The origins of the trulli
The Italian word trullo derives from a dialect term, truddu, meaning a rural building covered with a dry stone vault. The word itself seems to come from the Greek troulos
meaning "dome".Legend has it that trulli were first built in the 17th century. The local lord, the Count of Conversano Giangirolamo Acquaviva, is said to have circumvented a royal decree forbidding him to found a new settlement. He allowed the peasants who worked his land to build houses on the condition that they were built without the use of mortar: in this way, they could be easily dismantled in case of a royal inspection. This is how the first trulli
were born. However, there is no historical record to support this story.Instead, the origin of the trulli must be sought in the ancestral technique of dry-stone construction found all around the Mediterranean. The dry stone walls were used by the peasants to delimit their plots of land, to build terraces, to protect their houses and, later, to build precarious stables for their animals. The geological context of this part of Puglia must also be taken into account: the Murge
form a karstic plateau shaped by rainwater that infiltrates the cracks in the limestone to form ravines, caves and sinkholes. Everywhere, limestone outcrops on the surface and is a readily available and cheap building material. The trulli were first built as temporary shelters for farm workers at harvest time. Apart from the Murge, trulli can be seen scattered throughout the countryside of Gargano, Salento and the area around Bari, which must have been occupied on a seasonal basis. The trulli of the Murge are different in that they are permanently inhabited and even form settlements. However, this is a fairly recent phenomenon, developing only in the 18th century and increasing in the 19th century with the revival of agriculture in the area (particularly wine-growing), leading to a movement of people from the town to the countryside. The hamlets of trulli expanded to form villages and the towns of Alberobello and Locorotondo were born.The construction of a trullo
The trullaro is the mason specialized in the construction of the trulli. The first step is to dig the cistern, an essential element for daily life in a region with little water. Its excavation delivers a first quantity of stones. The rock is exposed on the surface corresponding to the future dwelling and the external walls are built up to a height varying between 1.60 and 2 metres, following a circular or square plan. Finally, the most delicate operation takes place, the construction of the roof of the building. The vault is built in a corbelled manner: each circular layer of stones protrudes from the lower layer, so that the central space is progressively reduced until the top. The result is the conical roof so characteristic of the Murgia trullo . The flat stones of the outer roof, called chiancarelle, are slightly inclined towards the outside to avoid water infiltration and to channel rainwater to a pipe to the house cistern. The internal and external walls of the trulli are often plastered with mortar and whitewashed; only the conical roof retains its exposed stones, offering a beautiful grey contrast with the white walls. The trullo is usually enlarged by the addition of extensions, also covered by a conical roof
Pinnacles and symbols
The pointed roofs of the trulli are topped with sculpted pinnacles and whitewashed. These have various geometric shapes, from the most basic to the most elaborate: disc, star, bowl, polyhedron, sphere topped by a cross... For some, these are decorative elements, but others have tried to propose various keys to their interpretation: it could be the signature of the trullaro master who built the building, the complexity of the pinnacle indicating the degree of skill of the craftsman. Unless a more elaborate pinnacle is the mark of the social and economic prestige of the trullo
's owners. The grey stone roofs are often decorated with a symbol painted with lime: religious or pagan, these signs express a wish or protection against the evil eye. They have been classified into various typologies: Christian symbols (the cross, the radiating host with the monogram of Christ - IHS - , a trident symbol of the trinity, the circle divided into four quarters with the initials of St. Como and St. Damian, the patron saints of Alberobello), Hebrew symbols (the Star of David, the seven-branched menorah), magical symbols, the signs of the zodiac... Initials may refer to the name of the first owner of the trullo, while some symbols refer to the activity of the owner (working tools: pickaxe, scythe, hammer) or to what he produced (bunch of grapes, ear of wheat).Discovering the trulli
The Itria Valley, south of the Murge plateau, is the area with the most trulli
. You will discover them during your wanderings in the countryside between Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca, abandoned and partly collapsed, or rehabilitated as tool sheds or animal shelters, in the middle of olive groves, meadows and vegetable gardens. Some of them have been transformed into modern houses and holiday homes.Alberobello is an unmissable stopover because of the number and concentration of trulli that can be found there. They are grouped in the two districts of Rione Monti, the oldest and most dense, and Rione Aia Piccola. To visit the Trullo Sovrano, the largest trullo
, which even has a floor, you have to cross the modern city. Inside the house, the original layout has been reconstructed, with a few didactic panels and a series of kitchen and work utensils evoking the life and traditions of the farmers.The municipality of Locorotondo , perched on a hill, also has a large number of trulli
grouped together in a district, but also scattered throughout its territory. Finally, why not experience life in a trullo? Between the apartment, the luxury hotel and the charming bed and breakfast, there are many possibilities for accommodation and you can sleep under the corbels without giving up modern comforts. There are some great places to stay in Alberobello (Charming Trulli, Trulli e Puglia, Le Alcove, La Chiusa di Chietri), Locorotondo (Poggio degli Ulivi, Masseria Aprile, Relais Il Palmento), Putignano (Trulli Terra Magica) and Cisternino (Le Case di Serena).
