So I heard a couple different stories while we were visiting Ostuni. One was that many years ago they did not have a way of warding off possible invaders. Because the city wasn’t really planned out and buildings were just built on top of each other in no strategic manner, the inhabitants hoped that intruders would simply get lost trying to navigate the city. Then someone had the idea to paint all the buildings white with a mixture of limestone mixed with water. The plan was for the sun to reflect off of the white city and blind enemies. This also proved advantageous when a plague devastated Puglia in the 17th century. Only a few villages survived. Ostuni was one of them. They discovered that white lime had antibacterial properties, so there was less illness in the houses painted white. Some people thought that the people being saved was a miracle brought about by the patron saint Sant’Oronzo who they honor every year from August 25th through the 27th. They continue to whitewash the city to this day.
marschmadness 