Ahhh, Alberobello

Move over pristine whitewashed, picturesque, to-die-for-beautiful-blue-doors-and-colorful -hanging-baskets homes in the Greek Isles. Yes, you are photogenic, and iconic. But you’ve got some  competition!

Italy has many charms with cities like Venice, Rome, and Florence and the trendy (for obvious reasons) regions of Tuscany and Umbria. The Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre lure plenty of guests too. But there is a charming and fascinating smallish village waaay over on the other side, near the Adriatic shore as you head south on the heel of the boot. You know, an area where fewer tourists go. It’s mentioned in the book with the many places to put on your bucket list, and UNESCO has named it a World Heritage Site.

The town of Alberobello is full of trulli, white circular homes built with limestone just picked up around the area, originally without mortar. This method of building goes back nearly unchanged to prehistoric times (but now of course they have indoor plumbing and electricity!) On top of the white houses go a conical, black stone roof typically peaked by a pinnacle of some sort. The charming story I heard from a local was that in “days of yore” there was a tax on completed homes. (Sound familiar?). When word got out that the tax assessor was on his way, the residents would quickly dismantle their roof and viola, an incomplete, tax-free house. Bye-bye taxman, hello to re-stacking the stones atop the white limestone.

The town looks white and gleaming in the sunlight and the word “quaint” could be defined by this place. Strolling around, popping into the little shops for local products, visiting the church, and maybe even being invited into a home to see the inventive ways they have been modernized make for a most interesting and satisfying day. I left with a bottle of luscious thick almond liqueur (the area is a major almond producer) shaped like a trullo (singular.) Nummy nummy!

I visited Alberobello on a day trip from a port call in Bari, the port of call in the region, but if visiting by land a trullo may be available for rent.