Alberobello can also be referred to as the capital of the trulli, extraordinary examples of dry stone building with conical or pyramid-shaped roof slabs, with an expanse of over 1,500 trulli. The name Alberobello derives from Silva alboris belli, with the meaning of “forest of the tree of war”.

The town was born at the end of the 14th century by the Counts of Conversano, landowners who entrusted the oversight of the territory to farmers. The Kingdom of Naples required a tax payment for each new village built and the trulli were designed to avoid paying those taxes. They had to appear precarious to give the impression of easily demolished buildings in the event of an inspection. After an initial settlement of about 40 trulli, in 1620 there was an important expansion. When visiting Alberobello, one must see the Trullo Sovrano, as it is the only two-story trullo in the town.

Registry