A Stop in Ostuni

Our hostess suggested visiting Ostuni instead of Brindisi when we were checking out of our Hotel  Palazzo Papaleo in Otranto. She said that Ostuni is much more picturesque and exciting than the port of Brindisi.

Although I had researched Brindisi and planned to stop there, I switched my plans to Ostuni, about 30 minutes away from Brindisi (by car).

The drive from Otranto to Ostuni was quite pleasant, with mostly light traffic on Saturday morning. I drove at about 110 km/h, arriving at Ostuni at 12:02. I parked at a nearby Parcheggio for 7 euros/day.

Upon reaching Ostuni, I was immediately struck by the beautiful white buildings on the hill - the ancient old town. We climbed uphill, circling around the old city and enjoying views of the surrounding countryside and the Adriatic Sea in the distance.

As we entered the city, we were struck by the myriad of narrow streets going in different directions. In many ways, it reminded us of Matera (but on a smaller scale). We saw many cute decorations throughout the town and stopped by to take numerous photos.

Our first major stop was to visit the Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta. I was worried it would close at 12:30, but we were lucky enough to get in before closure. It was a good cathedral.

We also stopped by briefly at the Museum of Preclassic Civilizations of the Southern Murgia but decided to spend time elsewhere. 

The museum had a pre-historic skeleton of a 20,000-year-old woman with a child, but we were not overly excited.

After exploring all of the town, we decided to find a restaurant for lunch. Some better-rated restaurants were closed (for the season), and a few others were quite busy. 

We finally settled on  Osteria Monacelle, sitting outdoors in a narrow alley. We ordered the following items:

• Appetizer: Burrata e Capicollo (Burrata and Ham)
• Inna: Agnello Cacio E Pepe (Lamb)
• Boris: Scalfuni Ostunesis (Ravioli)
• Dessert: Pasticcioto
• Drinks: Rose Wine (looked orange), Sparking water

I loved my Scalfuni Ostunesis (Ravioli). It has to be one of the best ever! Inna also raved about her lamb. 

The Pasticcioto was freshly baked and delicious, too! Service was slow, and we smelled some natural gas. 

After lunch, we walked around  Ostuni, enjoying the beauty and snapping multiple photos. When it was time to leave, we returned to our Open Astra and drove to Brindisi Airport.

On the way there, we stopped at a gas station to top off my fuel tank before dropping it off at the Hertz Counter in Brindisi airport, which required a few loops around the roundabout. Once the car was returned to Hertz, we walked to the airport and sat at the Quarta Cafe for drinks and snacks before boarding our flight to Rome (using gate 11 of ITA Airlines).

Self-service gas stations in Italy work slightly differently than those in the United States.

There is usually one credit card reader for multiple pumps, and one has to insert the card, select the number of the pump ("Green" for gasoline), and then wait for the receipt.

Ostuni Trip Report

Highlights

• Exploring Ostuni's narrow, medieval streets 
• Eating lunch at Osteria Monacelle
• Visiting Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta

Lowlights

• Many restaurants were closed for the season