Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca

Morning at our Trulli

We have a very comfortable night however the property rooster wakes us up very early.

In the morning, the light is perfect for taking a picture of the front of our trulli. Click here for a bit more info about trulli buildings . 

The owner of the property has over 20 outdoor cats. I am more excited about the chickens than the cats. Louise, John and I go to the chicken pen and I play my rooster ring tone. Much excitement ensues with the rooster but the chickens seem mostly curious. Click here for a short video.

Alberobello 

After a leisurely breakfast we head out on the country roads to Alberobello which is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its trulli houses. The houses and walls are built without mortar. Some of the houses predate the Roman period but most here are 300-400 years old. The white markings on the roofs are a mix of Christian and pagan symbols to offer protection for the inhabitants.

The sky is overcast…which is a blessing. The temperature is very comfortable.

The town is totally charming (but very touristy). There are over 1,000 protected trulli in just the Rione Monte area of the town. It is like being in a hilly hobbit village. It is like a movie set. The buildings are free to enter because most are souvenir shops or restaurants. Most have cushioned the top of the doorways so that people don’t hit their heads (as Lance did in our trulli).

The streets are filled with cats and the sky with swallows.

Locorotondo 

Locorotondo is just a fifteen minute drive away from Alberobello. Lance does an amazing job navigating through the narrow streets. It can be quite nerve wracking at times. 

Locorotondo is called “the most beautiful borgo in Italy” and is situated on a hill overlooking the Itria Valley. It’s less touristed than Alberobello. Locorotondo means round place as the town is very circular.

The centre is filled with small white round roofed trulli built in rings and bright flowers are blooming everywhere you look. There are lots of cute restaurants, a large church and shops. It is great to explore the narrow, streets, draped in hanging bags that light up at night which I am sure would be gorgeous.

We head to the park which has a fabulous view over the surrounding countryside. Click here for a short video.

Older men sit on benches under shady trees socializing during the afternoon.

We are still not hungry yet so we head to the town of Martina Franca which is another fifteen minute drive.

Martina Franca

Martina Franca  is filled with baroque architecture and history starting from the 900ADs. This town is also white washed.

Right in the middle of the old town is the stunning Basilica di San Martino, located on Piazza Roma; it’s facade showing off the very best of baroque embellishments. With the sun blazing on it, it leaves me breathless. We head to the Piazza Maria Immacolata for lunch with a view. Click here for a short video of the piazza.

We order a pizza each. They are thin crusted and huge. I swore I wasn’t going to over-eat on this vacation but…

Louise and I roll out of the restaurant before John and Lance. We head back to Piazza Roma on our way to the Basilica. We are giggling away at how full we are (or maybe it’s the litre of wine we had with lunch).

I see a couple. He is taking a picture of his wife. I offer to take a picture of the two of them. It turns out that they are from Spain. We have a little chat where I demonstrate my vast grasp of the Spanish language. They offer to take a picture of us. Louise and I pose for at least a minute before we realize that neither of us gave them our phone to take the photo. After they leave, we are laughing so hard that tears run down our face. By the time the guys join us, we are still laughing. Even in the basilica we continued to fight the giggles.

During the rest of the afternoon we continue to explore this beautiful city. We are all pretty tired and still full by the time we return to our trulli for a little siesta time before supper.