Ostuni Italy – Day Trip to the White City (Itinerary day 5)

Getting to Ostuni, Italy

Ostuni is a hilltop white city in the heart of the olive oil territories of Puglia, Italy. Our day trip starts in Monopoli and getting to Ostuni may be a little tricky. The train ride from Monopoli takes about 20 minutes and a ticket costs 2.50 euro. You can check the train schedules and buy your tickets in advance on trainline.

The tricky part is that the Ostuni Train Station is about 3km from Ostuni Old Center. There is a bus service, you can check the timetables on stpbrindisi. Tickets cost 0.90 euro, and you can buy them from the bar inside the station. My advice is to also buy the return ticket from the station.

Morning coffee in Ostuni, Italy

If you get there in the morning, Ostuni will seem pretty quiet, but the streets will soon fill with both locals and tourists. Try to get there on a Sunday morning, before the mass ends. Yes-going to church every Sunday is still a pretty big deal in Southern Italy. Enjoy a cappuccino on the terrace outside the church and wait for a while. As the mass ends, watch the people pour out of the church. The crowd also includes the priest rushing to your café. It’s really a priceless moment.

As in most parts of Italy, the customers ask for “un caffe” (which is what we call an espresso) at the counter and take their coffees standing at the bar chatting for a few minutes. If they sit down, the price of the coffee is higher. That may seem strange for a foreigner, but it is common practice in Italy. Read more about the coffee rules in Italy.

Ostuni is actually pretty small, so you can explore it in a few hours. From the city walls, you’ll also have a vast view of the countryside, all the way to the sea.

Lunch

Later, for lunch, try a frisee-which is the local version of bruschetta, and some local cheeses like a soft burrata or the strong pinch of the ricotta forte.

Don’t ignore the specialized shops for olive oil-based products where you’ll find countless types of oil, sauces, vegetables, and cosmetics containing the precious elixir.

This was my day trip to Ostuni. Click on the link to get back to the Puglia itinerary.

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