La Storia di Alberobello
"LE CASEDDE " TIMELESS CONSTRUCTION WITH A CONE HAT
The " casedde " as they are popularly called Trulli Valle d' Itria, are really timeless buildings in a fairy-tale landscape that enchants for its geometries made of trulli , stone walls, vineyards and olive groves.
A closer look just observe the trulli of fairytale characters with their white hat , and they are there to remind the determination and tenacity of man to turn in his favor adverse environmental conditions, to transform stone , which once flourished in the hilly area altosalentino , from negative factor as an obstacle to positive factor in cultivation of raw materials for the terraces , for dry stone walls and the construction of their homes .
Until the fifties , the trulli was the building type of our countryside , its construction cost one third that a brick house . Today it is not so, but we are seeing a recovery and restoration of the ancient trulli and even , for new building in Trullo with new " builders " with passion and commitment handed down from the ancient art of " trullaro " under the careful guidance of Arzilli " young " masters seventy.
I Trulli (from the greek late τρουλλος dome ) are old stone buildings "dry" , conical , of proto-historic origins , but in spite of the areas of development of the trulli are found around the towns of prehistoric times , or foundations of stone huts dating the Bronze Age, there are no particularly ancient trulli : this is justified by the fact that rather than provide for the repair of the same in the event of disruption , it is preferred to tear it down and rebuild it for economic reasons, reusing the material. The oldest trulli which we trace remains today were built in the sixteenth century near the promontory of the Apulian Murgia .
The trulli , of circular plan , are built with stones collected and modeled so as to create a kind of tile ; may be composed of a simple compartment , or from multiple environments , which are typically added by budding around the central compartment. Are habitable only on the ground floor , but below they may be formed of the tanks to store rainwater .
The thick walls of the trulli were all built using a special technique of overlapping stones and very often were equipped with a cavity , where it was placed in the soil , to keep the interior cool in summer and warm in winter . These are surmounted by a pseudo- dome ( ie a series of horizontal plates arranged in steps falling upwards ) , constituted by a double layer of limestone : one internal , of rocks , and the other external , of plates, frequently adorned with decorations esoteric character , spiritual or superstitious .
It is thought that initially the entire construction was constituted solely by the dome , but nowadays there are no confirmations or denials in this sense . The apex of each trullo is placed a stone, which appears to be the keystone of cone cover , besides having an ornamental function.
I Trulli have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Some building types present on the Murgia of Trulli North - OccidentaleIl promontory of the Murgia , full of stones and limestone formations , gave the possibility to the ingenious builders of the time to design these buildings .
The most important area is represented by the Trulli Valle d' Itria. Here, the town of Alberobello (BA) , having an entire city area built with these buildings , is in effect the "Capital of the Trulli ." Other areas of particular importance are represented by the surrounding countryside of Locorotondo (BA ) Martina Franca (TA ), Cisternino , Ostuni, Ceglie and Fasano ( BR ) . Similar structures are also present in the northern promontory of the Murgia , in the areas of Monopoli and Polignano a Mare (Bari ), these buildings closest to the beach and used for other purposes, have obvious different architectural details .
Even in the North-Bari , in the North - Western Murgia , are found numerous buildings in Trullo . These were mainly used , by the shepherds , as temporary shelters . Some are of very fine , others much easier .
For the construction of the Apulian ripica structure were used limestone of the place, the use of which involving their removal from the fields, where it prevented the cultivation. To this must be the existence of many types of construction , which depending on the type of stone found ( in chianca , round, more or less easy to work, etc. . ) , Also vary within a few kilometers.
The trullo was a typical rustic building , where the Butted , the one who cultivated the land of his master , he could have a bed to sleep and keep tools of the field. The children used to sleep in alcoves carved with niches in the wall and separated from the main by curtains.
Some wooden beams, which are still visible today in the trulli , had no structural function but served rather to hang the food and supplies , keeping them off the ground (often the floor, clay, was shared by people and pets ) .
It is thought that once the Trulli were used to evade the payment of taxes on homes. There are various theories about it. One of these states that the Trulli were used to communicate via smoke signals the arrival of any controls , in that case were literally blown off , waiting to be rebuilt once the danger had passed .
A popular rumor has it that as we approach the coming of the master who applied for payment of duty for the residence in the ground, Cozzari enough to pull off a single stone to bring down the whole building , making it appear all as a simple pile of stones .
I Trulli have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.