The Trulli houses of Alberobello are dry-stone huts that are located in the Puglia region.

The Trulli are considered a historic site because of its history dating back to the 14h century. There are 1,500 Trulli houses located in the small town of Alberobello. According to National Geographic, “People began to settle in Alberobello around a thousand years ago, and the construction of Trulli in the area most likely began at that time.”

Although construction of the Trulli houses began around 1,000 years ago, some sources state that the shape of these houses is said to take inspiration from the original Greek settlers between the 8th and 5th century B.C. Because of the commonality of Greek funeral chambers and the Trulli houses having domed roofs.

“Puglia’s Trulli have whitewashed walls and corbelled roofs. Many have pinnacoli on their rooftops; these knob-like pinnacles vary in shape and may have helped the trulleros, or Trulli builders, to identify their work,” according to National Geographic.

A bit of history

Trulli houses were built during a historical period when “stable dwellings” were highly taxed, leading to the inhabitants of the Alberobello to adapt to this by creating the Trulli houses. Initially, the Trulli houses were supposed to be inexpensive temporary housing utilising the local dry stone. The dismantling of the Trulli houses was said to occur in 1644 to thwart tax inspectors sent by the King of Naples.

Construction of the Trulli continued throughout the 16th century until the early 20th century when labor cost started to rise. “As labour cost began to rise in the twentieth century, the sheer expense of handling the hundreds of tons necessary for building a single house became prohibitive,” says Kaushik Patowary of Amusing Planet.

UNESCO World heritage deemed the town of Alberobello on its list in 1996. And although new Trulli houses have not been built since the early 20th century, tourists from around the world have come to see the Trulli history in person.