ALBEROBELLO
LOLLY IS TRULY ENCHANTED BY THE TRULLI IN PUGLIA
22nd September:
The Trulli in Puglia are truly unique. I think Lolly would say she enjoyed her greatest treat when the next day, after everyone enjoyed a long lie-in, Graham decided she would benefit from a shorter journey. He drove us in the opposite direction – eastwards, to Alberobello in Puglia (we now say ‘Apulia’ as the Italians do). It was not our (Ushers) first visit to this town, which in a few years has become a tourist trap, due to the streets of ‘trulli’; pretty little mediaeval ‘beehive’ houses. The circular walls are built entirely of stone, with conical roofs topped by finials that suggest a bobble hat. They are unique to that area.
TRULLI MARVELLOUS
The really old ones are still of dry-stone construction, though in Alberobello several have been ‘pointed’ with concrete. Many have been painted white, but in most cases the clean grey rag tiles of the roofs, coiling round and round and diminishing in size as they reach their pinnacle, have been embellished with designs painted in white; many fanciful crosses were evident.
Lolly and I visited the museum and were told that the reason they were built that way was because there was no wood available in ancient times – indeed, apart from the still-precious olives, we saw few trees all day.
Our friend was totally spellbound; I wondered if she imagined herself in some Disney fairyland. While we were sitting outside the Gelato consuming a light lunch I saw workmen busy erecting the lacy arches that deck every South Italian town whenever there is a festival.
Secret enquiries prompted us to plan to take her back to see the procession of the saint if at all possible. This always seems to take place as dusk turns to night when the arches become a blaze of coloured light.
TIP: There are streets and streets of Trulli at the bottom of the town, unlike the area around the cathedral at the top.
DUST BUNNIES
Our euphoria was pricked like a balloon when we finally returned to the Masseria, longing for a cup of tea, only to find that Giuseppe had left open all the doors in our flat for the plumbers. There was concrete dust everywhere, the air thick with it, and the nice new laminated floor crunched with every step. No one was about.
The worst was when Graham received a text message from his new buddy. Giuseppe apologised for the slight mess. We girls were cleared onto the far balcony while Graham set about cleaning up. It took him two and half hours. Giuseppe wisely kept away until the next morning, after Graham sent a terse message saying ‘sometimes sorry isn’t always enough’. This reminded me of the famous line in the film, ‘Love Story’ – ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry.’ Ha. ha. ha!..
If you want to stay in a Trulli then you couldn’t do better than Riposo del Vento – deep in the heart of the Itria Valley, Puglia. (We visit Riposo del Vento in a later post)
Text by – Jackie Usher, SWWJ. (aka author Debbie Darkin, & ‘Graham Liverpool’ on Trip Advisor.)
Photographs by – Graham Usher.
