Puglia - The journey

Richard:Unmistakable elements of the city's skyline are the two bell towers of the Saints Cosma & Damian's church. The monument, one of most important of the city, lays on the northern side of the hystorical center. The present structure of the church date back to 1885, a work of the most notorious architect of Alberobello, Antonio Curri. The church is linked to the Saint's ritual, in fact inside you can find the two wooden statues (1782 and 1784) and the reliquary containing some bones fragments of the Saints. The project by architect Antonio Curri, was led across the years until was finished only in 1914. The only unfinished element of the project was the majestic dome at the centre of the latin cross shape. During the 26th and the 27th of September occurs the celebration of the Saint's city holiday, that summons a crowd of pilgrims from the nearby towns, and as tradition claims, they travel the entire route by foot.

Richard:These curious conical-roofed whitewashed structures, clustered in pockets of Puglia like wild fungi, are an icon of the region. In fact, this peaceful part of southern Italy is the only place they have ever existed. It is to view Puglia's finest and largest concentration of trulli which brings people to Alberobello, a town of just over 10,000 people. As one of the ‘must do’ items on everyone’s itinerary, the town has inevitably become a little overcrowded with daytrippers and tour groups, but it can still be enjoyed if you visit early and with your expectations managed. Here’s our guide on how to get the most out of your time in Alberobello, including things to see, where to park and where to stay if you want to visit for more than a day trip. Alberobello Puglia Italy Things to Do A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TRULLI In the words of Unesco, which declared Alberobello a World Heritage site in 1996, the easily recognisable trulli (the singular form is trullo) are: “remarkable examples of drywall (mortarless) construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region. The trulli are made of roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed or conical roofs built up of corbelled limestone slabs.” But, how did these unique buildings come to be in Puglia? Well, as with many pivotal moments in history, it’s all to do with tax and money. In the 1500's, the Acquaviva family, the local rulers within the feudal system, wanted to avoid paying property taxes to the King. They ordered local peasants to build their houses and dwellings without mortar so that, in the event of a royal inspection, the structures could quickly and easily be taken down, and the tax bill would remain low. Using local limestone and some ingenious building techniques, the local population created the trulli, many of which remain standing today (a double achievement given their purpose was to be easy to dismantle!). So far, so good - for the ruling family that is. You can imagine how Puglian peasants, who had to tear their house down whenever an inspection was on the horizon, were less happy with the situation. Fast forward to the 1700s and, after several petitions from discontented citizens about the ongoing treatment and rule by the Acquaviva family, the King granted their wish to become a ‘royal’ town, and therefore free from the whims (and tax-dodging preferences) of their feudal lords. After this decree, unsurprisingly, there was less reason for trulli to be built. However, they stand today as a testament to the lengths the powerful will go to keep their wealth, and the perseverance and resourcefulness of the powerless to make the best of their situation. These days the majority of Alberobello’s residents don’t reside in trulli. Instead, the the town's 1,500+ wonderfully preserved and restored trulli ihave evolved into souvenir shops, restaurants and, of course, accommodation for visitors looking for a unique experience.

Richard:Marco and I came here once and loved it :) Simple but good Ristorante La Cantina is located in the cellar of a building designed in the 19th century by prominent Italian architect Antonio Curri. It’s a cozy restaurant which offers simple, straightforward, delicious dishes crafted from local produce and inspired by traditional recipes: think tagliolini pasta with mushrooms and chestnuts, or fricelli pasta with saffron and capocollo. A wine list featuring over 50 local and national selections perfectly complements Ristorante La Cantina’s cuisine.

Richard:Trattoria Terra Madre is a charming restaurant that grows many ingredients directly on-site. Located in a beautiful trulli just off the lovely Piazza Sacramento, the restaurant’s culinary focus is simple, regionally rustic food full of locally grown flavor. Combine savory options like stuffed artichokes, handmade strascinati pasta with broccoli, anchovies and breadcrumbs with desserts including crumble cake with farm-fresh ricotta and chocolate chips.

Richard:Located in a former mill dating back to the 1700s, Casa Nova Il Ristorante delights diners with its signature traditional Puglia cuisine. Start with tempting antipasto like pureed fava beans topped with chicory or zucchini alla Poverella, followed by dishes including orecchiette pasta with tomato and ricotta cheese, or oven-baked lamb served with potatoes. All dishes are complemented by a fantastic range of locally sourced wines from the Puglia region.

Richard:The true story of the Pasqualino, the typical sandwich of Alberobello One of the most interesting traditions, in a certain way hidden in Alberobello, is the one of so called "Pasqualino" sandwich, appears for the first time in 1966. This is one of those customs, that live hidden into a community, learned and shared by word of mouth and only recently, some groceries and some guides started to advertise. At first glance, the ingredients may not convince. A sandwich, usually a rosetta or turtle bread type and, precisely in this order: tuna fish, capers, salami and cheese. But once you taste it, you can understand why it became so popular among the locals. From the original ingredients, many modifications has been introduced by shop keepers and clients. Such as the pickles, added soon later by the shop keeper Ninuccio Neglia of the grocery "Muzzett", in the so called "mixed sandwiches", and nowadays "officially" added to the ingredientsof the "Pasqualino". Until it is made also with, mushrooms in oil or with mix of cold cuts cubes in oil, or such as variants with other kind of cold cuts. But the original recipe, you can order it in every cold cuts counter, where, even if it's not advertised, almost as responding to a password, anyone will be able to serve it. But where is born and who invented the "Pasqualino" sandwich? The shared opinion is that the "inventor" was Pasquale Dell'Erba, owner of a grocery once located between Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Cesare Battisti. It is true that both the name and the first spread of the sandwich, are attributable to Pasquale Dell'Erba, however, it seems that in front of his grocery, used to meet a small group of friends: Carlo Fasano, Mimmo Giliberti and Nicola Liuzzi. Well informed, very close to Pasquale Dell'Erba, tells that was precisely this group of friends to start the habit to ask a sandwich with this unusual mix of ingredients, and from them, started the the habit "to have a Pasqualino" as it's said now and lasts still. Pasquale dell'Erba, inventor of the Pasqualino sandwich © Copyright Alberobello.comPasquale dell'Erba, inventor of the Pasqualino sandwich © Copyright Alberobello.com The grocery of Pasquale Dell'Erba, was located just on the path of the students, who used to go to the Agrarian school, just behind the St. Medics Basilica. Those students, every morning, used to buy a sandwich for their recreation time. Pasquale Dell'Erba started to offer the "Pasqualino" for all the students. The recipe was winning, a cheap sandwich but rich of ingredients. The demand raised to the point that the time needed to prepare them wasn't anymore enough. Pasquale Dell'Erba so begun to prepare them a good quantity already in the early morning, with the help of his brother-in-law Mimino Dormio, and offering them like this, already prepared and wrapped, into a chest placend on the counter. The student just had to pick up one and pay. This habit, to prepare a chest of "Pasqualino" sandwiches, spread out to the other groceries, lasted until the end of the '90. Since then, the recipe has been preserved from grocery to grocery, so that nowadays you can just ask a "Pasqualino", in any counter of the town, to be immediately understood. But only in Alberobello.