After arriving at the port of Bari early in the morning on our MSC cruise ship, we used the first part of the day to explore the town of Alberobello, about 55 kilometers away, on our own. What is special about Alberobello? Alberobello has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, because here there is a vast enclosed district built entirely with trulli – small, mostly white and round houses with conical roofs that look like large pointed hats. Of course we really wanted to see that 🙂
Table of contents
Things to know about the city of Alberobello
Alberobello is located in the Italian region of Puglia, at the heel of the Italian boot, about 60 km from the provincial capital of Bari. The small town with its approximately 10,000 inhabitants is known above all for its more than 1,500 trulli: small, mostly white and round houses with conical roofs. These can be found everywhere in Puglia, but nowhere do they appear in such abundance as in Alberobello. The houses have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
The location of the city of Alberobello in Italy
How to get from Bari to Alberobello?
From Bari the best way to get to Alberobello is by rental car, bus or train. We first took bus No. 50 from the port directly to the main train station (1.50 EUR per person) and there we boarded a Ferrovie del Sud Est bus that departed directly from the south side of the main train station “Bari Centrale” (location in Google Maps). The bus ride is certainly the cheapest option at 4.40 EUR per person and a travel time of about 65 minutes. We bought the ticket directly online via the (Italian) website shortly before. Tickets are not sold on the bus.
In Alberobello the bus stop is very central on Via Cavour. From there it’s only about a 5 minute walk to Piazza Giangirolamo II and the Church of Saint Lucia, from where you can get your first great view of the Trulli houses.
The location of the trulli houses in Alberobello
The Trulli Houses
The name Trullo, plural Trulli, stands for the round houses, mainly found in Puglia and built of limestone, whose stone roofs form a cone towards the top. The roofs of the buildings often bear mythological or religious signs made of white ash and end in a decorative peak, which are supposed to ward off evil influences or bad luck. Due to their construction in massive natural stone with very thick walls and tiny windows, the trulli offer good protection against the persistent summer heat in Puglia.
The whitewashed walls of the trulli were built directly on limestone rocks from the 17th century onwards, using a dry-stone masonry technique (i.e. without the use of mortar or cement). The reason for this construction technique was to save taxes, which were previously introduced for the construction of new settlements. Since the trulli could be dismantled and rebuilt at any time (in the event of a royal inspection), they were considered temporary accommodations and, unlike permanent residences, were exempt from taxation.
Although rural trulli can be found throughout the Itria Valley, the highest concentration and best preserved examples of this architectural form are in the city of Alberobello, where there are more than 1,500 buildings in the Rione Monti and Aja Piccola districts. Some trulli are up to 300 years old. This is also the reason why Alberobello has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
The trulli houses in Alberobello
A tour of the trulli quarter
From the Church of Saint Lucia we began our tour of the Monti district, which sits on a 15-acre hill and is home to about 3,000 residents. Here are 1,030 trulli arranged along eight streets with the trulli church of Sant’Antonio on the hill. It doesn’t matter which of the small cobblestone streets you go down – they all lead up. Many trulli are really beautifully decorated with flowers. In most of them there are small souvenir stores, stores and boutiques; some are also inhabited.
The Trulli houses are really unique and we are totally happy to have seen them live now. But what you have to say about it: Alberobello and especially the Monti district are the purest tourist hotspot. In the late morning, the tourist buses roll in here and one tour group after the other is led through the alleys. For those who are traveling individually in the area and are not – like us – bound to ship times, we recommend a visit to Alberobello in the morning hours or in the late afternoon/evening. Then it is much more relaxed here and you can also take more beautiful photos.
We walked for about 1 hour through the small alleys with the trulli and discovered beautiful photo spots again and again. However, since we wanted to explore the sights of the city of Bari (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) before our cruise ship MSC Fantasia departed at 6 p.m., we headed back by bus at 1 p.m.
A video from Alberobello
On YouTube there are some nice videos of the town of Alberobello and its trulli houses. You can get a good impression in this video with a drone shot.
Alle Reiseberichte unserer Kreuzfahrt durch die Adria
Wir haben uns ganz bewusst für die 8-tägige Kreuzfahrt mit MSC Cruises ab Triest entschieden, da hier einige Orte dabei waren, die schon seit langem auf unserer Bucketlist standen. Insgesamt durch vier Länder hat uns unsere Reise geführt: Italien, Montenegro, Griechenland und Kroatien. Dabei konnten wir sechs erlebnis- und abwechslungsreiche Tage an Land erleben: Gestartet sind wir in Triest, danach ging es weiter in die Hafenstadt Ancona, durch die atemberaubende Bucht von Kotor bis nach Bari. Die Reise führte uns weiter auf die grüne Insel Korfu und in das mittelalterliche Dubrovnik mit seiner beeindruckenden Stadtmauer, von wo es dann wieder zurück nach Triest ging. Da unser Flieger von Venedig aus ging, konnten wir sogar noch einen kleinen Abstecher in die Gondelstadt machen, was ein weiteres Highlight der Reise war.
Tag 1 » MSC Cruises – Kreuzfahrt mit der MSC Fantasia im Mittelmeer (Adria)Tag 1 » Triest - Die schönsten Sehenswürdigkeiten & Fotospots an einem Tag
Tag 2 » Ancona - Ein Spaziergang durch die Altstadt
Tag 3 » Kotor - Bucht von Kotor, mittelalterliche Altstadt & Stadtmauer
Tag 4 » Bari - Sehenswürdigkeiten & Fotospots in der Altstadt
Tag 4 » Alberobello - Ein Tagesausflug von Bari zu den Trulli-Häusern
Tag 5 » Korfu - Die Highlights der Insel an einem Tag
Tag 6 » Dubrovnik - Die Sehenwürdigkeiten der mittelalterlichen Stadt
Tag 7 » Seetag
Tag 8 » Venedig - Die bekanntesten Sehenswürdigkeiten an einem Tag