Alberobello: Shrouded in Myths and Stories

There’s no place on the earth as charming as the idyllic town of Alberobello in the Valle D’Itria. Take a stroll in the rustic narrow streets under the cerulean sky and with equal awe and curiosity, watch hobbit-like Trulli huts (singular: Trullo), or probably pause to click a photograph in front of these whitewashed houses decorated with neatly pruned flower pots and vines; you would realise why Alberobello is a must-visit place in Southern Italy. Now add to this scene some legends and stories; Alberobello becomes a town straight out of fairy-tale. 

As bewitching as these tiny Alberobello huts are, the mere sight of the grey conical roofs rising along the gentle slope of the valley makes one wonder how these albeit weird but fascinating houses came to dot the verdant landscape of Puglia’s Valle D’Itria. Even more so is the fact that these traditional huts have earned the quaint Alberobello a much-coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, thereby popularising it as a tourist destination and a must-see thing in Puglia.

However, watching the Trulli huts is not the only thing to do in Alberobello. Head to Sant’ Antonio Church, the only Trullo church in the world to immerse yourself in the community life of the town. Plan a visit to the double storied museum or simply take a stroll in the street market on Thursday morning and pick up something that catches your eye. Alberobello has something for everyone.   

Of the lot, perhaps the most exciting thing about Alberobello is to hear from the locals and tour guide, various stories associated with the Trullo. And trust me, in Alberobello, there are myths and stories everywhere, and each one is more fascinating than the other. 

According to the most popular and highly disseminated story, the Trulli were built to evade taxes. In the Middle Ages when the King of Naples imposed taxes on constructing permanent houses, the native inhabitants of the region came up with a unique solution to build a temporary structure: a small round hut with walls and roof built by stacking local stones that can be erected and dismantled easily when the tax-inspectors came to collect taxes. In doing so, they built a unique structure that was anything but a house, because a house isn’t one without a roof, and therefore nontaxable. Quite a genius way to avoid tax, isn’t it?

The other tale involves a “forest guardian” who had forbidden the construction of permanent houses in the region to protect the natural environment. The natives, therefore, used locally available limestone and topsoil to build and insulate their round huts. 

Due to their resemblance with Greek Tholos (funeral chambers), there are also speculations about the origin of Trulli between the 5th and 8th Century B.C.E, when Southern Italy was under Greek occupation. 

The legends and stories of the Trulli of Alberobello don’t end there. In addition to their unique construction method, the sandstone pinnacle atop the tiled roof and the symbols emblazoned on the stones have also aroused fancy amongst story makers, many of whom associate Trulli dwellers with cult practices. A few however also consider different shapes of pinnacles as the signature of the Trulli makers and a way to distinguish their hut from the others. It is believed that these symbols bring good fortune and ward off evil spirits. 

You would come across many more such stories about the Trulli of Alberobello doing rounds in the Itria Valley, and each, a slightly different but interesting interpretation of the same. The most interesting story about the Trulli of Alberobello is that of the lovers. After all, how could a place as beautiful as Alberobello not have its own love story? 

The tale involves two Siamese brothers who were in love with a beautiful maiden. The things, however, were more complicated, because the girl was promised to the elder brother, but was in love with the younger one. The brothers therefore decided to stay under the same roof, which was divided into two, thus having a window each for the maiden to look at. The double trullo symbolises life, which divides and distances despite blood ties and proximity. 

If the stories of the Trulli of Alberobello have piqued your interest, take a walk in the tranquil streets of the town, or go story hunting with the locals and write to us what new stories on the Trulli of Alberobello do you uncover. Because in the Itria Valley, there are many more waiting to be uncovered.

Image with text