The Peculiar Trulli of Puglia

A trullo rarely stands alone. Most of the time, you find them bundled together, their small cone-shaped roofs pointing to the sky. One is kitchen, another bedroom, a third may be bathroom. And so on. That’s why the world only knows them by their plural pronoun: The Trulli. Discover the magical trulli of Alberobello and Puglia:

Dry stone huts with conical roofs can be found all over the Europe, since it’s the most efficient structure – and the easiest to build: All you need is small stones and rocks.
But in Puglia – and especially in the area around Alberobello and Locorotondo – they have attained a unique characteristic:
covered with white lime plaster and with a pinnacle at the top, like a small exclamation point!
The village of Alberobello might be somewhat of a Trulli Disneyland, with nothing but tourists that flock the cobblestone streets and marvel at the cute white cottages.
But it’s truly a unique and ample collection of these hobbit-like dwellings.
Many of the dark limestone roofs are painted with white pagan and Christian symbols which makes it a curious stroll around the light-hued houses.
No wonder this unique place was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996.
The best way to discover the trulli, however, is to take a bike ride from Alberobello to Locorotondo. Here, you will see the trulli in their natural habitat:
surrounded by the beautiful landscape and forming part of the stone walls, that cross-cross the countryside.
Driving either by car or bike in this ancient landscape, dotted with these peculiar cottages is like driving in a real-life version of the Shire from Lord of the Rings.
Nice to know, that you don’t need to go to New Zealand – or Middle-Earth – to discover enchanting cottages, right?