Alberobello -A Fairytale Village

Without a doubt visiting Alberobello was a highlight of our trip...


Alberobello, in southern Italy's Puglia region, is known for its unique limestone houses called trulli.

Alberobello is a small town and has about 11,000 inhabitants. The Trulli of Alberobello are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites list since 1996.

The surrounding countryside features dense plantations of almond and olive trees that are typical in this area. The materials used for building the trulli come from stratified limestone rocks from thereabouts.
The history of this particular settlement dates back to the latter part of the 16th century when it was a small fiefdom under the Counts of Conversano of the Acquaviva family. Farmers began to settle on the "Selva" (as it is known) and made the land fertile.

The Counts allowed drywall homes to be built so that they could be easily dismantled in the event of a royal inspection, which would entail the payment of taxes for a settlement. This strategy was a form of tax evasion.

In 1797, a plucky group of Alberobello residents that were fed up with their somewhat precarious position went to Taranto to seek the help of King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. In 1797, the king issued a royal decree granting freedom to the little village.

The trullis are built from overlapping stone slabs, No mortar is used. The slabs are used to form the unique cone shaped roofs of this amazing town so admired by visitors from all over the world.