Alberobello: the hidden gem from the fairytales

IAmNicole
27 set 2017
Tempo di lettura: 4 min

It's amazing how much interest I have captured on my Instagram page with my pictures of Alberobello. I realize that this is a very particular destination that deserves attention, so I am here to give you as many details and tips as I can!

First of all: where is it located?

As you can see from the map (click for the direct link to Google Maps), Alberobello is located in the South of Italy, more precisely on the "heel" of the Italian boot, in the region of Apulia, province of Bari.

HISTORY:

The village has been created in 1481 by order of the Count of Conversano Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, who obtained the ownership and feudal rights of an unhinabitated area from the King of Naples Ferrante D'Aragona. The Count of Conversano ordered the people living nearby to settle in this area, giving birth to the village now called Alberobello.

In 1620, Gian Girolamo II, in order to obtain the independence of Alberobello from the Reign of Two Sicilies, and aware of the fact that any new areas required the payment of high taxes, obliged the inhabitants to build their houses with only stones, without any kind of binding material, to make them appear as temporary accommodation. Furthermore, in case of inspections, the houses were easily demolished and reconstructed after the inspections.

Alberobello is a really small village known for the typical conical roofed cottages, called trulli. They are dry-stone constructions, built in the middle of 14th century, using only the stones found in the area and without using cement.

In fact, the ancient farmers have used a prehistoric building technique, specific to the area to build houses of rectangular form and conical corbelled roofs.

Utilizing this technique, the farmers created houses with thick walls, that create a high level of isolation, allowing a stabile temperature throughout the year, protecting people from the cold winters and the very hot summers that characterize this area.

Often, the roofs of the trulli present mythological or religious signs, written with white ash, in order to protect the buildings, and the people living in them, from the bad influences and bad luck.

In total, Alberobello presents 1600 trulli, one next to the other, creating a white village that reminds to the fairytales.

All of them are characterized by really small windows and doors, and a strong contrast between the white walls of the trulli, the grey roofs and the bright colours of the plants and flowers placed outside on the streets or next to the trulli.

For this reason, this village is considered a paradise for the photography lovers like me!

For its historical importance and particularity, in 1996 Alberobello became one of the UNESCO sites, as heritage monument, and the place gained even more importance worldwhile.

Now, most of the locals left the village to find better jobs in bigger cities, and some of the trulli have been renovated on the inside, creating more comfortable, refined and modern houses.

Certainly, what the visitors can see now in Alberobello is hugely different from the authentic village that was in the 16th century. Walking in its streets today means finding tourists from all over the world, photographers, and curious, who are extremely enthusiastic of what they see, and want to take home a new experience.

When looking for an authentic experience, though, it is better to be aware of what is really authentic and what is just staged. For example, in the picture above, some signs indicate a visit to a really inhabited trullo. We could actually have access to the inside of a trullo, where the photos were not allowed, but we had the possibility to see inside a two bedroom apartment, with very old furniture and a woman sitting on a chair in front of the front door. The reality, though, is that, talking with that woman, we found out that she was not actually living inside of the trullo, she was just sitting there as it was a stage, just to give the tourists what they were looking for.

This is technically called "Staged Authenticity", and I will use it as an example to remember you that, while you travel, not everything you see and you are told is true. Some things are made up just to satisfy the tourist's willingness to find what they are expecting, according to their stereotypes, but are just as staged as a theatre scene.

As I said before, most of the trulli have been renovated on the inside, and they now host restaurants, heritage shops, souvenirs shops, and wine bars, and also a church. There are a lot of typical wooden whistle shops and stores who sell typical gastronomic products, as the delicious and huge variety of TARALLI (a crispy substitute of bread, that can be found in many variety, with chilly, fennel, pizza, rosemary, and so many others) and ORECCHIETTE (a local type of pasta, called "orecchiette" because of their shape that reminds of small ears, in Italian "orecchie"). (Wait for another article regarding what to eat if you go on vacation in this Italian region ;) )

On the upper floor of some of the restaurants and shops, there is also a terrace, from where you can have an overview of the village from the high. In some shops, a purchase is mandatory if you want to have access to the terrace, but in some others, you can go upstairs for free, and I absolutely recommend to do it!

I hope my description of this village was interesting and useful for your next trips. If you need more information or you want to leave your opinion don't hesitate to contact me... and do not forget to subscribe! :)