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trullo (plural, trulli)
is a traditional stone building with a conical roof,
unique to the Puglia Region of South Italy. This typical
construction can be found in the territory of the Itria
Valley that includes the towns of Alberobello , Cisternino,
Locorotondo, Ceglie Messapica,
Martina Franca and up to the
coast of Fasano and Ostuni.
Originally, trulli
were built as houses or storehouses. They were all
stone-built, without
other material, and other characteristitc of this
area are the dry-stone walls that divide the properties
and fields.
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Lamia
The same construction style is used to build a Lamia
(plural Lamie), which is
another traditional building of the area. It differs
from the trullo in that it does not
have a conical roof, but is square and flat topped,
with an arched rounded internal ceiling. Very often
trulli have lamie attached. |
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Traditional stone buildings
In order to build the roofs two layers were needed;
an inner layer of limestone and boulders,
capped by a keystone, with an outer layer of overlapping
limestone slates or slabs to make the structure watertight.
The cones used historically to be built directly on
the ground, but now, the majority of the remaining
trulli have cone roofs which are built up from low
vertical walls.
The walls are very thick, keeping
a cool environment during the hot summer, and insulating
them during in the winter.
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Usually under each cone there is one
room, therefore trulli with more
cones have more rooms. Other space may be dug in the
thick walls to create alcova, smaller spaces that
were used as bed rooms for children. Inside a trulli
you would not find doors, as rooms were divided
by curtains hanging from stone arches.
Many trulli
have been restored, providing magical, atmospheric
dwellings for holiday use or as permanent homes. |
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