Where to stay in Alberobello?

Our selection of accommodation in the town of Trulli

If you want to discover Puglia, you'll want to visit the pretty little village of Alberobello, better known as the town of Trulli. A trullo is a type of round building with a conical roof, whose stones are not joined and are covered with lime. These traditional houses are often decorated with a primitive or religious symbol. They are the main attraction of the village of Alberobello, which can be visited in just one day. Originally from the Valle d'Itria, these ancient houses first appeared in the 15th century, and have remained part of the building tradition ever since, since they were an effective way for the town to evade the taxes imposed by the Kingdom of Naples.

The village boasts no fewer than 1,600 trulli, which are divided between 2 areas worth visiting: the Monti district and Aia Piccola.

Monti is Alberobello's most touristic area, and as such offers a wide range of local craft stores, restaurants and hotels or B&Bs where to stay. It's the perfect place to enjoy the authentic experience of staying in a trullo.

Staying in Aia Piccola is also a good idea, especially as it's the most authentic part of the village. Here you'll find the locals living in their own trulli, which are less old-fashioned and therefore less touristy. For this is a village that emphasizes its past. This area will be much less commercial and more spared from massive tourism. So it's a place we recommend if you want to stay there.

We've identified for you 3 major places of interest to see in Alberobello:

• Trullo Sovrano: (or sovereign) This is the largest trullo in the village. Here you'll find period furniture and important information about the village's history.
• Territory Museum: Housed in more than 15 trulli, you'll find information on the traditional life of the locals
• San Antonio Church: housed in a giant trullo built at the turn of the century.

Given the small number of hotels in the village, you'll mainly find guesthouses where to stay. Here's a selection:

Stay in the tourist port of Monopoli

If you'd like to see the Adriatic coast, we can't recommend a trip to the surrounding area, especially Monopoli! Monopoli is an interesting little coastal village, although it's not as distinctive as Alberobello, for example. As it's sheltered from international tourism, it's an area favored by Italians. It's worth noting that the coast is very busy at high tide, making it very difficult to get around the main streets of the village. We therefore recommend that you move away from the main roads and use the secondary ones instead.

You'll appreciate the ubiquitous white stone and the picturesque promenade along the seafront. You'll find numerous boutiques, typical restaurants and countless cafés to liven up your summer evenings. If you're looking for accommodation in this small port, you'll find plenty to choose from, especially in the guest houses that are legion in this part of Puglia. The quality/price ratio is excellent, so it's best to stay in this commune, which will also enable you to visit neighboring towns such as Alberobello, only 25 minutes away by car.

We have identified the major places of interest not to be missed in this charming port city:

• monopoli Castle, Castello Carlo V : a medieval fort flanked by a 16th-century bastion,
• maria Santissima della Madia Cathedral: a magnificent Roman building with a Baroque interior, marble and stucco inlay, well worth a visit,
• porta Vecchia beach: the only beach in a cove bordered by the old town,
• la Scaletta beach: a rocky, white-sand beach with crystal-clear waters to the south of Monopoli.

We've selected a number of hotels and B&Bs to help you stay in this coastal town.

Stay near the Castellana and Locorotondo caves

Less than 20 minutes from Alberobello, you'll find this unmissable and original local attraction! The Castellana caves are among the largest in Italy. You can take advantage of guided tours in French to learn all about this thousand-year-old site of stalactites and stalagmites. The cave stretches for over 3km, with a maximum height of over 120m! If you want to do the whole itinerary, you'll need between 1 and 2 hours on average. The Grotte Blanche (White Cave), where pure alabaster stalagmites contrast with the surrounding polychrome cavities, makes for an exceptional landscape of colored rock.

In Castellana, the caves are the main attraction. However, the white village is just as beautiful and representative of southern Italy. Indeed, like Monopoli and so many other southern Italian towns, you can't help but fall under the spell of this ancient city, which offers visual harmony with its beige monochrome. Here again, you'll find 18th-century buildings, Baroque churches and typical little houses nestling in the old town's narrow streets.

Right next door, you'll find the small town of Locorotondo perched on its hill, whose plateau is known as the "murgia dei Trulli". It's one of Italy's most beautiful villages. Following a circular layout, as indicated by the"rotondo" root of the town's name, you can wander through the narrow streets until you reach the 19th-century Cathedral of St. George. Here you'll see centuries-old paintings by artists of the same period.

We've chosen the best places to stay in these two neighboring towns of Alberobello. These are mainly guest houses and apartments.