Alberobello and the famous Trulli

Alberobello is a town in Puglia (Apulia) Italy famous for the Trulli. It is known as the Capital of the Trulli, having more than 100 trulli, and is a designated UNESCO world heritage site. Puglia is Italy's boot heel and southeastern most region. According to In Italy.com, the region is the gateway to and from the East and has been conquered by legions of foreign rulers. Puglia produces one-tenth of the wine drunk and Europe and its olive oil is renowned.

A Trullo (plural, Trulli) is a traditional Apulian stone dwelling with a conical roof that is made without the use of mortar.

Per Wikipedia:

"The roofs are constructed in two layers: an inner layer of limestone boulders, capped by a keystone, and an outer layer of limestone slabs ensuring that teh structure is watertight. Originally, the structures would have been built directly on the ground, but most of the surviving structures are based on permiter walls. Atop a trulla's cone there is normally a pinacle that may be one of many designs, chosen for symbolism.

The walls are very thick, providing a cool environment in hot weather and insulating against the cold in the winter. The vast majority of trulli have one room under each conical roof: a multiroomed trullo house has many cones representing a room each."

The exact origin of the trulli is unknown. Some theories date the Trulli back 5,000 years while other theories say they came about during the Middle Ages. One of the popular theories has to do with taxation. Legend has it that during the Middle Ages, anyone who built a dwelling on the King's land was heavily taxed. With this in mind, the people of Puglia cleverly devised the drywall stone trulli solely for the purpose of tax evasion. The Trulli could easily be dismantled and moved out of sight when a tax inspector came.

If you are traveling to Puglia and want to stay in your very own Trulli, here are some links:

Hotel Trullidea: Stay in your own Trulli
Via Monte Nero 15; 011 39 0804323860; info@trullidea.it and it is pet friendly!

Mariemonti: Bed & Breakfast
Conrada Aratico 352; 011 39 0809309162; info@mariemonti.it

Trulli Italy in Puglia: A property management company that rents and sells Trulli


This region was recently the subject of an article appeaing in the New York Times entitled: The Heel is Rising.