Alberobello, a fairy-tale town in Puglia

Alberobello is a small, fairy-tale town in the Italian region of Puglia.

I am sure that you are familiar with photos of Trulli, small whitewashed houses with grey conical roofs, surrounded by flowers.
Due to its unique architecture and ancient building techniques, the Trulli of Alberobello were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.

By the way, Alberobello means “a beautiful tree”.
Also, it is one of “I Borghi più belli d’Italia” (“The most beautiful villages of Italy”).

 

 

📌 How to come to Alberobello

Alberobello is situated in the Itria Valley that belongs to the Metropolitan City of Bari, Puglia, in southern Italy.
There are several ways to reach it, depending on your departure point.

♦ By car
The best and most comfortable way to come to Alberobello is by car. You can enter the town by road from the nearby towns, such as Locorotondo, Putignano, and Noci. Check here for several public and private parking lots in Alberobello.

◊ By bus
You can take Flixbus and Marino bus lines from various towns in almost the whole of Italy. All bus lines stop in Via Cavour in Alberobello.

♦ By train
You can reach Alberobello by train from Bari with the Ferrovie del Sud Est trains, on the Bari-Taranto line.
Check here the timetables and destinations by train and bus of Ferrovie del Sud Est.

◊ By air
The nearest airports are Bari and Brindisi. From there, you have to rent a car, or take a bus or train to Alberobello.

We visited Alberobello during an organised trip with the travel agency “Mayak Tours” from Belgrade, in June 2025. Since it was the bus tour, it was easy for us to see Alberobello and several beautiful towns in the Puglia region.
You can read more about them in the following posts.

A few words about the history

Generally, the Itria Valley is known for the trulli, but most of them are situated in Alberobello.

The town was founded at the end of the 14th century. The Count of Conversano, Andrea Matteo III Acquaviva d’Aragona, the owner of the territory, allowed forty peasant families to cultivate the land, with the obligation to give him a part of the crops.

According to the law of the Kingdom of Naples, all villages with permanent structures have to pay a tax. To avoid payment, the houses were built in a way that allowed for easy demolition in the case of an inspection. And that is how the trulli were made. First, it was only 40 trulli, and the settlement was expanded in 1620. According to the decision of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, King of Naples, all taxes and feudal servitude were cancelled in 1797, and the town got the status of a royal city.

And the trulli… they have survived even today 😍

 

 

The trulli of Alberobello

The trulli are rounded whitewashed houses with conical roofs made from stacked stones, without mortar. They represent a dry-stone building tradition, with the self-supporting domes. Originally, they were built as temporary field shelters and storehouses. But, over time, they became permanent dwellings for agricultural families and labourers.

The walls are completely made of limestone and slate. Their thickness is perfectly balanced to ensure optimal warmth in winter and coolness in summer. Originally, the roofs were white, but they became black from the sun over the years.

 

Today, there are about 1.600 trulli in Alberobello. Most of them are transformed into local shops, bars, gelateries, and restaurants. In some of them, people are still living, while others are renting to tourists. There are around 10.237 inhabitants (2022) in the town.

The decorative pinnacles adorn the top of trulli roofs. They are painted with white symbols that have various religious or astrological meanings. Their role is to ward off demons and bring good luck to the inhabitants.

 

📸 What to see in Alberobello in one day

Alberobello is a charming maze of narrow cobblestone streets with white houses and colourful flowers, just like in a fairy tale.
Generally, half a day is enough to see it. You can combine it with visiting other nearby towns or villages, or you can stay and sleep in trulli.

The two main districts of the town are Rione Monti and Rione Aia Piccola.
We started our tour walking Via Indipendenza street, and we came to the square of Largo Martellota.

 

Largo Martellotta

The central square of Alberobello is the Largo Martellotta. It is the best spot to start exploring this unique place.

Largo Martellota is surrounded by trulli, cafes, small restaurants and local artisans’ shops. Usually, it is a place where various events and festivals are held.

 

On the right side of the square, there are stairs that lead to the Church of Saint Lucia and the Belvedere of Santa Lucia. It is also known as the Belvedere of Alberobello.

From this point, there is an amazing panoramic view of the trulli and Rione Monti.

 

Alleys of the Rione Monti

The largest and most famous district is Rione Monti, with about a thousand trulli.
It is located on the southern side of the city.

 

Via Monte Nero

First, we walked into the Via Monte Nero, which looks like a postcard.
Every corner is adorned with flowers and greenery, perfect for taking photos 🤩

 

In Rione Monti, you can find local shops selling various souvenirs and handmade crafts.

There was an interesting message on one of the trulli walls:
“Prendimi la mano e raccontami… che niente e impossibile”.
It means: “Take my hand and tell me… that nothing is impossible”. Hmm, think about it 😍

 

One of the oldest trulli is the Siamese Trulli.
It is the only double trulli building in the town, with two domes and two entrances.
According to legend, these trulli symbolise the story of love, betrayal and hate. Two brothers fell in love with the same woman. She was promised to the elder brother, but she fell in love with the younger brother… Becaouse of this love triangle, the trullo was divided into two parts.

 

Via Monte San Michele

Via Monte San Michele is named after the Archangel Michael. It is filled with small shops and trulli as well.

Some shops or bars have a terrace, which is used only by customers. We bought a trulli magnet in a souvenir shop, and we were pleasantly surprised when the kind lady-owner invited us to climb the stairs to her terrace.

 

From there, there is a fantastic view of Rione Monti and the trulli marked with white symbols.

 

🌶️ One of the most interesting spots is Il Bar Trulletto.
If you want to spice up your life a little, the owner, Enzo Palmisano, will prepare a special Caffè al Peperoncino for you. You can enjoy this coffee with a hint of chilli on their panoramic rooftop terrace.

Besides the spiced coffee, you can try Caffè alla Mandorla (Almond Coffee) or cocktails. Also, you can buy their local products, such as Homemade Chilli Jam, Peperoncello Liqueur, pepperoncini, cheese, local salams, and pepperoncini souvenirs, as well.

 

🌸 At one of the corners of Via Monte San Michele, you can find an interesting passage known as the Vicolo del Antonella or Vicolo Fiorito.
Just make a wish and take a photo, surrounded by white trulli walls and red flowers 💖

 

👒 Via Brigata Regina

Take a walk along the Via Brigata Regina street, near Largo Martellota square.

 

It was interesting to take a walk along the small street filled with shops, bars and local food, looking at the colourful hats hanging above our heads.

 

So, on the right side of the street, you can see a yellow Belvedere sign. Pass through the open doorway and follow the path through the park, Villa Comunale Belvedere Parco. From there, you can see the Rione Monti.

Close to it, there is another interesting doorway, known as the Door View, with a fantastic view of the trulli.

 

Rione Aia Piccola

In a short distance from the east of Rione Monti, you can find the Rione Aia Piccola.

 

It is a much smaller and calmer district, with around 500 trulli. Today, it is exclusively a residential area, without shops and bars.
There, you can find boutique hotels and apartments situated in small trulli as well.

 

Interesting trulli in the Rione Aia Piccola

◊ Casa Dell’Amore had a huge impact on the history of the town. Actually, it was the first house built with mortar in 1797 in Alberobello. The house got its name after its owner, Francesco D’Amore.

◊ The Trullo Sovrano is the only two-storey trullo in the city. It was also built in 1797, as one of the first trulli made with mortar. Today, it houses a Museum with the original furniture from the early 20th century. The admission fee is 2 EUR.

♦ The Museum of the territory “House Pezzolla” is a complex of 15 interconnected trulli. Once, it was the house of the doctor Giacomo Pezzolla. Today it is the City Museum, dedicated to the history, culture and agriculture of Alberobello.

♦ Close to the museum, there is Casa Lippolis, which owes its name to Vitonofrio Lippolis. He was the first archpriest, and he built this house at the end of the 18th century as his private residence.

 

🏠 Churches in Alberobello

Well, it is not surprising that one church is situated in a trullo building!

It is the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua (Parrocchia Sant’Antonio di Padova), located at the top of the hill of Rione Monte. The church was built in 1927, and the traditional dome was replaced by the trullo cone. The interior of the church is simple, with a large fresco above the altar, painted by the famous Apulian artist Adolfo Rollo.

 

The Basilica of Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano is located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It dominates the town with its twin bell towers. The basilica was built in 1782, in the neo-Renaissance style. Santa Cosma is the patron of the town. Every year, on the 26th and 27th of September, Alberobello celebrates the feast of Saints Cosma and Damia, with numerous pilgrims.

The Church of Santa Lucia is located close to the Largo Marcellota, in Piazza Gian Girolamo II D’Acquaviva D’Aragona. It was built in 1823, and it is dedicated to Santa Lucia. Her relics were brought into the church in 1904 from Venice. Near the church, there is the Belvedere Santa Lucia and a small fountain.

 

🛍️ Souvenirs and shopping 

As I have mentioned before, in almost every alley of the Rione Monti, you can find small shops in trulli.
You can buy magnets, various crafts made of wood, stone, ceramics, then clothes and local food.

 

And, of course, various mini replicas of trulli 🙂

 

In a word, anyone can find something interesting for their loved ones and friends, and also for themselves.

 

🍕🍦🍷What to eat and drink in Alberobello

Take a break in some of the wine bars, cafes, and restaurants. You can find them all around Alberobello.

 

Taste various focaccas in “La Lira” focacceria, or Pasqualino, a typical sandwich of Alberobello with tuna, capers, salami, and cheese. Try the delicious flavours of gelato, local wines or caffè al peperoncino in Bar Il Trulletto.
And enjoy the taste of Italian pasta, pizza and local Apulian dishes 🙂

 

🏠 Accommodation in Alberobello

Alberobello can serve as a good base for exploring the nearby towns and villages in Puglia.
And for sure, staying and sleeping in the traditional trulli will be a unique experience.

 

Some of the popular trulli are: Le Alcove Luxury Hotel in Trulli, Trullo Love, Romantic Trulli, Palazzo Scotto, Dimora Palasciano, Trulli Soave, Leonardo Trulli Resort, etc.

The price of an apartment for one night in the historical centre of the town is from 60 EUR to 800 EUR for luxury and bigger apartments. Check all options and find the best accommodation for you.

 

 

What to see close to Alberobello

There are several interesting places to visit near Alberobello.

♦ Locorotondo is a picturesque “round” town, located only 10 km from Alberobello.
◊ Monopoli is another beautiful town with its historical centre, located about 30 km away.
♦ Polignano a Mare, an amazing place with spectacular views of the sea and cliffs, is located about 30 km away.
◊ Martina Franca is renowned for its historic old town, baroque architecture, and exceptional wines.
♦ Cisternino, a charming town with traditional white houses, is located about 25 km away.

 

 

Visit the Trulli of Alberobello

Any time is a good time to visit Alberobello 🤩

The vibrant atmosphere, narrow alleys with trulli, local crafts, a cup of Italian coffee, delicious gelato and pasta are perfect reasons to visit this unique place.

Generally, the best time for a visit is spring and autumn, to avoid the summer heat and crowds. By the way, wear comfortable sneakers or shoes, and forget the high heels, because the cobblestone streets are very slippery.

And when Christmas time comes, Alberobello is transformed into a magical winter fairy tale, with many lights and ornaments.

So, come to visit the stunning trulli of Alberobello, and enjoy your days in beautiful Puglia.

📌 After Alberobello, we continued our journey to another amazing place, Locorotondo.
🤩 Stay tuned for the new story… 👇