The Road to Alberobello
After leaving Ostuni, we made our way to our next stop on our tour of Italy, Alberbello. As we drove down highway, we began to see cylindrical structures with conical roofs doting the hillsides. These structures are called trulli’s and they are defining landmarks of Alberobello.
Alberobello’s history is a tale of money and cunning. In the 14th century an uninhibited area of the countryside was under the control of Giulio Antonio Acquaviva, the Count of Conversano. The Count used his cunning to devise a way for the town to pay lower taxes for the lands. The solution was to build “temporary” dwellings for the peasants because the taxes for lands with no permanent settlements were lower than those of officially recognized towns. Alberobello was classified as an uninhabited area and the dwellings, the trulli, were constructed in a specific way. It wasn’t until 1797 that Alberobello was recognized as a formal “town” in Puglia.
A typical trullo is a single-story drystone (mortarless) dwelling with a conical roof constructed from roughly worked limestone. The limestone boulders were gathered from the neighboring fields. The roof was built up of corbelled limestone slabs. The walls are thick and are either round or square. The interior of a trullo was constructed mostly from wood. The walls were painted white, while the roof remained unpainted.
Alberobello, First Look
My first experience with Alberobello was spending a free afternoon exploring the town’s historic hillside. Our hotel provided transport from the countryside to the town. When we arrived, we were dropped off in a piazza across from hillside of trulli. As we made our way down the stairs to the bottom of the town, this magnificent view of trullis came into view. It was glorious.
As we made our way up the hillsides, we ran into old and new trullis. The architecture and construction of these dwellings were a marvel to view.
After an afternoon of exploration, we made our way back to our hotel for a quick rest.
Hotel and Hotel Grounds
In Alberobello, we stayed at the c. This hotel and its grounds were absolutely spectacular. The first thing you see when you arrive is an olive tree that is over 2,000 years old and a beautifully white building.
The hotel has a gym, a pool and an exterior that reminded me of a zen garden. It was beautiful during the day and awe-inspiring as the sun set.
This was my absolute favorite place to stay the entire time I was in Italy.
Dinner at Hotel
Our first evening at meal in Alberobello was at our hotel. The first course was a bread puff with tomato sauce and cheese. Our meal was accompanied by a Nobis red Puglian wine. The second course was an orecchiette pasta with a meat sauce in red wine. This was amaze-balls; hence, the photo of my empty plate. For my third course, I had the bombetta (grilled marbled pork shoulder butt with cheese and garlic). This was served with creamed veggies and a delicious potato concoction. My friend had the frittata top with the same potato concoction that came with my dish. Dessert was a tart.
This meal was delicious.
Alberobello, Part 2
The next morning, we spent more time in Alberobello. This morning, we had the opportunity to take a guided tour of a two story trullo that was decorated in a traditional style.
This trullo all included a roof top deck. From this vantage point, you could see the rooftop of the surround trullo. This was a treat to behold.
Alberobello in Miniature
Before leaving Alberobello, we visited some of the shops. In the garden area of one shop, there was a miniature of the town. The craftsmen of the town carefully crafted each dwelling, using the same material and construction to build the full-sized structures.
I LOVE MINIATURES!!! This was a highlight of my second visit to the trulli of Alberobello.
Savory Sweet Neat 