The first nucleus of the city was founded by the Messapians, an ancient Anatolian population who settled in Salento in the 7th century BC, who chose the top of a hill with very steep walls, as the location of the city.

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After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which traces remain in the Masserie, Bizantini and Normanni followed, which intensified the cultivation of the olive tree and provided for the precise establishment of the city's borders.

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The Renaissance period corresponds to the maximum urban development. In the seventeenth century, the plague raged in the area, while sparing Ostuni itself: this was because the use of whitewashed houses was used as a natural disinfectant. The use of lime, attested since the Middle Ages, is dictated as well as the easy availability from the need to ensure the narrow streets and narrow environments of medieval plant a greater brightness, given by both direct and reflected light.This practice continued over time, still makes the White City so peculiar after centuries.

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In the heart of the historical center is the imposing column that holds the statue of Sant'Oronzo, the patron saint of the "White City", in whose honor every year on the 25th, 26th and 27th of August a party is organized. It culminates with the event of the "Cavalcata of Sant'Oronzo", a parade of horses and knights riding along the uphill road, dotted with small local craft shops, leading to the Cathedral.