Trullo - History

History

There are many theories behind the origin of the design. One of the more popular theories is that due to high taxation on property the people of Puglia created dry wall constructions so that they could be dismantled when inspectors were in the area.

In available historical records from the mid-14th century to the late 16th century, the area of Alberobello is referred to mostly as a selva (i.e. "forest") and occasionally as a land from which grazing animals were excluded. Evidence is lacking as to the existence of dwellings in the area prior to the 17th century.

A Plan of the Territory of Mottala drawn by Donato Gallerano in 1704 reveals the existence of a nucleus of trulli in the midst of a large wood, making up the initial settlement of Arbore bello.

In a geographical map drawn by Giovanni Antonio Rizzi Zannoni in 1808, one can see the selva of Alberobello and, in the midst of it, a clearing with a settlement of scattered houses that bears a striking resemblance to the present-day urban pattern.

In an 1897 photograph of the rione Monti (the district of the Mounts), the trulli are far less densely packed than today, being surrounded by enclosed gardens.

The urban trulli still extant in Alberobello today date from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. After having undergone a process of densification in the first decades of the 20th century, the trulli settlements started being deserted in the second half of the 20th century.

The rural trulli, on cheaper land, ceased to be built when the cost of labour began to rise in the twentieth century. The sheer expense of handling the hundreds of tons necessary for a single house became prohibitive.