History and Visit
STORIA E VISITA
HISTORICAL OUTLINES Alberobello is called "the city of trulli". Since the XV century the huge quantity of limestone in the under has been used as building material, so giving the city its typical image. The trulli were built "a secco", meaning without use of mortar, only with dry stones one on the other. This was a very smart idea of one of the counts of Alberobello: GianGirolamo Acquaviva D'aragona. To avoid paying taxes for the houses to the king of Naples, the count gave the order to build trulli "a secco", so that they could destroy them easily in case of royal inspection. In 1797 Alberobello become an independent town, and from this moment on, trulli and houses were built using mortar and becoming the wonderful dwellings we can see today. Since 1930 trulli become world patrimony and from 1996 Alberobello is part of UNESCO.
THE TRULLO
The word trullo derives from the Greek word "tholos"(meaning -DOME-). At the beginning trulli were only a bunch of stones built as a small dome, without any other material. From 1400 the rooftop was built directly on the ground, and only in 1600 the top was built on the squared-based walls as we can see today. The stones composing the roof are called chiancole. These impermeable stones are put over the thick stones composing the walls. At the top of the roof there is a decorative pinnacle that can be of different shapes. On some roofs we can find symbols painted using lime. These were used as decoration as well as to keep bad luck and demons away. The roof is normally the top of one single, big room, containing alcoves at the two sides, once used as bedrooms or as a kitchen.
RIONE MONTI
It is situated in the southern hill of the town. Along seven streets going from the top to the bottom of the hill, trulli cover the whole area. Giving life to an as suggestive and unusual picture of incomparable beauty. Walking through these streets it is possible to purchase local gastronomical and artisan products from many stores spread all around.
CHURCH OF St ANTONIO
is on the top of Rione Monti and it was built in 1926. Work of invoice typically of Alberobello, to greek cross with conic trullo dome 21,50 mt high, consist also of two twills and of a bell tower it to trullo. It is the only church having the dome shaped as a trullo. Nowadays it is a parish ruled by the "Don Guanella" priests.
AIA PICCOLA
The ancient part of the town. Here there are about 400 trulli in 8 streets. While Rione Monti area is, today, the touristic part (with restaurants, bars...). Aia Piccola area is the part with people (about 1300) still living in trulli.
MUSEUM OF THE TERRITORY
It is situated in Piazza XXVII Maggio. This museum is formed by three different structures of three different historical periods There are rough trulli of the ancient period; trulli of a recent period; and a two-floor modern building.
D'AMORE HOUSE
It is situated in Piazza Ferdinando IV. It is the first example of the passage from the first houses (truth) to nineteenth century houses. Francesco D'Amore built this building using mortar for the first time. Here there was also the first town hall of the city.
SS MEDICI SHRINE
In this big church takes place the cult of the two patron saints of the town: St Cosma and St. Damiano. The two statues inside the shrine are from the XVIII century.
TRULLO SOVRANO
It is situated in Piazza Sacramento, at the back of the shrine. Built in the Pt half of the VIII century, since 1923 it is a national monument. It is the most articulated trullo with two floors. It is called Sovrano (sovereign) because the highest skills of con-struction were used to build it.