Best of Ostuni and Alberobello
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Port
Brindisi (Lecce), Italy
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Activity Level
Strenuous Activity
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At (prices in USD)
$230
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 8 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
The Trulli of Alberobello
The trulli, limestone dwellings found in the southern region of Puglia, 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 neighboring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed or conical roofs built up of corbelled limestone slabs.
The route leading out of Brindisi takes you along the National Highway through the Apulian countryside. Your destination is Ostuni -- the White City.
Ostuni is an ancient city and is located on the southern edge of Murgia, atop a hill and surrounded by high walls. Although its name is thought to derive from the Greek for New City, Ostuni dates back more than two thousand years and is built right over the ruins of the ancient city. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Ostuni underwent a long series of foreign occupations. The Spanish Era was perhaps the city's Golden Age; then came the Habsburgs and bubonic plague. The lime content of the buildings acted as a natural disinfectant, giving rise to the name, the White City. Take a guided tour in Ostuni, and enjoy some free time for photos and souvenirs.
Transfer to a typical farmhouse -- a masseria -- where the owners welcome you for a lunch prepared with home-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, local wine and cacioricotta -- the region's typical homemade cottage cheese.
Take a panoramic drive through the Valle D'Itria, where the landscape is dotted with trulli houses.
In Alberobello the ancient stone trulli houses were once used as animal shelters. Today, they are family cottages and small stores. The houses date back to the 6th and 7th centuries and feature symbols on their cone-shaped roofs that are lit by the sun. There's also a trullo church -- Sant'Antonio -- in Apulian Romanesque style. The trulli architecture is absolutely fascinating. Your guide will give you some free time so that you can walk uphill through the tiny alleys to appreciate the village.
Finally, reboard the coach and drive back to Brindisi.
Please note: Wear comfortable walking shoes. Tour order is subject to change.