Alberobello - Capital of the Trulli, Italy (166/418)

Alberobello - Capital of the Trulli, Italy (166/418)

The Trulli, limestone dwelling houses in the southern Italian region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of drywall (mortarless) construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region. These structures, dating from as early as the mid 14th century, were constructed using roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed, or conical roofs built up of corbelled limestone slabs. Although rural Trulli can be found throughout the Itria Valley, their highest concentration is in the town of Alberobello, where there are over 1500 structures in the quarters of Monti and Aja Piccola.