The Itria Valley is among the most beautiful areas to visit in Italy. Rich in history, culture, tourist destinations and restaurants where you can taste the typical dishes, it offers a long series of places where you can admire testimonies of the past and spend a few hours, or a few days, in a truly unforgettable atmosphere.
One of the most characteristic cities of this area is Alberobello, famous for its trulli, the typical houses that have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1996. Made entirely of stone, with domed roofs and round shape, they attract the attention of visitors from all over the world.
But Alberobello is not only trulli, on the contrary; there are many other things to see and admire, so much so that you must necessarily be involved in any self-respecting travel itinerary.
Minor Basilica Pontifical Sanctuary Parish SS. Medici Patroni
The Basilica Minor Pontifical Sanctuary Parish SS. Medici Patroni is dedicated to the patron saints Medici Cosma and Damiano, whose worship was introduced in 1636 by Count Giangirolamo II. The building, in neoclassical style, dates back to the nineteenth century; it has two bell towers and contains numerous relics, including those of Saints Cosmas and Damian.
Borgo Aia Small and Belvedere Santa Lucia
Among the various villages that make up Alberobello stands out the Aia Piccola, which contains 400 trulli divided into narrow streets. The most characteristic point is the Belvedere di Santa Lucia, from which you can admire a breathtaking view over the historic center.
Parish of Saint Anthony of Padua
The Parish of Saint Anthony of Padua, built at the beginning of the twentieth century, takes back in its structure the features of trulli, with the classic conical shape for the dome and a bell tower over 18 meters high. Inside there are the relics of Saint Anthony of Padua and the statues of Saint Rita of Cascia and Saint Joseph.
Rione Monti
The Rione Monti is the oldest district of Alberobello, as well as the most visited. Here, in fact, there are more than a thousand trulli and the area is part of the Unesco World Heritage Site. Not only that, because the Rione Monti is also the commercial part of the city, full of shops and characteristic products.
Trullo Sovereign Court of Papa Cataldo
The Trullo Sovrano is so called because of its size: a building of 14 meters high in Piazza Sacramento and dating from the second half of the eighteenth century. Owned by the Perta family, to which Don Cataldo belonged, it then became the seat of a brotherhood and then passed, in 1994, into the hands of the City to become a museum.
Casa Pezzolla
In the center of Alberobello is the largest complex of continuous and communicating trulli, called Casa Pezzolla, divided into two different types of buildings: the first overlooks Piazza XXVIII Maggio and is spread over two floors, the second is more ancient and original.
Trulli Siamesi
The Trulli Siamesi consist of a stepped structure, without windows, with a double shape: despite the trulli are attached to each other, each has its own entrance. Inside, therefore, it is possible to distinguish two different structures connected by an ancient door.
What (other) to see in Valle d’Itria
In Valle d’Itria there is not only Alberobello, indeed, the places to visit and discover are really numerous:
Locorotondo
Locorotondo takes its name from its round shape, which revolves around the center where, instead of trulli, there are houses with pitched roof covered with chiancarelle (cummerse). Walking through its streets means immersing yourself in a bucolic atmosphere, and then arrive on the characteristic promenade: despite the name, the village is not located on the sea but nestled between mountains and hills rich in olive trees, trullu and farms.
Foto : unsplash
Martina Franca
Martina Franca, because of its shape, makes you think of everything but a simple village: it is large and spacious, although most of its beauties are all concentrated in its historic center. It is here that the famous Baroque triumphs, especially in the Basilica of San Martino, in the arcades, in the Doge’s Palace, in the Porta di Santo Stefano and in Piazza Maria Immacolata.
Cisternino
Among the most beautiful villages in Italy, Cisternino is a blaze of vitality and joy, as well as an ideal destination for all those who love good traditional food: here, in fact, there are the “stoves”that is, inns where you cook practically at any time of the day and in particular meat dishes. And to digest, you can head to Piazza Garibaldi to enjoy a simply unique view.
Ostuni
A beautiful white jewel a few kilometers from the sea: this is Ostuni, a village structured in concentric circles that surround the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, with side alleys, rustic steps and wonderful corners to immortalize.
Bosco delle Pianelle
Among the last large reserves in Puglia, the Regional Nature Reserve Bosco delle Pianelle hosts rare vegetation, peonies, wild orchids, hornbeam, strawberry tree, hawthorn and mastic. Its paths can be covered on foot or by bicycle and you can make excursions, birdwatching and cycling.
The Castellana Caves, housed in the homonymous village, consist of a temple of caves, rooms and corridors full of stalactites and stalagmites. Of karst origin, they date back to about 90 million years ago and were discovered only in 1938.
Summing up, the reasons to book a holiday in Valle d’Itria and in particular in Alberobello are so many that you can not absolutely resist!
Copertina: Unsplash
