A Trulli Wonderful Day!

  


  I am not sure what happened, but this post is out of order.  It should be between the posts of Ostuni. the White Pearl and King of the Toilets.


  While I would not be riding this day, this was my very favorite day because I was at last going to see the Trulli of Alberobello, Italy. Our group was shuttled to Alberobello, and I got to ride with Luigi and Fabio!

This empty trullo was for sale - I found the listing while walking around Ostuni.  I asked Luigi and Fabio to stop so I could get this picture.

 

Munchkin Homes

       The Trulli of the Itria Valley are a major draw to tourists around the world.  The whitewashed homes with the conical roofs, and strange symbols have fascinated people for ages.
       For this day's visit, we would be in the hands of Mimmo Palmisano, a trulli historian and restorationist.

Mimmo and his father restore trulli.  His mother has a shop in Alberobello.

        According to  Mimmo, the trulli, (trullo is the singular word), are based on homes in the area of Aran, Turkey. Eastern Italy had long been subject to raids from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).  In the cases where the Turks actually lost a battle, they had a choice, stay and work for the Italians, perhaps as a servant, or go home and be beheaded for being defeated by Christian infidels!  Mimmo claims Turkish ancestry, and told us that a great many people in Puglia also have Turkish ancestry.
        Trulli are built without mortar, and when the top stone is removed, the cone would come crashing down.  This trick would come in handy when the tax collector came around collecting taxes on a home.  If your home was demolished the taxes would be forgiven!  Since the roofs were easily rebuilt, fooling the taxman, or the local lord, happened - a lot!  Trulli were originally used for storage, or as small barns, with people using them as home much later.  One cone roof meant one room.  The more cones, the more rooms.
       The name Alberobello means beautiful trees.  However, according to Mimmo, this is not the true meaning of the town's name. Bella is the Italian word for beautiful.  Bello comes from the Latin Bellum, which means war. There was, at one point, a Spanish lord over the area.  The poor people built homes in the oak forests, and kept them short enough so that tree cover would hide them, and they would not have to pay taxes. It was learned that the lord was also not paying his fair share of taxes to Spain. When someone from Spain came over to check on this man, the poor people were found out, and they in turn, told on the lord.  This started a small war - Alberobello - war in the forest.  The lord was relieved of his duties, and the people allowed to live in peace.  This is a very simplified abridged version of what Mimmo told us.  Had I been thinking, I would have taken my smartphone, which contains a recording device, and recorded Mimmos entire presentation.

       Today, Trulli are protected buildings. Please enjoy the pictures! Alberobello is protected under UNESCO.

At the top of the cone is the pinnacle.  The design of the pinnacle was the signature of the trullo builder. This is a trullo church.

Looking up into the cone.

The altar is made of a soft limestone.

Alberobello Trulli - yes, people still live in these.

While the outside of a trullo must adhere to certain standards of how it can look, the inside can be quite modern.  There are trulli vacation homes that one can stay in.

I will definitely try to find away back to Alberobello again.  It was a magical day!