Alberobello: A “Trulli” Unique Town

Our whole Puglia road trip was based on one single initial idea. One of my favourite travel bloggers had posted on Instagram about her stay in a “trullo” in Puglia. My interest was piqued. What’s a trullo? Always a fan of a quirky stay – home or abroad – I was led down a rabbit hole of trullo pictures. Before I knew it I was planning a trip to Puglia. Trulli are unique to the Valle d’Itria area of Puglia, and the largest cluster of trulli can be found in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Alberobello.

So that’s where we would stay. It was to be a “trulli” unique experience. Unlike this pun. Which will get tedious very quickly.

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Alberobello: Puglia’s famous trulli town

Alberobello is located between Bari and Brindisi, in the scenic Valle D’Itria. The area is an ideal base for a Puglia trip, and most of the key sights in the region are within an hour’s drive.

This area of Southern Italy still seems relatively undiscovered. But if anywhere in Puglia is going to become a tourist trap then it’s likely to be Alberobello. Early mornings and evenings are the best time to really enjoy the town if you’re staying overnight.

But what ARE trulli?

Trulli are whitewashed single-storey circular huts with grey conical roofs. They are constructed from limestone block and made entirely without mortar. But – well – why? As usual, it’s all down to money. To avoid paying property taxes, local rulers insisted that all dwellings be easily and quickly dismantled. No roof – no taxes.

Trulli can be found throughout the Valle D’Itria, but the densest population is found in Alberobello. The town is divided into two areas. Rione Monti is where you will find the most trulli and most vibrant life. Rione Aia Piccola is a smaller, quieter area of the town and gives a better sense of authentic Alberobello life.

Alberobello is one of those towns that looks like it should feature in a fairy tale. There are so many amazing photo opportunities. Splashes of colour from window boxes stand out against those iconic white facades. Artfully placed colourful bicycles, with flowers spilling out of baskets. Beautifully decorated shopfronts. And even trulli decorated for fall with pumpkin displays. This is a town made for Instagram.

Trulli spotting in Alberobello

Alberobello is filled with over 1500 trulli. Many have been converted into restaurants, bars, museums and family-owned shops. There’s even a trulli church, Sant’Antonio di Padova. Trullo Sovrano is the only two-storey trullo in Alberobello, now a heritage museum, exhibiting the history of the town. Other notable trulli in the area include museum Casa Pezzolla, Trullo Siamese – adjoining trulli with two conical rooftops – and Il Trullo più piccolo – the smallest trulli in town! Casa D’Amore was the first house in the area to use terracotta and mortar when it was built in 1797. It was the home of Antonio Francesco D’Amore who led the uprising against the Acquaviva family and ultimately led to the end of feudal tyranny in Alberobello.

The best way to find out the history of the trulli is by joining a guided tour. If we had spent a full day in town I would have booked either the Alberobello History Walking Tour with Olive Oil Tasting or this 2 hour Guided Trulli Tour.

Our Alberobello Story

Alberobello is the second stop on our Puglian roadtrip. We’ve travelled from Ostuni, which is just a 45 minute drive from Alberobello, so we interrupt our journey with visits to nearby towns Cisternino and Martina Franca. We’re not sure towns can get any prettier to be honest. And as we approach Alberobello, I can’t help thinking – where ARE all these trulli that everyone is banging on about? We’d seen them dotted around the valley as we drove in, but the outskirts of Alberobello look – well, like the outskirts of any nondescript Italian town.

It’s only when we visit the town in the evening that we discover the centro storico of Alberobello. We are now entering the trulli zone. And that first glimpse makes my jaw drop. A wide central strada “Largo Martellotta” separates the two districts. We head deep into trulli land. Rione Monti is to the left with it’s bars, restaurants and shops; subtle lighting from within spreads a welcome glow as dusk settles over Alberobello. And on the right, Rione Aia Piccola, a labyrinth of lanes of simple white trulli. It’s a calm respite from the busy and bustling Rione Monti.

We don’t actually spend a lot of time in Alberobello. On our first evening, our main aim is to find a supermarket so we can pick up breakfast supplies. And wine. For those interested, we finally found Supermarket Del Ponte here. With granola and wine stashed in our Yes Bab tote bag, we share a focaccia from a tiny vendor on Via Monte S Gabriel before heading back to our trullo for the night.

On our second evening we arrive in town a little earlier, giving us a little more daylight so I can prance around in a blue dress in front of white trulli. The photos are slightly spoiled by the emergence of prominent mosquito bites on my legs. Yep, the mozzies found me. And as I had slathered myself in repellent I can only assume this was in the five minutes that we were unpacking the car. Tonight’s supplies are courtesy of Martinucci Laboratory for the obligatory pasticciotti, and then a distinctly average meal at a restaurant on Largo Martellotta that I didn’t note the name of (UPDATE: my credit card statement suggests this was Bar Bistrot Pierino. This was NOT on my carefully researched list of places to eat and drink).

Where we stayed

There was no way I could travel all the way to Puglia and not stay in a trullo. I booked Trulli A Sud Est and was immediately charmed by the messages sent by our host Giovanna, apologising for her poor English but hoping we would communicate just fine.

Giovanna greets us when we arrive – and yes, her English is excellent. We make our way down the private driveway to our home for the next two nights. There’s an outside dining area – although the mosquitos may have something to say about us utilising that – and a garden swing on the front terrace. Our comfy bed is located directly under that conical roof; the stone walls make it feel like we’re sleeping in a cave. Yet there’s plenty of mod cons too. Including an alarm system that I’m convinced I’ve accidentally set off after groping for the light switch in the dark. Yes, I pressed the switch marked “Do not press”.

I’m trulli happy to discover (hold on, have you had enough of the pun yet? Yes? Sorry. I’m trulli sorry. Ooops. I can’t help myself…) that our trullo comes with resident garden cats. Cats that enjoy sitting on the doorstep demanding attention. Cats that act as guard dogs, sitting atop the wall near the gated entrance. And cats that do not understand that lying in the driveway in front of your car is a quick way to count down some of those nine lives. Luckily – with me walking in front of the car and shooing cats away – we managed to avoid any kitty casualties.

There were a couple of small niggles about Trulli Sud-Est. The first was the location. Although only 20 minutes walk from the centre, it’s down a couple of unlit lanes and across a railway line. We didn’t feel particularly safe walking there at night. We ended up driving into town. The second was the fact that there wasn’t anywhere to relax other than the bed. The kitchen had an unnecessarily big dining table for an accommodation made for two, with a small uncomfortable sofa squashed at one end.

Finally, the aforementioned railway line – and ergo, the trains – pass uncomfortably close to the trullo. From the bathroom window you can see the whites of the passengers eyes. This didn’t really bother us, as the trains were infrequent during unsociable hours, but it did make me jump once or twice. On the whole though, I really enjoyed the trullo experience. Trulli A Sud Est would have actually been a good base for a longer self-catering trip as the kitchen was so well-equipped.

Getting to and around Alberobello

The nearest airports to Alberobello are Bari in the north, and Brindisi to the south. Alberobello is an hour’s drive from Bari; there’s also a bus from Bari Train Station which takes about an hour. If you’re staying in Bari then you can book an organised guided day tour to Alberobello and Polignano a Mare for around £125pp.

We rented a car, and arrived at Alberobello from a three night stay in Ostuni. Alberobello is only a 45 minute drive from Ostuni but we made the most of the journey by visiting a number of other towns in the Valle D’Itria on the way.

There’s paid tourist parking all along Via Indipendenza (€6 for the day). Get there early to find parking and to avoid the crowds – most organised day trips start to arrive from 10am. We downloaded the Easy Park App before we travelled which meant no scrabbling around for coins. Easy Park also refund any difference if you stay less time than you initially state.

The main area of Alberobello is small, and easy to explore on foot. There are a few hills though, and cobbled pavements which can be slippery when wet so wear comfy shoes.

Alberobello: Final thoughts

We spent two nights in Alberobello. We used it as a base to travel to Matera, and explored the town in the evenings. In hindsight, we would have preferred to spend an additional night in Ostuni and explored Alberobello, along with Cisternino, Martina Franca and Locorotondo in a single day. But I did enjoy spending time in the town as the sun went down.

Alberobello is definitely one of the most touristy towns in Puglia. Unless you stay overnight and have the chance to explore first thing in the morning you’re probably going to be caught in a slow-moving train of tourists. But the town’s history and unique architecture mean that it’s worth wading through the crowds. Rione Aia Piccola is definitely the quieter area – but don’t tell everyone😉

Half a day is all that you really need to explore Alberobello. Staying overnight in a trullo though is a magical experience and one I highly recommend. Tourism may have change the character of the place, but Alberobello is “trulli” a unique town and shouldn’t be missed if you’re exploring Puglia!

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