Parco Naturale e Regionale delle Dune Costiere

Think of Puglia and what comes to mind is a region in the Southern part of Italy known for it's whitewashed hill towns, farmlands that have been around for centuries and a vast stretch of the mediterranean coastline. Think of Ostuni, and then you are transported back to the old days of cathedral towns. A whitewashed old town with a cathedral and the civic museum among other wonderful sights that tourists normally find attractive. Also known as the "White city of Italy", the centre of the city is a maze of narrow streets, stairs, small courtyards teeming with shops and restaurants, Ostuni is a dream come true for explorers and place for historians to find rich pockets of history for their books and thesis. Visitors to Ostuni will find an attractive collection of different architectural styles, ranging from Romanesque to Byzantine architectural features.

Ostuni is cool, but that's not our destination.

Apart from the many tourist attractions in Ostuni, visitors may be attracted to the Parco Naturale de Regionale delle dune Costiere ( Natural regional park of the coastal dunes). It is located in the territory of the municipalities of Ostuni and Fasano in the province of Brindisi. It runs through kilometers of beaches ending at a plain of olive trees. The size of the land is about 1100 hectares along 8 kilometers of coastline. The perimeter extends through a total distance of 55 kilometers and within this region falls the Site of Community Importance (SCI).

The Site of Community Importance

The Site of Community Importance is a geographically defined area that contributes to the conservation of natural habitat as well as plant and animal species. The Site of Community Importance in this region is the "Littoral Brindisi" which is characterized by the coastal wetlands inhabited by the rare/threatened migratory birds. The birds reproduce there.

Wetlands

The starting point of the excursions is the the former Fontevecchia Station used as a Park Visitor Center. Along the Via Traina, the majestic Dolmen of Montalbano comes into view. This dates as far back as around the second millennium BC. Beyond the dunes, the wetlands of Morelli River is characterized by brackish water and is used for fish ponds and fishing.

Watchtowers

Along the coast, there are watchtowers built in the Aragonese period in order to secure the coastal areas from Saracen raids and to raise alarms to the inland areas. There are also many strips of flora and fauna that characterize the park.

The Plain of Monumental Olive Groves

The area is dotted with historic farms from the 16th to the 18th century. This represents a cultural landscape of great value. It has helped tourism as visitors are greatly interested in the historic farms.

What to do in the Parco Naturale e Regionale delle Dune Costiere

Whatever you do in the park ranging from taking a walk along the beaches to fishing in a cove to taking pictures at the beaches to taking a tour of the Olive Groves to checking out rare birds in the park will be a breath of fresh air, especially if you are particularly interested in observing nature at it's natural best.

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