LA STORIA
Undoubtedly, the Ostuni area has been, since the Neolithic Age, a settlement of continuous colonisation from numerous peoples originating at first from Anatolia, and then from the eastern Mediterranean coast. Initially, they lived in caves and cliffs, traces of which can be found at Sant’Angelo, Magda, Santi Magno and Santa Maria d’Agnano.
Later they set up proper villages of huts, abandoning the nomadic life and dedicating their lives to growing crops and rearing livestock. Of notable artistic and historic importance are monuments of dolmen character, (the specchie and the dolmen), left to us by these populations, that have withstood the passage of time.
An area of partial colonisation is the stretch of land between Savelletri and the area of Petrolla, known today as Villanova, the port of Ostuni.
Towards 1000 BC, two new populations reached this area, the Messapians and the Japigians who founded various customs and traditions. This synergic fusion ended when Hannibal destroyed the old town and kept it under his control until 488 AD.
Next Ostuni was occupied by Ostrogoths, led by Teodorico, who according to a letter of Cassiodoro, took some of the Ostuni monuments to Ravenna.
Following the period of Ostrogoth domination, from the 11 th century onwards came the Norman era; we remember the Altavilla family, who used their wealth to build a castle, which was later destroyed, and to stimulate the economy and artistic life of the area. The port of Villanova, the result and the instrument of commercial activity of these times played a role of certain importance.
However, the period of maximum splendour was definitely reached in the 1500’s with the time of Aragon dominance.
In any case it is necessary to remember that during the feudal period, Ostuni always tried not to be completely subservient to the power of the governing families but functioned as a city, which was part of a kingdom as this was favourable to commerce.
The situation changed notably with the beginning of the influence in 1639 of the Zevallos family, who were responsible for a moral and economic decline of Ostuni.
As a result, numerous local noble families left the area or died out. It was not until 1804 that the influence of the Zevallos family ended when, as a result of excessive debts and bad conduct, the title of nobles of the city of Ostuni was taken away from them.
But the air of freedom was again suffocated by the arrival of the Bourbons.
The people of Ostuni valiantly tried to resist them; the desire for freedom spread and Ostuni became a centre of patriotic agitation and safe haven for political exiles.
And so the Bourbon family coat of arms was replaced, in 1860, by the Italian flag flying over Ostuni.
