The white of Ostuni derives from the lime used since the Middle Ages, both because it was easy to find and gave light to the streets, but above all because it is an excellent antiseptic and sanitizer: in fact, around the 1600s, a period of drought caused famines and several plague epidemics and the town was completely whitewashed with quicklime to limit the spread of the terrible disease. Another motivation, perhaps more linked to popular tales, is that according to which the inhabitants decided to paint the walls of the houses white to blind the enemies coming from the sea, intending to attack the city. Today the houses have remained white following an ordinance from the municipality of the city of Ostuni which obliges the houses in the historic center to be painted white. Town | Village | City | Cityscape | History
High Resolution JPEG Picture of The white of Ostuni derives from the lime used since the Middle Ages, both because it was easy to find and gave light to the streets, but above all because it is an excellent antiseptic and sanitizer: in fact, around the 1600s, a period of drought caused famines and several plague epidemics and the town was completely whitewashed with quicklime to limit the spread of the terrible disease. Another motivation, perhaps more linked to popular tales, is that according to which the inhabitants decided to paint the walls of the houses white to blind the enemies coming from the sea, intending to attack the city. Today the houses have remained white following an ordinance from the municipality of the city of Ostuni which obliges the houses in the historic center to be painted white. [2167908008] stock photo
