Trulli As Tourist Attraction
Today the surviving trulli are popular among English and German tourists and are often bought and restored for general use. However, anyone wishing to restore a trullo needs to conform with many regulations as trulli are protected under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage law.
Since the beginning of the century, a large number of trullo houses have been restored and converted into second homes or self-catering cottages. In 1999, rebuilding a trullo roof would cost about 3 million liras (about 1,500 euros), in 2009 the cost rose up to 15,000 euros.
In late twentieth century, the Monti district in Alberobello was largely a derelict area when a local crafstsman, Guido Antionetta, came up with the idea of buying up a few dozen abandoned trulli, installed in them modern kitchenettes, a few pieces of wooden furniture and cast-iron bedframes with a view to renting them out as mini apartments for the night for less than rooms cost at local hotels. He even painted good luck symbols on the roof of each trullo.
In the Alberobello region, local residents who still live in trulli only do so because they cannot afford to move out or because they provide bed and board for tourists in their trulli.
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