Once in Bari, be sure to set aside one day to visit the city of Alberobello, located 50 km from the capital of the Apulia region. This town is little known to Russian tourists; at least, I personally had not heard of it at all until I first came to the south of Italy. However, having visited it once, I literally fell in love with it, and since then I go here for a walk several times a year. What makes this miniature town of 10,000 people unique? And why is it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
How to get there
The city of Alberobello is located in the province of Bari in the Apulia region. There are several ways to get to it.
By plane
The closest airport to Alberobello is in Bari, 70 km from the city. This international airport serves flights from many European and Italian cities, but, unfortunately, there are no direct flights from the CIS countries. The full list of destinations can be found here (in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish).
It’s convenient to select a flight and compare prices from different airlines on aggregator sites, for example.
You can get directly to Alberobello in about an hour by taking a taxi or renting a car, but this is not a cheap pleasure in Italy. A taxi will cost an average of 100 euros. Rates for car rental depend on its model, rental duration, insurance and other factors. Here you can see the rates and conditions of car rental.
Other options involve traveling from the airport to Bari with a subsequent transfer to Alberobello.
A bus runs hourly from the airport to Bari Central Station. The trip lasts about half an hour and costs 4 euros. The bus schedule can be viewed on the carrier's website.
There is also a train leaving the airport every half hour that will take you to the station within 15 minutes for 5 euros. Schedule .
75 km from Alberobello there is another international airport, Brindisi, serving flights from many European and Italian cities (but not CIS countries). A bus leaves from here to the railway station and the city center every half hour, the cost of the trip is 1 euro. However, it should be noted that there is no direct train connection between Brindisi and Alberobello; transfers will have to be made.
A taxi from the airport to Alberobello will cost approximately 130 euros. You can also rent a car. A list of car rental agencies with branches at Brindisi Airport can be found in the Autonoleggi section.
By train
By train you can get from Bari to Alberobello in about an hour and a half. Trains depart from Bari Central Station at intervals of approximately one hour. A one-way ticket costs €4.90; children accompanied by adults do not pay the fare. You can view the schedule and purchase tickets on the South Eastern Railway website (in Italian)
In the Partenza (departure) window select Bari Centro, in Arrivo (arrival) - Alberobello, then select the date and time you are interested in. You can leave the time window empty, then the search will give you the train schedule for the whole day. If possible, choose non-stop flights and keep in mind that local trains are not particularly punctual; delays of 10-15 minutes are common.
You can purchase a ticket at the ticket office or machine at the station, as well as at numerous retail outlets in the city, a list of which can be obtained by following the link by selecting the name of the city you are interested in.
The ticket does not indicate the date and time of travel, only the point of departure and destination. The ticket is validated at the station before boarding the train and is valid for one trip.
Attention! Stops on commuter trains are NOT announced. When slowing down, look out the window for the name of the station; if the stop is yours, move towards the doors; at some stations the train stops literally for a minute, so you may simply not have time to get off. The car door opens on demand by pressing a button located on both the outer and inner sides.
From Alberobello train station you can reach the historic center in 10 minutes on foot along Via Giuseppe Mazzini, then Via Garibaldi to Piazza del Popolo, from where Via Rosa Acquaviva takes you to the Rione Monti area.
By bus
The website of the South-Eastern Railway, which also operates bus services, lists only one flight from Bari to Alberobello, departure at 14.10, arrival at 15.25. Tickets cost €4.20 and can be purchased online. To do this, follow the link, click Autolinee (instead of Treni - trains), select Bari in the Partenza window and Alberobello in Arrivo and indicate the date you are interested in.
However, the website contains a warning that the schedule may change for unforeseen reasons. In general, it is better not to risk it and travel by train.
By car
By car, from Bari to Alberobello you can take the SS172 road (SS is short for Strada Statale, which means "state road", travel on it is free, unlike the motorways), passing through the cities of Casamassima, Turi and Putignano. The distance is 55 km, travel time is about an hour.
In the city of Alberobello, it is best to park in the Largo Martellotta area, from where you can begin a walking tour of the historical center of the city - the Rione Monti area. However, it should be borne in mind that parking in the center is paid, on average the cost is 1 euro per hour. Paid parking lots are marked with blue markings; there must be a payment terminal within sight with the indicated tariff and instructions. The ticket issued by the machine must be left visible behind the windshield of the car. It indicates the date and time until which parking was paid for. If you plan to just stroll through the streets of the old city, two hours will be enough for you. If you are going to have lunch in the city or stock up on souvenirs, plan your time accordingly so that you don’t have to come back and pay extra later. If a ticket is missing or has expired, the local police will issue a fine.
Free parking can be found at a distance from the center, usually marked with white markings.
Clue:
Alberobello - the time is now
Hour difference:
Moscow 1
Kazan 1
Samara 2
Ekaterinburg 3
Novosibirsk 5
Vladivostok 8
When is the season? When is the best time to go
Alberobello is good to visit at any time of the year, however, the greatest influx of tourists is observed in the summer months. The region of Puglia, in which the city is located, is a favorite holiday destination for many Italians and foreign tourists, and even those who prefer a holiday on the coast, having plenty of time on the beach, are not averse to exploring the surrounding area and visiting nearby towns.
Alberobello in summer
In summer, it is better to get out into the city after a siesta, when the heat subsides a little, since visiting Alberobello involves, first of all, a walk through the streets of the old town, where it is absolutely impossible to hide from the scorching sun. In summer the weather is usually sunny, rainy days are rare. The temperature during the day is about 30 degrees, but due to the high humidity the heat is poorly tolerated.
Also, when planning a trip in the summer, it is worth considering that on weekends in Alberobello there is often real crowds, since numerous tourists are joined by local Italians living within a radius of 50-100 km, because in Italy it is commonplace to go out with family or friends for a walk and have dinner in a nearby town.
Alberobello in winter
In winter there is also something to see in Alberobello. During the Christmas period, the city hosts the Alberobello Light Festival (this year the festival lasted from December 5, 2015 to January 6, 2016). Every day at nightfall (at 5-6 pm) a mesmerizing light show begins - the snow-white trulli of the Rione Monti area are painted red and blue with falling white stars and snowflakes.
Also, slides with historical photographs of the area are projected onto the buildings, and street performers also perform, and Christmas music plays from the speakers, immersing everyone in a truly fabulous atmosphere.
As for the weather, winter in Alberobello is completely different from the traditional Russian winter. Sub-zero temperatures are very rare here, as is snow. The average temperature in winter is +5...+10 degrees, but it is still better to dress warmly; due to the high humidity, the cold sometimes penetrates to the bones; for the same reason, when darkness falls, the stone streets become wet, as if after rain. On sunny, windless days, temperatures in winter can reach +15 degrees, creating the impression that it’s already spring.
Clue:
Alberobello - weather by month
Districts. Where is the best place to live?
Alberobello is a small town, and one day is enough to visit it, but for those who want to stay longer there are numerous hotels, private Bed&Breakfasts, and apartments.
The most popular among tourists is to stay in trulli. A double room with traditional furnishings and all amenities will cost an average of 100 euros; if the trulli are located in the Rione Monti area, away from the center, prices are much lower; you can rent a room for two for 60 euros. A tourist tax of 0.80-1.00 euros per person per night (depending on the hotel category) should also be added to the price.
For lovers of a quiet environment, Agriturismo country residences are offered with prices for a double room starting from 60 euros per night. Many of them are located in former farms (in Italian - Masseria), restored for hotel purposes, and in some of them the owners still keep pets and cultivate vegetable gardens, vineyards and olive groves, offering guests homemade products. However, this type of accommodation is more suitable for tourists traveling by car, since the distance from such hotels to the city center is on average 5 km.
Most often I look for hotels on, you can check prices from different sites. If you prefer to stay in private apartments and apartments, you can look at similar offers.
Main attractions. What to see
Trulli - traditional houses of Alberobello
The reason for the popularity of the city of Alberobello among tourists from Italy and other countries of the world is its unique architecture, namely the presence of trulli.
Trulli are traditional southern Italian dwellings in the form of small stone houses with a conical roof. A special feature of their construction is the dry masonry method, i.e. complete absence of cement or bonding mortar. The stones are tightly fitted to each other, and thus quite reliable and durable structures are erected, capable of withstanding several centuries, because the oldest surviving trulli date back to the 16th century.
Trulli have thick white stone walls that keep the home cool even in the hot summers typical of the Italian climate. Various Christian and pagan symbols and amulets are often depicted on the roof with white paint, which are supposed to protect the residents and bring them good luck.
Typically, a trulli consists of several rooms, each with its own conical roof. Often there was a pantry in the roof for storing food supplies; they climbed up to it using an extension ladder. Today, many trulli owners offer free visits to their homes and tell tourists about ancient life (in Italian, of course); some conduct free tastings of the products they sell (olive oil, wines and liqueurs of their own production).
Alberobello is called the capital of the trulli, since it is the only city in which the entire historical center is built up with these unusually picturesque buildings. And although a significant part of the trulli of Alberobello is used as souvenir shops, cafes and other establishments for tourists, the city also has residential trulli, in which ordinary Italians still live today.
Tourist streets
The most popular tourist destination in Alberobello is the Rione Monti quarter, which consists entirely of trulli. On the pedestrian street Via Monte San Michele there are dozens of souvenir shops, some of which attract tourists not only with their goods, but also with observation platforms from which they offer beautiful views of the city. In some shops, merchants offer free tastings of the local products they sell. I advise everyone to visit the shop with the sign “Alberobello in miniatura”, where you can examine and photograph in detail a huge model of the old city. Free admission.
Having spent our time exploring the streets and alleys of Rione Monti, we go out onto Via Monte Pertica, which will lead us to the Church of St. Anthony (Chiesa di Sant Antonio), built in the form of a trulli. Opposite the church there is a small park where you can finally take a breath and allow yourself a well-deserved rest on a bench in the shade of the trees.
Leaving the old town, I advise you to go up to the Belvedere Santa Lucia observation deck near the Parrochia di San Giuseppe Artigiano church in the Piazza Giangirolamo area to finally enjoy a panoramic view of the Rione Monti.
Food. What to try
In Italy they love to eat delicious food and simply love to cook; it’s not for nothing that Italian cuisine is famous all over the world. A traditional Italian lunch consists of antipasto (appetizer), primo (first course, only, unlike Russian cuisine, the first course means not hot, but pasta), secondo (fish or meat dish, side dish of vegetables), fruit, dolce ( dessert) and coffee. But, given the generous portions offered in Italian restaurants, not everyone will be able to finish a full meal.
Many restaurants have a Buffet di antipasti on the menu; in fact, this is an assortment of 5-10 appetizers, among which the most often offered are cheese and cold cuts, fried meatballs (and not only minced meat, but also bread, with the addition of cheese, eggs and various spices), vegetable snacks. This is a great opportunity to try several local dishes at once.
After appetizers, pasta is served. Each region of Italy has its own specialties and special traditional varieties of pasta. In Puglia it is orecchiette (orecchiette is translated from Italian as “ears”).
Orecchiette is served mainly with tomato sauce and grated cheese (parmesan or pecorino). Sometimes meatballs are added to the sauce, or sugo di carne (meat sauce) is prepared - for several hours, various types of meat (beef tenderloin, veal rolls, pork sausages) are stewed in tomato over low heat, the gravy is served with pasta, and the meat - separately for the second.
There are several nuances that should be taken into account when visiting restaurants. Italians usually have lunch at 1-2 o'clock in the afternoon, so most restaurants serve customers from 12 to 15 o'clock, and then close "for shift change", i.e. getting ready to open for dinner. Dinner in the south of Italy is quite late, at about 9 o'clock, and in the summer - generally at 10-11 o'clock, respectively, restaurants close closer to one in the morning.
In Italian restaurants, a service charge (coperto) is accepted, on average 2 euros per person, tips at the discretion of the client, bread is free.
In many pizzeria restaurants, pizza is only served for dinner because it is cooked in a wood-fired oven, which is heated in the late afternoon. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to enjoy pizza during the day, because many eateries work without interruption and offer hungry tourists a choice of portions (in restaurants they serve a whole pizza per person).
You can also have a snack with panzerotto, a fried pie that looks like a cheburek, only the filling uses mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Or a piece of focaccia, this is a kind of flatbread with tomatoes and oregano, it can also be made in the form of a pie with various fillings for every taste.
Also on the streets there are often stalls selling nuts, olives, and in the autumn, chestnuts roasted over a fire, as well as other snacks and sweets by weight, which will allow tourists to have a snack on the go, without being distracted from sightseeing.
Alberobello has a huge number of restaurants, pizzerias, bars and cafes, many of which are concentrated in or near the tourist quarter of Rione Monti. Most restaurants have a colorful traditional setting and offer visitors local cuisine, such as the trulli “Il Poeta Contadino”, “L’Aratro” and others located in the area. After a short walk to the modern center of Alberobello, you can visit the small but quite popular restaurant “La Cantina”, located on Corso Vittorio Emmanuele.
The average bill in local restaurants is 25-30 euros per person (approximate prices: 5-10 euros for appetizers, pasta - about 10 euros per serving, meat and fish dishes - an average of 15 euros, dessert - 3-5 euros). You can save a little on your bill by ordering local wine by the glass (vino di casa), it is served in decanters, it costs less than bottled wines, and often tastes just as good as them.
In pizzerias, the average bill per person is 15 euros (of which 5-10 euros are for the pizza itself, the rest are snacks, drinks, service). In the Rione Monti area you can eat in pizzeria restaurants located in traditional trulli, such as “Il Pinnacolo” or “L’Olmo Bello”.
If your budget is limited, you can grab a slice of pizza/focaccia (€1.50) or a panzerotto pie (€1.30) at Focacceria “La Lira” at the exit from the trulli quarter.
Things to do
Souvenirs. What to bring as a gift
The main symbol of Alberobello are trulli, and accordingly, the most popular souvenirs in the city have their shape or image. The choice is huge - figurines, magnets, key rings, piggy banks, mugs, etc. costing from 3 euros. Also, many shops offer embroidered tablecloths, towels, napkins (from 10 euros per set).
Gastronomic souvenirs are a separate item. In the shops you can find gift sets with pasta (orecchiette, of course), local wines, and olive oil. The price range of such sets is quite wide, because... depends on the content. Also, as a souvenir, you can buy various locally produced liqueurs (from 5 euros), they are poured here into trulli-shaped bottles, so that after tasting the drink, you can keep the container as a souvenir and use it on the farm, for example, to store olive oil.
The picturesque Italian town of Alberobello in the province of Bari (Apulia) has become famous throughout the world for one interesting invention - cylindrical houses with cone-shaped roofs. The essence of this invention is not in novelty (as is known, such primitive structures appeared in prehistoric times), but in the cunning and ingenuity of the local residents.
In the second half of the 17th century. Aragonese count Giangirolamo II Acquaviva ordered the peasants to build houses that could be easily and quickly dismantled. This ploy made it possible to evade paying the property tax that the Kingdom of Naples imposed on vassals in the subject territories. The huts built in this way could be dismantled by pulling out just one stone from the masonry, similar to a house of cards. As soon as Acquaviva They reported about the upcoming inspection, as if by magic, entire villages disappeared. For this, the count received the nickname “the scythe from Apulia.”
Construction of houses
A trullo is typically a one-room structure, sometimes two stories high, built using dry masonry with a conical roof of thin limestone slabs topped by a so-called cuccurino - a free-form stone spire. The second layer of limestone slabs - chiancarella - covers only the upper part of the cone. From the entrance side, the chiancarellas were decorated with drawings, Christian or pagan symbols.
The only source of light was the entrance hole. Trulli were often united by a trailer or like a honeycomb. The white color of the external walls, in addition to their protective function in the summer heat, makes them especially attractive. It is no coincidence that in 1996 Alberobello became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Reference. Trullo comes from the Greek. τρούλος - "dome". The most ancient trulli date back to the 16th century. and are located in the Murgia area.
Image gallery
 Trullo is a work of art |  Trullo - interior |  |
Many cities in Italy boast unique monuments and ancient architecture that are world heritage. But in all this scattering there is an amazing town of Alberobello. It is located in southern Italy, in the Apulia region near the famous. This small town became famous thanks to its unusual trulli houses. They are scattered like mushrooms across the hills of Alberobello, turning it into a fabulous city of gnomes.
In 1996, the snow-white trulli of Alberobello, like many other attractions of Italy, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Truly, this is one of the most unusual places not only in Italy, but also in the world.
How the trulli appeared in Alberobello
Trullo in Russian means dome. It is thanks to their unusual shape that trulli got their name.
Traditional trullo houses in Alberobello
The history of the construction of unusual houses goes back to the recent past. In the 16th century, Duke Andrea Matteo III of the Acquaviva dynasty brought his peasants to these lands. Andrea was still a stingy fellow. According to local laws, any landowner had to pay a settlement tax to the Neapolitan king.
To avoid unnecessary costs, the Duke ordered his peasants to assemble houses from local limestone, without the use of cement mortar. For what? It's simple!
A special stone was laid at the base of the roof. It was enough to harness three horses, pull this stone, and the house would turn into ruins: in half an hour an entire village could be destroyed.
The arrival of royal officials was always known in advance. As a result, tax collectors saw nothing in these parts except piles of white stones. The dukes prospered, and local peasants were forced to rebuild their house anew each time.
In 1797, King Ferdinand exempted Alberobello from paying taxes. But local residents could not believe in the king’s generosity, continuing to build domed houses without fastening mortars.
The construction of trulli in Alberobello stopped only in 1925, when a law was passed prohibiting such construction. This law is still in effect today. It is impossible to build new trulli, but it is very possible to use and reconstruct old ones. Local residents actively take advantage of this, attracting numerous tourists to the unusual town.
Attractions Alberobello
Actually, the trulli in Alberobello are the main attraction. Tourists come here to admire the unusual trulli houses, stay in trulli hotels, buy souvenirs in trulli shops and taste the delicious cuisine of southern Italy in trulli restaurants and trulli cafes.
Trullo shops with souvenirs
Modern Alberobello stands on two hills. The eastern hill is occupied by recent buildings. There is nothing special to see here, except perhaps the church in honor of the patrons of the city, Cosmas and Domian.
The western hill is the complete opposite of the eastern one. It is here that numerous trulli are located. There are about 1,400 fairy-tale houses in the city. They are divided into two districts. The most visited area is Rione Monti, where there are about 1000 “gnome houses”.
It has everything a modern tourist needs: cafes, shops, hotels, bars and restaurants. The second district - Rione Aia Piccola - is not so flooded with foreigners and Italians from neighboring cities, but here, just like 400 years ago, ordinary people live in trulli houses and ordinary city life flows.
In Alberobello, no two trulli are alike. The main difference is the drawings on the dome
Despite the external similarity, no two trullo are identical in Alberobello.
There are so-called male and female trullo. Men's ones are always decorated with a dome with the sign of the master who assembled it. The designs on the dome are also all different. Most often, zodiac signs, pagan and religious symbols are depicted on the houses.
Walking through the narrow streets, a curious tourist will definitely end up at Piazza Sacramento, where one of the main attractions of the “town of gnomes” is located – trullo Sovrano.
Trullo Sovrano was built in the 18th century by the family of a wealthy priest, and it is unusual in that it contains as many as 2 floors! Inside there is now a museum where, for a nominal fee of 1.5 euros, you can see how people lived in these places a couple of centuries ago.
There is a museum inside the trullo Sorvano.
Another famous attraction is the trullo church of St. Anthony. It was built with the money of American immigrants on the top of the Rione Monti.
We also recommend visiting the small store Alberobello in miniatura. Here you can see and carefully examine a huge model of old Alberobello. There is no entrance fee for visiting the store and viewing the model.
When is the best time to go to Alberobello?
Alberobello is beautiful at any time of the year. However, the greatest influx of tourists is observed from May to October.
In summer, it is better to go to Alberobello in the late afternoon, when the midday heat has subsided. It is in the summer that a lot of cultural events are organized in the city: concerts, festivals, performances by theater groups and even poetry evenings. On weekends during the season, you can truly get lost in the crowd, because the large flow of tourists is also joined by Italian families from neighboring towns.
Annual winter light festival in Alberobello
It's not boring here in winter either. Every year during the Christmas period Alberobello hosts the Alberobello Light Festival. During the festival, as darkness falls, snow-white trulli illuminate thousands of lamps and spotlights, turning the already fairy-tale town into something completely magical. And the air temperature, which does not fall below +5 degrees in the south of Italy, makes even a winter trip truly comfortable.
How to get from Bari to Alberobello
The closest airport to Alberobello is in. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Russia and Ukraine to Bari, but you can always choose a flight with a transfer.
At Bari Airport you can order a taxi or rent a car. With your own transport, the trip will take only an hour.
For those who cannot afford a taxi and have not yet acquired an international driving license, there is another simple option - book an excursion from Bari to Alberobello.
Excursions are usually one-day. In the morning you will be picked up from your hotel, and in the evening, filled with impressions, you will be returned back. You can find one of these wonderful excursions at this link. In addition to getting to know the trulli of Alberobello, the price of the excursion also includes a visit to one of the oldest wineries in Apulia with a tasting of local wines.
And finally, the last option for lovers of cheap but extreme travel is public transport. From Bari to Alberobello there is a train every hour and a bus once a day. They depart from Bari central railway station. You can get to the station from the airport by city bus (the trip will take about 30 minutes) or by train (15 minutes). Next, you need to purchase a ticket for the local train to Alberobello. The journey will take about 1.5-2 hours.
Be careful! Regional trains do not announce upcoming stops. It’s important not to miss yours! The doors of the carriages open on demand by pressing the corresponding button. At some stops the train stops for no longer than a minute. Plan your time to get off.
Trains from Bari arrive at Alberobello train station
From the railway station you can walk to the historical center. The journey will take no more than 10 minutes.
When planning such a long and slightly extreme route, be sure to look for accommodation in Alberobello in advance (link). It is unlikely that you will have enough time to explore the city in 1 day and return to Bari in the evening. But you will have a unique opportunity to live in a real trullo and experience the indescribable atmosphere of a fairy-tale town.
What to bring as a souvenir from Alberobello
As a souvenir of your visit to the “town of gnomes,” you can bring its main symbol – the trullo. It is he who is depicted on countless local souvenirs. T-shirts, plates, mugs, magnets, as well as small copies of houses are actively sold out for home collections. Also popular are household items embroidered by local craftsmen - towels, tablecloths, napkins.
“” is also held in high esteem in Alberobello. In souvenir shops you can always find gift sets with local orecchiette paste, olive oil and local wines. All kinds of liqueurs produced here are also popular. They are bottled in the shape of a trullo, so that even after drinking the drink, the memory of the fabulous city will still remain.
Photos by: Eric Bauer, Pizzaemandolino, Istvánka, Yellow.Cat, Horcrux92, Inselmann, alberobellolightfestival.com
Alberobello is a miniature town, taken under UNESCO protection back in 1996, famous for its snow-white trulli houses. It’s hard to believe, but it is precisely for these “estates for gnomes” that thousands of tourists come here all year round. The trulli zone, located to the west of the city center, includes about one and a half thousand fairy-tale houses with cone-shaped roofs, many of which date back to the 14th century.
How to get there
The easiest way to get to Alberobello is by train from Bari (4-6 EUR, departure hourly, journey time 1.5 hours). There are also several trains a day from Taranto. Tickets must be punched prior to boarding. Having arrived at the station, you need to follow straight along Via Mazzini, which then turns into Via Garibaldi and ends at Piazza del Popolo. The Zona Monumentale Trulli signs will help you avoid getting lost. The journey takes no more than 15 minutes.
In addition, you can get to the city by your own car from Bari or Brindisi airport (about an hour on the road). On the way you can see a lot of pretty towns, for example, the snow-white Locorotondo, Cisternino or Ostuni, the 18th century baroque town of Martina Franca, the Romanesque Conversano.
Prices on the page are for April 2019.
Search for flights to Bari (closest airport to Alberobello)
Shopping and shops
In the trulli area, right in the UNESCO-protected houses, there are a lot of souvenir shops where you can buy local products, such as cheeses, grappa, wine, olive oil, and handicrafts. For natural foods and wines, look for an Enoteca sign, such as Tholos Wine Bar (Monte st Michele 20) or L’Anima del Vino (Largo Marttellota 93). Also, if you're in town on a Thursday, don't miss the vegetable market in Piazza Largo Martellotta, which runs until around lunchtime.
Cuisine and restaurants
Alberobello is home to many delicious and unusual restaurants, both in the city center and on the outskirts (which are considered less popular among tourists, and therefore more valuable among inveterate gourmets).
In the center you can visit the restaurant Casa Nova or La Cantina, which is located between the city hall and the basilica (Vico Lippolis, 9, on the corner of Corso Vittorio Emanuele). The latter has only 7 tables, one waiter, amazing cuisine and main courses for 20 EUR. Locals prefer to go to Gli Ulivi, which is located in the vicinity of Alberobello, near Campo Sportivo (closed on Wednesdays). At Il Trullo Antico (Monte Pasubio 1-3) you can taste pizza, at Gallo d’Estate you can sit on the outdoor terrace.
Alberobello
Another “hidden gem” of the trulli city is the restaurant Il Trullo d’Oro (Via Cavallotti 27). You can drink wine and enjoy the sunny cuisine of the Puglia region at Trattoria Amatulli (a liter of wine from 4 EUR, dishes from 15 EUR, Via Garibaldi 13). Finally, two more places worthy of lunch for tourists: the expensive Il Poeta Contadino with a medieval interior, where you can taste black truffles for 30 EUR (Via Indipendenza 21), and the modern Kave Club on the main square of Piazza del Popolo. They say the service in the latter is simply terrible, but in the evenings it’s not crowded.
Guides to Alberobello
Popular hotels in Alberobello
Entertainment and attractions in Alberobello
The trulli zone in Alberobello is divided into two parts: the less commercial Rione Aia Piccola (meaning there are fewer cafes and shops) with about 400 trulli, and Rione Monti, where there are about 1000 charming houses. Many of which, by the way, are still inhabited by people.
It is worth saying a few words about the appearance of these fabulous shelters in the world. Trulli are built entirely from stone, without the use of any coupling materials. The roofs are made in the form of cones (this is where their name trulli comes from), on the top there are stars, like Christmas trees, and the signs of the zodiac are painted on the roofs themselves. The first trullo was built around the 14th century, and in 1925 a law was passed banning their construction. Although they say that you can still buy a trulli house as a summer house.
As history goes, the construction of such buildings was not at all the spontaneous whims of the population of Apulia. The fact is that during the period of Spanish rule, the law prohibited feudal lords from building any more or less serious dwellings on their land without the approval of the authorities. Trullo became a way out of the situation: before the visit of officials, such a house was very easy to dismantle. Since such houses were created without the use of a binder, the efforts of just three horses, directed in different directions, removing a single stone at the base of the roof, were enough for the house to collapse. Having “disassembled” at least half the village in half an hour, only valleys with piles of stones always opened before the king’s inspectors.
From May to October, Alberobello becomes crowded with guides and tourists armed with DSLRs, who fill all the trulli houses, create queues in the trulli shops and snap up all the cold beer in the trulli bars.
In the trulli zone of Alberobello, you can simply wander around, looking at the quaint buildings, popping into cafes and souvenir shops, or you can also look into the so-called local attractions. For example, in Trullo Sovrano. This house is located in the modern part of the city, as it was built in the 18th century. And it got the “monument” label for its two floors - this is the only two-story trullo that was built by a wealthy family of a local priest. Today in Sovrano there is a small museum, the main exhibition of which is the actual interior of the trullo, which gives an idea of how one can live in the “land of Lilliputians” Alberobello. Entrance 1.50 EUR, opening hours: 10-18:00. Address: Piazza Sacramento.
The second attraction worth visiting is the Church of St. Anthony (Chiesa Sant’Antonio), which is located, guess where? That's right, in trullo. Situated at the top of the Rione Monti, this quaint trulli church was built with donations from American expats. Address: Via Monte San Michele.
The homeland of majestic architectural monuments is of great interest to tourists. Italy delights with its ancient sights, but there is one corner of the country whose buildings do not fit into traditional architectural canons.
There is no place in the south more popular than a small town famous for its amazing houses. A popular place in Puglia with a population of no more than 11 thousand people evokes admiration among all tourists, fascinated by a quiet corner with a simple way of life.
Business card of the city
The Italian town of Alberobello (Italy), located in the province of Bari, is a real discovery for Europeans who have never seen anything like it. Original structures that form entire streets give the settlement its uniqueness.
Fairy-tale-like dwellings called trulli , located in two districts of the city. The white stone buildings with a conical roof, reminiscent of gnome caps, were erected without any mortar, which was not done by chance.
The history of unusual houses
The fact is that according to the laws of the Kingdom of Naples, all urban settlements on the lands of Apulia were subject to taxes. To save money, the counts of the Acquaviva dynasty forbade their workers to erect any buildings using cement. However, local peasants, who did not want to be left without a roof over their heads, found a way to bypass all the obstacles.
They came up with the idea of building round houses lined with stones with a dome-shaped roof. Such dwellings were reminiscent of children's construction sets: unusual structures were laid out of stones, without a binding solution, as if from cubes.
Rapid demolition and new construction
Naturally, such houses easily collapsed, and not a single tax collector could accuse the residents of violating the existing law. It was enough to remove one stone, which played the role of a kind of castle, from the base of the roof, and the buildings turned into a pile of stones.
The peasants erected a new house, in which no special property was stored, in two days.
Only at the end of the 18th century, by decree of the ruler of Naples, Alberobello (Italy) received freedom, and the need to destroy their houses in a few minutes and rebuild them disappeared.
Features of Trulls
The one-story trulli were decorated with pretty domes, the shape of which testified not only to the level of skill of the builder, but also to what class and gender the owner of the home belonged. On some roofs you can see mystical symbols with secret meanings.
Classic trulli, which are the pride of the fabulously beautiful Alberobello (Italy), are made of limestone boulders from the very base to the crown of the dome.
Often, a monolithic rock from which a layer of soil was previously removed acted as a load-bearing wall. The houses have windows and stoves, which are located in the thickness of the wall. Roofs, consisting of two layers, hermetically protect against moisture entering the home.
Most of today's houses, consisting of one room, delight tourists who come on an excursion to Alberobello (Italy) with their color. The city's attractions (there are about 1,400 of them) are privately owned and can be bought or sold. According to the latest data, the local population asks for up to 30 thousand euros for picturesque homes, and Europeans buy them as a country house.
Hospitable city
In such unusual buildings, the walls of which are covered with ivy or vines, there are local restaurants, workshops, shops and even temples. All tourists note the special friendliness of the residents of Alberobello (Italy), and many of them even invite city guests to come in and climb to the roof to admire the delightful spectacle from above.
Many houses have souvenir shops, and the hospitable hosts will be happy to show you their house and tell you many stories.
Tourists love to photograph the magical city for which Italy is famous throughout the world.
Alberobello souvenirs
A lot of souvenir shops offer thousands of handmade gifts for every taste and budget. Here you can buy high-quality products made of linen, leather, wood, paintings painted by local masters and even jewelry.
Of course, the main symbol of the city is the trulli, which is why all popular souvenirs have this shape and image. Elegant figurines, small magnets, cute piggy banks, colorful mugs and much more are offered by sellers of small shops.
Tourists also note wonderful grocery stores offering signature ice cream, traditional sweets made from almond dough, delicious cheeses, olive oil, rose petal liqueurs, and traditional pasta.
Wine cellars
It is impossible not to mention the bars that are located in Trulli. In cellars where the desired temperature is artificially maintained, you can taste aromatic wines that do not require added sugar.
The cost of the sparkling drink, which is bottled in the shape of an unusual house, is about 20 euros. However, all guests of the city claim that it is worth it, and many tourists take away a large supply of the delicious product by car. Any purchase made in the city will be a wonderful reminder of this charming Italian corner.
Historical heritage
Since 1996, the buildings crowded along the narrow streets have been under the protection of UNESCO, which has recognized the trulli as part of the historical heritage. Resembling a board with chess pieces on top, the city of Alberobello (Italy) houses houses built in the 18th century, but some of them appeared only a hundred years ago.
It is noteworthy that in 1925 the construction of trulli was officially prohibited, and therefore in no other city in the world such buildings will no longer surprise travelers.
Friendly Alberobello (Italy), whose photo conveys the fabulous spirit that reigns in the city, is waiting for tourists to reveal all its secrets to them. The special atmosphere that reigns in a calm corner will make you forget all the troubles and problems. Guests of the city admit that a fascinating journey into a fairy tale leaves an indelible impression.
