My Story of Alberobello
I wanted to squeeze all the gemstones of Puglia in this article: Alberobello, Matera, and Polignano a Mare, but thought better of it, so you’ll get some really short reads with these next stories.
First stop: Alberobello
On the second day of the trip – see part 1 here, we went to the central train station and boarded a bus to Alberobello. Tickets were bought online from www.trainline.com for a little over 4 euros. So, a round-trip is almost 9 euros. Timewise, we got there in about 1 hour.
TIP TIME: FFP2 masks are still required on public transportation around Italy, so if you’re travelling there, make sure you have some on hand.
On the way to Alberobello, you can already spot tiny stone huts, scattered on the fields. Why is this important? Well, because the old part of Alberobello is fully comprised of trulli. A trullo is a traditional dry stone hut with a corbelled roof. It is specific to this region and dates back centuries, being initially built either for storage or as dwellings for workers of the land.
Nowadays, they make up one of the most popular tourist attractions in Puglia, being also recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Why are these huts so special? Well, not only for their local allure and history, but I suppose, for most of us, regular mortals, Alberobello makes us think of a Smurf village – with no actual connection.
Once we got there and hopped off the bus, a little after 11:00 am, we got a taste of sunny Italian summer, with the sun already burning the cobbled streets. Nevertheless, we made our way to the Belvedere Terazza Santa Lucia, where we got our best view of the trulli, along with tons of pictures. After that, we slowly made our way through the “neighbourhood” wandering at the blindingly whitewashed walls and awesome roofs. Plus, the people here really make an effort to keep the area clean and pretty, with plenty of flowers decorating window seals, doorsteps, and tiny alleys.
We didn’t get a tour guide, but if you have the chance, you might want to consider it, as I’m sure you’ll get a better sense of the historical and social importance of the Trulli of Alberobello. Even so, marvelling at the “smurf town” – sorry, Italians, I can’t help it – without having a guide, is still worth the trip from Bari. And, if you’re a photography enthusiast, passionate Instagrammer or trendy TikToker, YouTuber, etc…this is the place for you. I kid you not. The shots you’ll get here – spectacular.
When we got enough of the trulli, we stopped for some gelato and ice coffee at a café, where we hid from the sun for a while and cooled off, and where, most importantly, I ate a “tit”. That’s right, I said what I said. A “tit”/ “boob” or tette, more officially “tette delle monache”, is an Italian sweet pastry with cream and custard, that resembles a breast. I loved it. It was sort of fluffy, sweet but not overly sweet and it topped the cannolo on my top deserts list… left it behind… the cannolo is sitting in a corner crying. Sorry not sorry.
And with that ended my day in Alberobello. We then went back to the bus station and enjoyed the road back, stopped for an octopus sandwich at Muto Like a Fish for a lunchinner…dlunch?
And back to our comfy accommodation to get some rest for the following day: a trip to Matera… coming soon.
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