A Taste of Puglia – Alberobello
The town of Alberobello is a charming town. There are Trullis scattered across the Itrea valley, but Alberobello has the highest concentration and truly is Trulli town.
What are Trullis?
Trullis are conical structures and no mortar is used in their construction. Similar structures were used as burial tombs in medieval times. The first Trullis in Alberobello appeared in the 14th century. It’s said that no mortar was used to make them easy to dismantle when the tax man came calling. One of the more interesting tax evasion schemes.
Families shared 2 to 3 cones. There was a large fireplace for cooking and heating. The animals would occupy the next door Trullo. They were built from limestone and the thick walls kept them cool in summer and warm during winter.
Trullis are no longer built. The ones in Alberobello are from 18th, 19th and early 20th century. They were topped with pinnacles of different shapes, this was like a signature of the artist.
Symbols on the Trullis
Many of the roofs of the Trullis are adorned with white symbols. These are to bring good luck or to keep the demons away. There are 18 symbols of which, 6 are primitive symbols, 6 are Christian symbols and 6 are magic symbols.
I have to admit that when I originally arrived in Alberobello I found it too busy and too touristy. Many groups and day trippers come in for the day. After a short while I decided to have a late lunch and wait for the crowds to depart.
L’olmo Bello
I went to a restaurant I’d been recommended just outside of the main area. It was called L’olmo Bello. It had lovely ambience, great views, fantastic food and a very attentive waiter! This is ravioli stuffed with crab with an orange blossom cream sauce and poppy seeds. They have Prosecco on tap €4 for 50ml. It was wonderful.
It is a magical experience to stay in a Trulli. My advice would be to find one a few minutes from the main area. Mine was less than 10 mins walk and in a lovely quiet spot.
If you have limited time there is also a half day trip from Bari to Alberobello
Later as the sun started to set and the tourist buses had headed home I ventured back out. A harpist played beautiful music and the atmosphere was so much calmer.
For me the best experience was the following morning. It’s definitely worth getting up before the world wakes up. The Trulli village was a different place and with no people you could imagine how it used to be.
