Puglia Road Trip, Part 3: Trulli Houses Charm

Southern Puglia Road Trip to Alberobello reveals ornate cone shaped Trulli Houses

Story By Christene Meyers

Photos By Bruce Keller

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

Ever feel like an extra on a movie set? A Trulli house stroll transports you right into a fairy-tale scene.

We fell down the rabbit hole in Alberobello, the final destination of our three-part southern Italy road trip.

On this road trip stop, we toured the fabled Trulli houses. They are unlike anything else in Italy, Europe or the world. They're magical looking, whitewashed stone huts with conical roofs and a "gingerbread cottage" charm.

We'd studied the houses before our trip because our friend and Puglia native Manuella encouraged us to see them. "They are unique to our area and the world," she said.

Our Puglia Road Trip's Trulli houses date to the 14th Century, UNESCO World Heritage structures built without mortar.

"Why?" We asked our guide. She said it was a clever method of evading taxes.

The roof of a house could be dismantled quickly, resembling rubble, then restored when the tax man was gone.

Alberobello's 2-steeple church is the Basilica of Saints Cosma and Damian, built from 1885 to 1914.

We wandered through narrow, winding streets lined with over 1,500 of these "beehive" houses. It is magical. The trulli (singular: trullo) look like little gnome homes. The thick, white-painted limestone walls are impressive, but the real star is the grey, stone-stacked, cone-shaped roof, thus the "cone house" moniker.

These structures are a feat of ancient ingenuity because of the lack of mortar or cement. Building engineer and contractor Keller, photographer of our stories, called them "limestone jigsaw puzzles."

The stonework of the Trulli houses is unique to this region of southern Italy. Tourists come to admire the stonework and history of the unusual cone structures, built without mortar.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre 

Our Puglia Road Trip's Trulli cones have unusual tops. We spotted white symbols -- hearts, crosses, pagan zodiac signs. They supposedly protect inhabitants from bad luck and the evil eye. Most of the roofs are adorned with these mythical symbols and decorations.

We made sure to visit Rione Monti, the main district where hundreds of these houses are clustered together, some functioning as souvenir shops, boutiques and cozy cafes.

Fences, like the cone houses, are artfully built stone by stone, without mortar, on the drive from Bari.

As we strolled Alberobello, we became part of a storybook scene. Shopkeepers display wares outside cone houses. Restaurants and hotels are renovated to emphasize craftsmanship. Friends stayed overnight, saying "If you really want to experience the charm, stay in a trullo guesthouse." They called it "a perfect, quirky stop."

Cookie and Keller pose outside one of hundreds of Trulli houses in the World Heritage Site of Alberobello.

History, highlights of cone-roof stone homes

• The trulli, typical limestone dwellings of Alberobello in the southern Italian region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of corbelled dry-stone construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region.

• These whitewashed limestone structures date from the mid-14th century, featuring pyramidal, domed, or conical roofs built of corbelled limestone slabs.

• Although rural trulli can be found all along the Itria Valley, their highest concentration and best preserved examples of this architectural form are in Alberobello, where there are over 1,500 of these unique structures.

Streets of Alberobello wind past cone houses toward the church. The occasional car seems out of place.

The trulli of Alberobello are more than just photogenic curiosities.

They’re a living testament to a timeless building tradition that predates written history. Wandering the narrow lanes, we noticed that no two trulli are quite the same. The unique tops -- spheres, disks, crosses -- are the signatures of the stonemasons.

• 

  Keller, a builder and engineer, was enchanted by the tools found inside the Trulli houses of Alberobello.

Top Tips for Alberobello:

• Where: Alberobello, Puglia, one of the most unique spots in Europe.

• Don't Miss: Rione Monti district and Trullo Sovrano, the only two-story trullo.

• When: Best to visit before mid-day or late afternoon to avoid crowds. We made a pleasant day trip, though, and never felt overwhelmed by other tourists.

• Comfort: Remember to wear comfortable shoes because the streets are steep.

• If time allows: Stroll through the quiet Aia Piccola residential area, different from

  Rione Monti with its 1,000 shops, cafés, and gelaterias. Trullo Sovrano is near the twin-steepled basilica. Aia Piccola is residential, with laundry fluttering from balconies and the scent of simmering tomato sauce in the air.

• Lunch idea: Alberobello has many fine restaurants. Ristorante Il Pinnacolo is a "repurposed" cone house with traditional southern Italian food and local wine.

  

  At a Trulli home, Cookie poses by an urn turned planter, a century old urn in a centuries old town.

  Final Leg and Road trip overview:

• Puglia Road Trip Trulli houses were the final leg of our Pug trip, we explored the heel of the boot. Our goal was to experience the changing landscape, tour the fabled "Trulli Houses" in a day trip from Bari. We left our hotel at 10 a.m. for the 55-K drive to Alberobello. It was a perfect day, back to the hotel at dusk, then cocktails, dinner and dreams of the Trulli houses.

• What impressed us the most after three weeks on the road in Puglia was the diversity, the mix of architecture, the blend of superstition and faith in the caves, homes and churches, the gorgeous olive groves, the friendly, proud and welcoming people.

We packed a mix of culture, art, music, architecture, food and landscapes into two wonderful weeks.

More information:

visit.puglia.it

alberobello.com

Next Up: We're heading to Hawaii, on the trail of the natural world at two exciting Honolulu attractions, the Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Aquarium. And we hit the water with Hawaii Nautical, for an exciting day of whale watching and a sunset cruising. Next we spend a full but rewarding month in Japan, for a five-part feature on its wonders -- from fun food tours to inspiring shrines and temples and a cutting edge museum. We give pointers on navigating Tokyo's complex train and subway system. Then a rainy afternoon in the Honolulu Museum of Art with its world class collection of classical and Pacific Islands art.

Honolulu Zoo's tranquil landscaping is a welcome departure from the bustle of busy Waikiki, just across the street.

New travel stories, tips  & unforgettable experiences

Follow our journeys at  WhereIsCookie.com