The Trulli of Alberobello

The trulli, located in Italy, are ancient houses with a cone roof and built with limestone back in the 14th century. These houses were made with dry-wall and no mortar in order to be able to be taken down quickly for those who wanted to move when they needed to evade taxes, or as a way to escape their land lords.

Alberobello, where the oldest trulli still exist today, was an area of land originally owned by the Count of Conversano. By the 1700’s, a permanent village with trulli was established and recognized by the King of Naples. Today, visitors can see these historic trulli by going to trullo bars, trullo shops, and trullo homes.

WHY SPECIAL

trulli

The construction of trulli is unique to any other homes throughout history. They were built in a round shape with one room inside.

The walls were made very thick and limited windows were installed to ensure a comfortable temperature in the interior, keeping it warm in the winter and cool during the summer.

The roof, also made from limestone, is built in concentric circles. Each trullo has a keystone, which collects the rainwater and moves it off of the roof.

Monti

Monti is an area in Alberobello that has over a thousand trulli. Some of the trulli that are here include the trulli siamesi, which are trulli that have a double façade and no windows at all.

The trulli here are on a hill, and today, many are now shops that sell souvenirs. In the evenings, this is a very pleasant and peaceful area to visit.

Trullo Sovrano

Trullo Sovrano is the only two-story trullo, dating back to the 17th century. It was originally built by the family of a priest. Now, it is a museum where visitors can get a look into the life of living in a trullo, with the round rooms that include a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bakery.

The museum also includes a souvenir store that contains reading materials on the history of the town, what to see, and great recipes.