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THE TRULLO OF ALBEROBELLO

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE

B.ARCH | SEM V | DYUTHI PRAKASH | ASHRITHA CATHERINE | ANOKHA CHARLES

il trulloHow did they come about?

Location -

Specific to the Itria Valley in the Italian region of Puglia. Trulli are found extensively in Alberobello, Bari region. and in

Locorotondo, Fasano, Ostuni, Cisternino, Martina Franca and Ceglie Messapica.

Geology-

As it is located in the Murge Valley of Italy, Winter rains drain through the soil into fissures in the strata of limestone bedrock, andflow through underground watercourses into the Adriatic.

In the 15th Century, Trulli were born out of oppression and a quest for a hideaway and temporariness.

The rulers of Alberobello, the Counts of Conversano, ordered the people to build trulli from dry stone and in a conical shape so that they could avoid paying taxes on their land to

Due to no permanent surface water, we had to devise ways of storing water. Hence we decided to build underground cisterns, which is where the construction of our trullo begins. Now we

MAP OF PUGLIA, ITALY

ALBEROBELL

Joseph, an Italian farmer lives with his sheep and chickens in his private Trullo.

HOW IS IT HEATED AND COOLED? Extremely difficult to heat during winter.

Inside, the walls were often rendered with lime plaster and whitewashed as protection against drafts but even so, the thick stone walls and dome of thetrullo, which were pleasantly cool in the summer, tended to become unpleasantly cold during the winter months, condensing the moisture given off by cooking and breathing and making it difficult to feel warm even in front of the fire.

The trulli that were used as dwellings all had an open fireplace with a fluebuilt into the masonry and a stone-built chimney stack which rose high abovethe roof. Because of their design, they are extremely difficult to heat.

WHAT ABOUT LIGHTING? Many Trulli only had a doorway built into the outside walls making them

extremely dark inside. Some trullos had their outside walls raised so that their cones were hidden from view, making them look like ordinary houses.

PLANNING AND AGGREGATION Sometimes an individual Trullo was completely circular and would have been

used as a temporary agricultural shelter.

Outer Layer

Inner Layer

Construction begins by digging this cistern.

The roof of the cisternforms the floor.

The cavity between the two walls is filled with small

SECTION THROUGH A TYPICAL TRULLO

They are also grouped in a square, with three, four or five Trullis, a single room under each conical roof used as a bedroom, kitchen and animal shelter. There was often additional living space in arched alcoves where children might sleep behind curtains. Some trullis had their outside walls raised so that their cones were hidden from view, making them look like ordinary houses.

This typical trulli organisaton has two families living together. One module is highlighted below and shows six major areas

1. LIVING AREA- Dining Table, Television and Sofa

2. KITCHEN3. MASTER BEDROOM4. GUEST BEDROOM 5. TOILET6. KIDS’ BEDROOM

This particular trulli also

features an outdoor pool

MASTER BEDROOM

LIVING

KITCHEN

BEDROOM

OUTDOOR POOL

Do the people of Alberobello follow a religion? If so, how does it affect their living spaces?

Puglia has been influenced by many cultures who have tried to conquer a position to enjoy the benefits between the West and the East. You will find religious buildings in the Byzantine style,

Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque. Catholicism is followed here. They don’t particularly have an altar or an idol at home, instead

it is displayed on their roofs with the help of symbols.

What is the most popular festival in which the residents of Alberobello find leisure? Is it enjoyed on the outside or inside of the Trullo?

Trulli Symbols: These symbols have

religious or mystical significance and were meant to protect the inhabitants.

Such symbols may include Christian symbols such as a simple cross, a cross on a heart pierced by an arrowrepresenting Santa Maria Addolorata, i.e. Our Lady of Sorrows

A circle divided into four quarters with the letters S,C,S,D are more likely the initialsof Santo Cosma and Santo Damiano, the two saints the local basilica is dedicated to, and quite a few others.

It also enables thelocals to personalise their dwellings.

Putignano Carnival - January 16th

The carnival is celebrated as the rebirth and revival of the earth, through propitiatory

rituals for fertility and the abundance of the harvest.

As seen in the pictures, the Carnival is a festival where the entire town is out on the streets and nobody is left in their houses. Hence it is a time where the interior living space is inactive.

In an interview with Joseph, the farmer, we ask him about his marriageand the traditions that were incorporated. With a dreamy look, he replies…

How do eating habits affect the living space inside a Trullo? The dining area is the intermediate between the kitchen and the

living area, and the kitchen is primarily open plan and not

f

Well, I tied the knot in abeautiful setting between my trullo and my neighbour’s. So it was very private. But most weddings are held in one of the two beautiful churches in Alberobello

closed, hence, ventilation is not obstructed.

Typical dairy products include a huge variety of wonderful treatsthat go from the Gioia del Colle mozzarella to the soft giuncata cheese made with either goat or sheep’s milk.

REFERENCES

http://grantourismotravels.com/2010/06/01/the-trulli-of-alberobello-and-living-like-locals-in-puglia/

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1390

www.alberobelloexperience.it/2014/05/alberobello-experience-tradizioniil-dialetto/?lang=en

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trullo

http://www.understandingitaly.com/puglia-content/trulli.html

http://buildatrulli.blogspot.ae/search?updated-max=2012-01-16T20:01:00Z&max-results=7

http://www.masseriacostanza.it/DaVisitare.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUOOzp4wFAI#t=197