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Alberobello
Desaturated
Alberobello was a surprise, in every sense. I didn’t know Francesco had organized this little weekend in the trulli capital. And among the other surprises, there was one in particular that made me really happy, it was an experience That I wanted to have and that is to sleep just a trullo.
The light in Alberobello, seems almost fake, almost made specifically to always make the white walls of the trulli white and make the dark roofs stand out and with a characteristic shape.
The beautiful trullo that houses us is a stone’s throw from the sovereign trullo. Built in 1700 on behalf of a wealthy family, the trullo is very large and is the only one to be structured on two floors. We pay only 1 euro and 50 for the visit and in each room we find a detailed explanation of the environment.
It’s not just its history that impresses but all the recreated décor inside. The simplicity and essentiality of dishes and rooms does not make them less welcoming and functional. Small spaces where nothing is missing, there is everything you need to sleep, cook and even play. We move, but not too much… a few meters from us there is another wonder to visit, the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian. The Cathedral is not only noticeable for its imposing structure but also for its diversity with respect to everything around it.
It seems that what today is an imposing neoclassical basilica, had once been a small country church that was enlarged with the passing of the year until obtaining the current appearance in 1885, thanks to the architect Antonio Curri. The center of Alberobello is truly unique. An expanse of trulli that powerfully imposes itself on the whole landscape. Trulli line quiet lanes this season where few cars pass by from time to time.
There are still many tourists who look as curious as we do these little ports and look for the most panoramic point from which to take a wonderful photo. The children have a lot of fun, we listen to them and they make us smile when we hear that they seem to walk among the houses of the Smurfs. Yet it is so strange, the trulli are wonderful and so characteristic but you can not help but think about their history. The trulli were born as a cattle depot but when the king of Naples decided to impose yet another tax, this time on the house, then the trulli turned into real dwellings. These houses included at the base a large water cistern, the limestone blocks that were extracted to build the cistern, were then processed in order to form blocks that served to build the rectangular base. Due to the law on mortar imposed by the King of Naples, it was not used to assemble blocks and dry masonry was used. The typical cone roof consisted of two layers: stones and limestone slabs, then painted with mostly religious signs. Finally, the decorative pinnacle was a kind of signature of the master trullaro.
Of this great UNESCO heritage, it is also part of the Siamese trullo that of course we do not get lost. These were originally two separate trulli that were united over time. This is because families tended to build nearby trulli: grandparents, parents and children therefore all lived together in a kind of small neighborhood. The gray sky makes the narrow streets that cross the trulli look like they are snowy, it all looks so white, delicate, magical. In some alleys there is an almost strange silence, no voices or footsteps are heard and for a moment it seems to be in an enchanted place. Then suddenly the color of the flowers, breaks the continuity of white, the voices, the laughter of the children and the sound of the shots of the cameras and mobile phones return. Noise of dishes and dishes, scent of orecchiette and wine, the restaurants are preparing to welcome the guests of Alberobello for lunch, so we take advantage of it for a quiet view of the Church in Trullo di Sant’Antonio.
Due to the law on mortar imposed by the King of Naples, it was not used to assemble blocks and dry masonry was used. The typical cone roof consisted of two layers: stones and limestone slabs, then painted with mostly religious signs. Finally, the decorative pinnacle was a kind of signature of the master trullaro. Of this great UNESCO heritage, it is also part of the Siamese trullo that of course we do not get lost. These were originally two separate trulli that were united over time. This is because families tended to build nearby trulli: grandparents, parents and children therefore all lived together in a kind of small neighborhood. The gray sky makes the narrow streets that cross the trulli look like they are snowy, it all looks so white, delicate, magical. In some alleys there is an almost strange silence, no voices or footsteps are heard and for a moment it seems to be in an enchanted place. Then suddenly the color of the flowers, breaks the continuity of white, the voices, the laughter of the children and the sound of the shots of the cameras and mobile phones return. Noise of dishes and dishes, scent of orecchiette and wine, the restaurants are preparing to welcome the guests of Alberobello for lunch, so we take advantage of it for a quiet view of the Church in Trullo di Sant’Antonio.
We are in the Monti di Alberobello district and this church is its symbol. beautiful outside, very particular but also the interior, particularly suggestive with the great fresco of Christ Pantocrator. Why did we choose this time to define Alberobello as desaturated? It’s actually an adjective that popped into our minds while we were working on postproduction of the photos taken. There was not much work needed, the colors of these photos were not altered and seem almost desaturated, as if some monochrome filter had been used. Yet these are the colors of Alberobello on a January day… perfect and unique, like this marvel UNESCO World Heritage Site, as always all Italian.
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