Fancy living a fairy tale? Then , go to Alberobello, a place in Puglia, in the Province of Bari, Southern Italy. The charming place, with a population of almost 11000 inhabitants offers you picturesque settings all due to the incredible trulli houses that you can see here.
They are called trulli ( the name derives from the late Greek word, which meant dome) and they are an ensemble of about 1600 white washed conical roofed houses.
On the roofs there are all kind of painted symbols with religious ans superstitious values. The local people are ready to sell you souvenirs and all types of stories which refer to these enigmatic symbols.
The first trullo ( the singular of trulli) appeared in the Bronze Age but the ones that you can see today in Alberobello date back to the 14th century ,probably since the year 1350. Their purpose seemed to be to fiddle the taxes and fool the authorities by not paying, since they seemed to be identified as temporary and unstable and easy to be demolished settlements.
Rione Monti ( a district on a slope facing the modern center) and Aja Piccolo are the 2 quarters where you can see these huts,made of local limestone with corbelled roofs. They are still inhabited today. There is even a trullo church ( La Chiesa dei Sant Antonio) and a few small museums that you can visit.
They have been part of the UNESCO heritage since 1996. Their building implied a prehistoric building technique. Their thick dry stone walls ( mortarless) strengthen their structure and regulate the internal temperature.
Their rotund form and conic roofs assured thier durability over the years. The technique seems to be perfect!
Go and visit this place, its charm is going to fill your soul!
Mirelaistravelling 