TOURIST INFORMATION


Important Notice:
The web sites linked in this page are maintained by the owners of the web sites themselves. The responsibility for the correctness of the posted information lies only with these owners.
The organizers, the sponsors, and the technical cooperating bodies of CIMSA 2007 cannot be considered responsible in any way for the information provided by these web sites and they are not responsible for any problem or inconvenience that may occur as a consequence of their use.

We therefore recommend that you verify personally the correctness of the information by contacting the desired hotel or service provider. Remember! Sometimes information on the web is out of date

OSTUNI


Ostuni, also known as “The White City” ("La Città Bianca", in Italian) because of its whitewashed houses, sits high on the Mount of Ostuni looking out to the close Adriatic Sea. The city still preserves its medieval citadel, with narrow streets and typical architecture, and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding olive-tree countryside and sea. Ostuni is located in the High Salento, Apulia or the Heel of Italy, in Southern Italy, in an area famous for its wilderness and still uncontaminated wildlife, with villages full of Baroque and Romanic art.
Loads of entertainment, restaurants and bars in the old town. Its strategic position, make it also close to the main Apulia's points of interest. Shops are open until the early hours of the morning in summer. There is  a good selection of shops in the new town. Huge markets are on Saturdays while the antique market is on the 2nd Sunday of every month.

As the agricultural powerhouse of Italy, Apulia (or Puglia) has some of the finest and best value foods and wines in the country, together with fabulous Adriatic and Ionian beaches, usually within half and hour's drive.

It is one of the most attractive cities of Puglia and an essential part of any tour of Italy.
Moreover because Ostuni is positioned in the heart of the Puglia region it is the perfect place where you can start discovering the beauty of the region. See (http://www.italiantourism.com/discov11.html)

 



There are kilometres of lovely white beaches and wonderful bays, annually declared unpolluted by the authority; from sandy Pilone, to rocky Costa Merlata, or Torre Guaceto, a WWF protected area. This is an irresistible attraction to both sea and nature-lovers.
 



A peculiar walk along its peculiar stairs and tangled lanes, on which the typical white houses overlook, obliges you to stop and visit the beautiful Cathedral, consecrated to the Assunta, and also to visit the stately Town Hall and the Museum of Preclassical culture of the southern Murgia area. Another important place to visit, besides the peculiar restaurants, are “Ostuni Marine”, like Villanova, where you can visit the XVI cent. Castle, then Marina of Ostuni and Monticelli, where there are the remains of an ancient village from the Bronze Age.

OTHER EXCURSIONS
An area famous for its peaceful, untouched and natural wildlife with villages full of Baroque and Romanic churches and buildings. 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, Taranto (National Museum, full of statues, Messapian vases, fibulas, craters, painted and glazed pottery, lamps, imported and local terracotta),Locorotondo, Martina Franca, 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.

GASTRONOMY

For sure the most genuine and simple thing you may do in Apulia is ...eat. It's not easy to describe in words or writing the inimitable, different taste and the quality of the foods that you may find here. Just imagine a huge proportion of Italy’s fish and seafood is caught off the widespread Apulian coast that practically surrounds the region, the 70% of the country’s pure Olive Oil is produced here and the region provides for the 80% of Europe’s Pasta. It can be just a Pizza or a full meal with antipasti, first dishes and seafood, for sure you'll find better priced than in other parts of Italy.