For our last morning in Bari (pop 315,986 in 2025), and maybe as an apology for all the rain, the sunrise view rewards us with brilliant, raking light and a rainbow halo above the Ruota Panoramica. Our tour of the Art & Architecture of Puglia turns its attention further south. Puglia is often described as "the heel of Italy's boot", and today's bus ride takes us down the Penisola Salentina, from the back of the 'upper' to the 'stem'.
Our destination is Alberobello (pop 10,041 in 2025), near the southern boundary of the Provincia di Bari. Alberobello is home of the trulli – small, conical stone buildings. The building type is a result of a fifteenth century edict (Pragmatica de Baronibus) that taxed permanent structures; the trulli are traditionally built in dry stone, easily 'erased' to avoid the collectors.
As the bus cruises south, we pass scattered farm sheds and outbuildings made in this method. Once a system is established, of course, workers' homes are added to the tax avoidance scheme. Small homes with a attached trulli begin to appear, until we reach Alberobello, where the whole village is built this way.
The bus drops us at a kind of depot for tourists (Parcheggio Bus Check-Point) at the eastern end of the Via Indipendenza. Making our way along the Via, we stroll by a series of empty tourist carparks before reaching a small terraced plaza.
We meet our local guide, and climb north to a little belvedere and onto the Via Duca degli Abruzzi.
The trulli village is split into two general areas. This area, the Rione aia Piccola, fills the center of town near the Piazza del Popolo. It is said to be the more 'authentic' area, without cafes, shops, and souvenir stands – quiet and residential. But small construction projects are everywhere; the town is replacing the old asphalt with 'traditional looking' stone setts. It's also clear that these trulli are not dry laid, except for the corbeled roofs: there is mortar, there is whitewash, and there is stucco.
We enter the trullo at Via Duca degli Abruzzi 14. It is tidy and bright, with a terrazzo tile floor. The home is actually three trulli, the entry-kitchen, the living-dining area, and the bedroom. Each room is a domed vault with arched niches for furniture and fixtures; the loft is added to the center trullo to create an attic.
Though there are ample family photos, and images of the Madonna and Padre Pio, it is difficult to imagine that our host actually lives here. It does not feel 'lived in'; for example, the lanterns are not operable and are just for show (though there is electricity).
Same as yesterday, our local guide 'zillows' the prices of recent trulli sales. This explains the mortar and maybe even the new pavement. But it also calls the authenticity into question. As we wind our way through the Rione aia Piccola, the rain beings to fall.
We stop near the Casa Lippolis. Rather than a village, this neighborhood feel urban. Unlike Matera, there are no gardens, or laundry, or courtyards; but there is a doctor's office, a small market, and a restaurant. Around the corner, another group of trulli compose the Museo del Territorio (Casa Pezzolla, 18th century).
We continue into the Piazza del Popolo, where a work crew is power-washing the Obelisco, the local war memorial. To the south, beside to the Chiesa di Santa Lucia, is the Vista Panoramica, unfortunately closed today.
We make our way down the Via Contessa Acquaviva to the Largo Martelotta, where the a busker sings despite the rain. The second area of trulli, the Rione Monti, is on the other side. The edge of the cloud deck breaks at the top of the hill, as the tour group takes its 'loo' break.
The Rione Monti is lined with shop windows offering local crafts, taste treats, and porcelain trulli. We can immediately see why its reputation is 'touristy'. The hilly streets are wide and not too steep, perfect for larger crowds to amble comfortably, take in the views, and shoot their selfies.
The Chiesa a Trullo (di Sant'Antonio da Padova, 1926-27) is at the top of the Rione Monti. Not really a trullo, it is built with some of the same techniques. While much taller, these roofs are share something with the corbeled roofs we saw in Bareltta.
The interior is a cascade of unadorned stone arches and vaults, a stocky and simple Greek cross. The altarpiece is the "Crocifisso con affresco dell'Albero della Vita" ("Crucifix and Tree of Life", 1949) by Adolfo Rollo. The bas-relief in the side chapel, "San Luigi Guanella", is also by Rollo.
After our time in the Chiesa a Trullo, our local guide departs, and the group breaks up for lunch. The rain stops, the sun emerges, and we have plenty of time to enjoy a sandwich in the park and explore the Rione Monti.
The trulli are striking and photogenic. The village is so pristine and each home or shop is incredibly well-kept. But there is something antiseptic about the display. Like the Sassi area yesterday, we tourists have managed to take farm sheds and workers' housing and make them something 'bougie'. Still, they are uniquely charming.
We board the bus and drown our tourist guilt in artisanal olive oil at a local agriturismo, Agricola Taurino.
It is dark by the time we arrive in Lecce (pop 94,375 in 2025). But tonight's dinner is at the hotel, and we don't have to travel much further than the lobby which looks out on the Basilica di Santa Croce and the Palazzo dei Celestini (both 16th-17th centuries).
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