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Alberobello is a small town in the province of Bari. It has about 11.000 inhabitants and it is situated in the “Valle d’Itria”, an area between the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto, 416 meters above sea level. It is known worldwide for its  characteristic stone dwelling, the “trulli”, part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1996.

According to some sources, the name refers to the presence of a huge oak in the area; according to other sources the name comes from the Latin Sylva Arboris Belli, meaning an oak trees wood. For a long time it has been thought that the final part of the name, “bello” derived from the Latin bellum ( war), but no evidences support this theory.

The coat of arms is represented by an oak tree surmounted by two flying white doves; to the left of the tree there is a lion, and to the right a medieval warrior, holding a spear in the act of hitting the lion.

Local inhabitants are referred to as alberobellesi.

HISTORY
The first settlements date back to the XIV century in an area called in Latin “Silva Arboris Belli” for it was full of trees. The town was incorporated in the fief of Noci by  the count Andrea Matteo III Acquaviva d’Aragona. His successor, the powerful  Giangirolamo II  called “il Guercio delle Puglie”, gave order to build the houses without using mortar. By doing that the duke avoided paying taxes to the Spanish vice-king of the Reign of Naples. At that time there was a law called Pragmatica de Baronibus, which stated that for each new urban settlement the King of Naples had to bestow his approval and that taxes had to been paid. In 1644 a royal inspection was ordered after a report to the King of Naples made by the duke Caracciolo di Martina Franca. As soon as the count Giangirolamo knew the terrible news, he ordered to the inhabitants of Alberobello to demolish their dwellings. It took only one night to pull down all the trulli. Upon the arrival of the inspectors, they found only stones on the ground. In 1797 the village of Alberobello was granted the status of royal town, thus freeing it from the feudalism.

MONUMENTS AND SIGHTS OF INTEREST 
• Trullo Sovrano
• Trulli Siamesi
• Monti District
• Aia Piccola District
• Territory Museum
• Casa D'Amore
• S.Antonio’s Church
• Santi Medici’s Basilica
• S.Lucia’s Church
• Madonna del Carmine’s Church
• Madonna della Madia’s Church
• Red House
• Monumental Cemetry
• Paparale trullo
• Palazzo Acquaviva
• Monumento ai Caduti (memorial)
• Town Hall
• Curri House