The stretch of road that crossed Ostuni’s countryside was not only a passage for legions and caravans—it became the backbone of an agricultural system that defined the region for millennia. For the Romans, Puglia was the Empire’s “gateway to the East.”

Ogliarola salentina is not just a cultivar—it is a living emblem of Salento’s olive heritage. Recent agricultural research in Apulia is shedding new light on how practitioners, scientists, and brands like Olio Sprezzatura can work together to protect Ogliarola salentina groves, even where infection by Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca is present.

Ostuni’s history runs deep—from pre-history and Messapian roots through Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Aragonese eras and beyond. The Museo delle Civiltà Preclassiche della Murgia Meridionale holds artifacts predating 30,000 years.