Ostuni cathedral and Via Cattedrale

Every lane in the old town eventually turns uphill and ends at the same small square. The cathedral was finished at the end of the fifteenth century and its façade is the one piece of stone in Ostuni left unpainted: warm sandstone against whitewash, with a rose window so large and so finely cut that it is the thing people photograph rather than the building.

The square in front is narrow and the façade faces roughly west, which means it takes direct light in the late afternoon and sits in soft reflected light all morning. The morning version is usually the better portrait: the whitewashed walls opposite bounce a clean, even light back onto faces, with the carved front behind.

The approach matters as much as the square. Via Cattedrale and the lanes feeding it are stepped, arched and about two metres wide, with outside staircases, blue doors and pots of geraniums; they are the classic vertical frames of the town, and they are almost empty before nine.

An arch on the far side of the square links the bishop's palace to the seminary and makes a natural frame overhead. Interior rules on photography vary and services run through the day, so check before planning anything inside.