The little town has indeed so much to offer… But, after 5 P.M. Unlike many areas in Italy, in Ostuni, the siesta lasts longer given the fact they keep stores and businesses open until midnight. (Working hours in regular cities, are often –but not always- 9 or 10 A.M. to 13.30 and from 15.30 to 19.30 in the afternoon). So, Ostuni was a bit irregular. Even some of the restaurants do not open until late in the day. For instance, the best icecream shop -in my opinion- was closed for the entire day time. That was not so lovely on our last day, since I was really dying for yet another scoop…
The city itself is very romantic… Little concentric streets and little stores every now and then. Accompanied by a few galleries and street vendors. Among the typical products of Ostuni come the ceramic works of art. There are so many places that sell souvenirs made out of ceramic. As you should be able to assume, some of them are not really good –bowls and cups with Ostuni written all over… However, there were two stores –maybe there was more, but it was these two that caught my eye, which looked really specialized in the art of ceramic making. The first one was called: Artigianato –located on Largo Lanza, 31-21, tel: +39 0831 306 131. There were beautiful, really astonishing plates to be hung on the wall, very large vases to decorate a garden or an antre (entrance of the house), a meal/table set with serving plates and soup bowls. The owner assured me that I could take photos of all the works I liked and then I could order them via e-mail and have him ship them to me.
The second store was called Texun on Via Cattedrale, 61/63 Tel. 0831/304827. Here were very elegant cups, boxes, animal figures, clocks and any other home decorative small items you can think of. I ended up buying a few :)
The second typical product captured my appetite like a slave, and ironically that was type of a cracker. They were called “Taralli” and were made with virgin olive oil –another typical product in Puglia- seasoned with various spices or just left the “classic” way, meaning plain without any seasoning. I could really feed on those crackers day and night. They were that addictive.
The real speciality in terms of food in Puglia is however, like I have mentioned above as well, virgin olive oil. Outside of the historical center, there are vast areas of green and olive trees with a few masserias (farm houses) here and there to let visitors enjoy a true gourmet delicacy and serenity. The second special dish is the orecchiette, a homemade pasta type.
The best restaurant I’ve been during three nights was Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale. I highly recommend their tasting menu for the entrees. From uniquely cooked artichokes to regional cheese and salami and shrimps, everything that you get to taste is so very delicious.
Nightlife in Ostuni also looks promising. As I ate and drank a little too much perhaps, I could never really make it until after midnight. But, there were lively cafes –open air- with tables and chairs lined out in the streets.
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
Thu, Aug 6, 2009
Puglia