Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Day-trips around Bari: (2) Alberobello and Trulli area


Alberobello and Trulli area
(56 km, 34 mi from Bari)

The Trullo is a characteristic peasant or artisan's house built using a unique and bold technique. It is built around a central plan with dry stone limestone walls, on top of which sits a conical-shaped roof. The walls are whitewashed; the conical roof which comes to a deft pinnacle, is covered with concentric and slanting rows of smooth, grey slabs of local stone, called "chiancarelle", which are put in place without the use of mortar. The Trulli can be found in the hills of the Murgia in an area where the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto meet. Here you can come across hospitable little towns with their whitewashed walls and charming vernacular architecture, bathed in history, tradition and natural attractions; places such as Castellana-Grotte, Conversano, Gioia del Colle, Locorotondo, Noci and Putignano in the Province of Bari; Martina franca in the Province of Taranto; Ceglie Messapico, Cisternino, Ostuni and Selva di Fasano in the Province of Brindisi. The most spectacular urban concentration of Trulli is to be found in Alberobello. In this small town, famous the world over, the Trulli are organized into districts. The fabulous Monti district boasts over 1000 Trulli set along picturesque, sloping streets, paved in the local stone. The whole town maintains a dream-like quality, almost like something out of a fairy-tale, bathed in the limpid light of the Eastern Mediterranean that of Alberobello an enrolled only landscape in 1996, list UNESCO of the assets " Patrimony of the Humanity ".

NOTE: if you have some extra time, don't miss the nearby cities of Locorotondo, famous for its wine, Conversano and Martina Franca, known for their beautiful baroque architecture.

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