For our final adventure in Puglia, after a day of swimming and sun-soaking at Spiaggia di Torre Pozzelle, we drove to Ostuni, known as “La Città Bianca” or the “White City” for its white-washed walls. Ironically, we never found the actual view that is so picturesque and famous, but that’s OK. The interior walk we took was beautiful enough, as were the views of the surrounding countryside from our dinner.
Ostuni was a city in action – the most active I think of all the places we had been so far. This probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was early evening and not high noon, but still: people were everywhere. There was a wedding happening at churches both at the bottom in the main piazza and the top. A short old lady (featured here in pink) we saw twice: first on her way up the mountain ahead of us, and then again back down at the wedding, as she was sweeping up after the affairs.
We had many moments to ourselves as we explored for little photoshoots or small breaks. People are very creative with their home fronts with brightly colored doors, interesting art pieces, and beautiful plants throughout the whole city. It felt very alive.
After a fun, tasty dinner with creative cocktails, we strolled out onto a street packed with people. While it made me a little nervous during the pandemic, it was also exhilarating and a reminder of what life used to be like (both cause I’m getting older and because of the pandemic, ha!). Dancing, music, food, lights … the moment still sits with me.
The next day, our last day, we spent relaxing by the pool, reading, packing, and cleaning up before heading back to Bari for our evening flight out to the Netherlands. I felt rejuvenated, was quite a bit tanner, and, believe it or not, a little excited to be back in cooler weather!
