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Trulli houses look more or less like something out of a fairytale.
Anyone who has been to Alberobello and the Valle D’Itria in Puglia, Italy, would have seen these clusters of small houses lining the streets. These structures feature cone-shaped roofs made of stacked limestone. They look quite magical and can easily be mistaken for a hobbit home. But in reality, they are actual homes that house locals and could serve as luxury villa rentals and guest houses.
The Trulli of Alberobello is now one of Puglia’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The oldest surviving trullo dates back to the 14th century but these iconic houses have been around for centuries. If you’re contemplating a visit to Puglia, these beauties are worth seeing and they have a pretty interesting history behind their existence.
Let’s find out all about the fascinating story behind trulli history!
A truly fascinating history: How did the first trulli come to be?
History has it that the first trulli houses (trullo: singular) were built and designed to be temporary dry-stone buildings that could be disassembled ‘when necessary.’ When necessary in this case means when property tax collectors were in town!
The people of Locorotondo, Alberobello and Martina Franca would usually dismantle these houses whenever property tax collectors came to town. These collectors, upon reaching there would only find mounds of rubbles and no houses. As soon as they were gone, the people mounted up their houses and the trulli were back in place again. So much for tax evasion!
The construction of trulli is believed to have started some thousand years ago when the first settlers arrived Alberobello. The typical trullo usually has a cylindrical base, white-painted stone walls, and a conical roof made of limestone tiles. While the shape of these trulli houses is believed to precede the houses themselves, there are reports that this design was inspired by Greek settlers who colonized Southern Italy between the 8th and 5th centuries BC.
In truth, the dome roofs are similar to the dome roofs of Tholos, Greek funeral chambers, and the word trullos in Greek means cupola. Whatever the inspiration, trulli houses are traditional to this part of Puglia. Today, there are about 1500 trulli in Alberobello alone. Because of their unique characteristics and the rich architectural history, these magical pieces of architecture were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
More on trulli history: How are trulli houses built?
Trulli houses have unique design and construction.
This uniqueness is responsible for most of the unique characteristics of these houses. These, along with the rich and fascinating historical background of trulli houses, are also the reason why they’ve evolved to become a major tourist attraction in Southern Puglia.
First, you’ll notice the relatively small size of these houses built very close together. They also stand out for their cylindrical base, white walls, and the conical roofs. The roofing is constructed from stacked limestone and usually painted with a cross, astronomical symbol, or an evil eye. Some roofs also come complete with ornamental toppings.
Trulli also feature large and thick white-painted stone walls. These thick whitewashed stone wall constructions often exceed one meter in length and are the reason why trulli are particularly cool and fresh in the summer, and warm in the winter. Many trulli also have knob-like pinnacles on their rooftops. These are believed to have been used by trullari (trulli builders) to identify their projects.
Ready for a ‘trulli’ memorable experience?
You can visit Puglia if you’re already dreaming of a trulli experience.
Trulli houses now serve as luxury vacation rentals for guests and you can easily book one for your trip to satisfy your curiosity. These weird and fascinating houses used to serve as homes to ancient peasant Puglia families who may share one or more trulli. In many of them, you can still find large fireplaces in living quarters or support ledges of communal beds edging out of the wall in smaller trulli.
You’ll see small niches on the walls used to store religious or decorative household items. You might also find troughs from which their livestock and horses fed from, many of which have now been converted into decorative pieces. But the experience and atmosphere here are much more captivating and mesmerizing than our words can describe. If you want to snatch a piece of history and embark on this journey, book your stay with Apuliaria, it sure is going to be a ‘trulli’ memorable experience!
Photos Credits @vinkweb
