The charming town of Alberobello is undoubtedly best known for
its 'trulli'. These are unusual white-washed limestone houses,
built in a style and using techniques that date back to prehistoric
times. These often circular buildings have a few tiny windows and
cone-shaped roofs formed from spirals of limestone slabs. Boasting
more than 1,400 of these quirky trulli, Alberobello is the trullo
capital, and as such it looks unlike any other town in Europe. The
majority of the buildings standing in the town today were
constructed in the 18th century. This is because throughout the
ages, a number of these were quickly dismantled and easily rebuilt,
allowing the occupiers to evade tax collectors when word spread of
their imminent arrival.
Trulli exceptional
In 1996, Alberobello was awarded UNESCO World
Heritage status, in recognition of its cultural significance.
Nowadays many of the trulli have been converted into galleries, or
craft shops and cafés with rooftop panoramas. Most of these
buildings are single storey, but there are a few larger trulli, and
one of the largest is actually the parish church!
