The area south of Bari, Valle d’Itria, has everything you’d expect from the typical Italian valley -
sunny slopes with wineyards, olive groves and almond trees. But among the green plants hide curious constructions, somehow resembling the village of Hobbit-like creatures. The strange cottages with stone conic domes are called trulli, and were built centuries ago, jet only in this valley.
Alberobello
The largest number ( over 1000) of trulli is preserved in Alberobello, many of the buildings are from 16th and 17th centuries, and their uniqueness found the place on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The tour starts from residential district Aia Piccola, where you will find trulli of different sizes in various shades of gray and you will be able to get a closer look at the stone construction of the house with no windows, only small holes at the beginning of the roof. This provides coolness during the summer months and helps with keeping warm during winter.
Then the tour leads through Rione Monti area with most picturesque groups of Trulli, this time with lower part painted into white. There will be some shops, that sell everything trullo-shaped, but also the clay whistles – a popular toy in Apulia. Among the houses you will be able to spot a unique one, Chiesa a trullo di Sant’Antonio, the only trullo church in the world.
After a guided tour you will have the time to visit a regional museum to find more about the building technique and curiosities from the past. There is another building to explore – Trullo Sovrano the largest of the trulli, the only one with two floors and still furnished as it once was in the past.
Duration:
2h
Tour commences:
daily
Prices and availability
please email
puglia@mytravelitaly.com
[ photo courtesy of niki vallone]
