existed prior, but it was their capture by Roger the Norman which gave them their current form. Overseen by their Norman conqueror, it is the remains of this Norman castle fort which towers over the hilltop town today.

Although ruins they may be, the magnificent castle that once stood there is still plain to see in the shapes and contours of the stone work that has survived.

The castle that Roger built or perhaps adapted, is one of the most attractive examples of Norman castle building that still remains in recognisable form in Italy today. And even though this castle is now only ruins the glimpses of its towers, walls and gates add grandeur and stature to the town.













Belvedere itself is intricate and curious. Its tunnels, archways and lanes weave in and out of the Old Town in a confusing array of stairways and courtyards. The hill town has no commercial centre. The shopping hub of Belvedere is below on the waterfront and this is also the commercial heart of Belvedere. On the waterfront the cafes and bars take full advantage of the water's edge promenade. Accommodation also centres on the port. The hilltop town however, is Old Town at its best.

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 On the hilltop you will find a quieter way of life - for some perhaps, too quiet.   For others a chance to stroll slowly, to admire the perfect views across the valley, the coast and the sea; an opportunity to soak in the history, and gaze on the relics of the past.  In such an idyllic spot it is little wonder that Roger eyed up Belvedere Marittimo and decided it must be his. Now we are able to appreciate that times have moved on from the days of conquer or be conquered: The days of Roger the Norm.

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Diamante - A True Italian Jewel

The Diamante Diamond

Jutting out on a promontory in the Mediterranean is the town of Diamante, a small town with a mountain of initiative as it strives to make its presence felt alongside those famous names in the south of Italy ; -  you know them all -  Palermo, Tropea, Marsala .... Diamante calls on all its skills to make its mark amongst its illustrious neighbours  as it promotes its festivals and its points of distinction. Yet this is a town with character and charm in its own right, with its kilometres of relaxed beaches and its warmly coloured buildings steeped in history. It is a town whose charms are often overlooked.

In Diamante you will find yourself in a town which is all about the art.  The exterior walls of the houses that line the cobbled streets are punctuated with frescoes and murals, some small, some large, all a celebration of colour with the warm plaster walls as a canvas. There are they say, around seventy of these examples of wall art, and Diamante is quite unique amongst its south Italian neighbours in this respect. It is a visual extravaganza as you stroll the narrow streets.









However it is not just art which draws your eye as you walk through the streets of Diamante. It is the deep red clusters of colour hanging from balconies and verandas decorating the doorways, the walls, the shops. It is the bunches of drying chillies hanging vibrant and fiery in the sun ready for use.










In September each year Diamante holds a festival in celebration of the peperoncino - the hot chilli pepper. The festival attracts tens of thousands each year and is a big event in the Diamante calendar.




Market stalls offer food spiced with the mighty chilli pepper. There are decorations of chilli peppers; garlands of chilli peppers;  and of course there is the chilli eating contest. But in the end it is as a flavour enhancer rather than for intense heat that the chilli is chiefly used in Calabrian cuisine and it is this that the celebration is truly about.








Diamante is a relaxed town where the streets are quiet without the hubbub of the major tourist trade. The small harbour has its own fleet of fishing boats so the supply of good seafood can always be relied on at the local restaurants and cafes. The older parts of Diamante steadfastly resist the encroachments of ribbon built beach fronts -  as seen in some nearby towns. As you stroll along the quiet beach at sunset you will realise there is much to savour and enjoy about the jewel that is Diamante.

Also Pip McCurdy's New Zealand posts:

On Blogspot, Pip McCurdy on the Road

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