Location description from owner

The Puglia region

Puglia (or Apulia as it is often known to the English) is the Heel of Italy. An area famous for its peaceful, untouched and natural wildlife with villages full of Baroque and Romanic churches and palazzi. Ostuni is often referred to as the Jewel of Puglia and famous nearby neighbours include the medieval Castel del Monte and Alberobello (the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Puglia), Lecce, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Gallipoli. The Grotte di Castellana (Italy's largest underground cave network � stunning !) and the fantastic Fasano Safari Zoo are only a short drive away too.

There are several lovely �Blue-Flag� beaches near Ostuni including the lively Pilone 2 and Camerini at Villanova (by the �Il Faro� bar), the relaxed Torre Pozzella stretch and the georgous Torre Guaceto, a WWF protected nature reserve. For those who prefer to hang around in a trendy �Chill Out Bar� and dive from the rocks, there is �Jimmiz Bar� at Gorgonola.
For more fun in the water, there is a swimming pool at the �American Bar� (follow the road to the mini-roundabout at Villanova Port and turn left) or the water park called �In-Aqua� at Lamaforca beach.

Puglia has some of the finest and best value foods and wines in the country. Wine shops (�Entoteca's�) and supermarkets are stocked with top quality DOCG wines from around £2 per bottle and an 8-course starter (�antipasti� ) in a top restaurant will cost from around £4 !

Ostuni Centre

Rough Guide (Italy) ; "one of the most stunning small towns of southern Italy", "a gleaming white splash of sun-bleached streets and cobbled alleyways"

Lonely Planet (Italy) ; "stunning town of stark, whitewashed buildings", "the seemingly disordered tangle of narrow cobblestone streets, many little more than arched stairways between the houses, recalls a North African Arab medina"

Lonely Plant (Puglia & Basilicata) ; “Ostuni has a commanding position, its maze of tightly packed streets twisting around a dramatic 15th century cathedral encircled by medieval ramparts. It is the most popular Murgia town, mainly due to its proximity to the coast. In recent years it has become devilishly chic, and has the best after dark scene in the region”

If you like the idea of getting purposefully lost wandering around the cobbled sundrenched streets of a medieval walled town, stumbling across amazing restaurants (with ridiculously low prices !) and trendy bars, whilst catching glimpses of turquoise sea through the gaps between the beautiful old whitewashed townhouses, then Ostuni is for you !