The Trullo of Alberobello

Alberobello Trullo

Alberobello, in the Puglia region on southern Italy, is a picturesque and fairy-tale like destination which makes an interesting daytrip destination of a pleasant base for a few days while traveling through Southern Italy.

Trullo

A trullo is a small dwelling built with the local limestone, thick dry-stone walls and a characteristic conical roof. Many trulli roofs are adorned with ancient symbols of their pagan inhabitants. Trulli were generally constructed as dwellings or storehouses and were traditionally built without any cement or mortar, thus avoiding taxation. Legend has it that trullo were built by peasants and when the tax collector came around, they quickly dismantle their house. The vast majority of trulli have one room under each conical roof, a multi-roomed trullo house has many cones representing each room.

Icons of the Puglia region, trulli dot the countryside. But nowhere are they as numerous as in the city of Alberobello. Take a stroll through the twisting and turning steets, lined with trulli, of Rione Monti, the streets are also filled with wine shops, artisanal shops and kitschy souvenir shops. Around the main tourist area, there are many little bars, snack-shops, restaurants and pizzerias, some in trulli. There are also a handful of small museums. When visiting Alberobello, don’t miss the Chiesa Sant’Antonia: a giant trullo church.