Trulli Houses, Olive Oil and the Adriatic Coast
Trip Start
Jan 11, 2007
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Trip End
Jan 15, 2010
Alberobello, Italy
Saturday, October 6, 2007
We stayed for three nights in a renovated stone trullo house indigenous to the area, run by Mimmo and his family who also own a gift shop and coffee bar in Alberobello. At the gift shop, Mimmo sells local products from the Puglia region. Trullo homes (trulli if it is plural) are made of stone and look something like upside down ice cream cones. They are simple, usually one or two room houses and in old times the stones could be moved to a new location if local tax collection authorities came along. It seems the Italians have been trying to avoid taxes for hundreds of years. This home design came about as a result of tax avoidance measures.
We toured the town of Alberobello during the first day of our stay, then later drove to Martina Franca, Ostuni---the white city which overlooks the deep blue Adriatic sea close to Greece---and the historic ceramic-producing town of Grottaglie.
We plan to visit Puglia again. There are so many towns to visit and so much to see that it is impossible to fit everything into one weekend. Next on our itinerary is the town of Lecce which has incredible Baroque architecture, and Matera, where there are cave dwellings that were inhabited until just a few years ago. (For trivia buffs, Matera is also known as the location where Mel Gibson filmed "The Passion of the Christ.") If we feel adventurous, we may go to the drive-thru Safari near Alberobello. In true southern Italian style, there are no rules or cages and the wildlife runs free. Nothing like American zoos with bulletproof glass, security systems, and bars & gates. We hear you drive through and the giraffes walk up to your car and begin to munch on your hair, hats, or anything else they can get their mouths around. Friends had their cell phone antenna torn off by a monkey. We have been advised to bring apples, carrots, & bread to toss as a peace offering and distract the animals.
