Associazione Città Italiane Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO
The Trulli of Alberobello
Associazione Città Italiane Patrimonio Unesco
S. Antonio Church
the Trulli
Jump the path and go to the lcontents
Jump the contents and go to the summary
The Eastern hill is home to the modern town and the other hill towards the West is where the "trulli" are to be found. These buildings are clustered into two quarters forming an urban settlement: Monti and Aia Piccola, and are both considered National Monuments.
The "Trulli di Alberobello" were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1996.
The surrounding countryside features dense plantations of almond and olive trees that are typical in karstic areas whereas the materials used for building the trulli come from stratified limestone rocks from thereabouts.
The history of this particular settlement dates back to the latter part of the 16th century when it was a small fiefdom under the Counts of Conversano of the Acquaviva family. Farmers began to settle on the "Selva" (as it is known) and made the land fertile.
The Counts allowed drywall homes to be built so that they could be easily dismantled in the event of a royal inspection, which would entail the payment of taxes for a settlement. This strategy was a form of tax evasion.
In 1797, a plucky group of Alberobello residents that were fed up with their somewhat precarious position went to Taranto to seek the help of King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon.
On 27 May 1797, the king issued a royal decree granting freedom to the little village.
The trullis are built from overlapping stone slabs, known to architects as corbelled "chiancole" and form the characteristic cone shaped roofs that go towards creating this unique, wonderful town that is so much admired by visitors from all over the world.
The Trulli of Alberobello
Jump the contents and go to the summary
History, art and culture
The Eastern hill is home to the modern town and the other hill towards the West is where the "trulli" are to be found. These buildings are clustered into two quarters forming an urban settlement: Monti and Aia Piccola, and are both considered National Monuments.
The "Trulli di Alberobello" were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1996.
The surrounding countryside features dense plantations of almond and olive trees that are typical in karstic areas whereas the materials used for building the trulli come from stratified limestone rocks from thereabouts.
The history of this particular settlement dates back to the latter part of the 16th century when it was a small fiefdom under the Counts of Conversano of the Acquaviva family. Farmers began to settle on the "Selva" (as it is known) and made the land fertile.
The Counts allowed drywall homes to be built so that they could be easily dismantled in the event of a royal inspection, which would entail the payment of taxes for a settlement. This strategy was a form of tax evasion.
In 1797, a plucky group of Alberobello residents that were fed up with their somewhat precarious position went to Taranto to seek the help of King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon.
On 27 May 1797, the king issued a royal decree granting freedom to the little village.
The trullis are built from overlapping stone slabs, known to architects as corbelled "chiancole" and form the characteristic cone shaped roofs that go towards creating this unique, wonderful town that is so much admired by visitors from all over the world.