Alberto: The fairy village in Bari, Italy

It is full of villages and cities that stand out for their unique beauty and architecture of buildings. One of these cities, which looks like it has come out of a fairy tale, is the Alberto, which is also widely known as “the capital of the Trouls”. This city is located in the province of Bari, in Apulia, in southeastern Italy. Thousands of visitors flock to the site in order to admire the small limestone and stone buildings with conical, pyramidal or vaulted roofs, which are known as domes (trulli). The domes are structures with the art of dry stone, i.e. only from stone and without the use of other construction materials, composing a magnificent image. Walking through the picturesque alleys, visitors have the opportunity to find themselves in the neighborhoods with churches and white houses that are tight, one next to the other. In fact, some of the houses bear white painted symbols on their stone roofs, (sun, birds, cross, heart) that have mainly religious or allegorical character, something like the signature of their craftsmen. In addition, several merchants have converted certain houses into souvenir shops of all kinds, but also with traditional handicrafts such as ceramics, baskets, fabrics and typical terracotta whistles of Apulia. The origin of the toponym Alberto is controversial. According to the first version, the name comes from the Latin “arbor belli”, i.e. “the tree of war”. This tree was an oak of imposing dimensions and unusual beauty preserved until 1830 and emerged as a sacred symbol due to religious, political and administrative conflicts in Apulia. Some sources, however, say the name is attributed to the geographic point and location of the city. As evidenced by a series of documents the original name of the city was Silva Alborelli, but due to errors in the transfer of the name ended up in Arbor Belli (Arbor Belli, “War Tree”) and Silva Arboris Belli (Silva Arboris Belli, “War Tree Forest”). During the years, the primitive Alborelli (Alborelli) gradually converted into Albor-b-elli (Albor-b-elli) and eventually to Alberobello (“beautiful tree”) by highlighting the beauty of these trees (a oak tree). The history of the typical buildings is associated with a decree of the Kingdom of Naples in the 15th century. Their construction technique is similar to that with which the primitive huts of prehistoric times were constructed. In particular, they were constructed without mortar to serve as temporary shelters and warehouses, but also as a permanent residence by micro-owners of land, workers and farmers. The reason they preferred such structures was to avoid taxation from the Kingdom of Naples, since very easily the buildings could be demolished and rebuilt. Finally, it is worth noting that the Trouls of Alberobello are considered one of the best sets of stone structures in Europe and have been included, since December 6, 1996, in the UNESCO World Heritage List.