I’m not sure there is much to say about Alberobello, the intensely touristy Puglian town famous for the world’s largest concentration of Trulli — the curious and ancient stone huts with conical stone roofs — because it speaks for itself. Yes, it’s touristy and full of junky tourist shops. Yes, it’s still worth a visit because the trulli are just so fascinating. J. R. R. Tolkien must have visited Alberobello, because the trulli do seem to be an inspiration for Hobbit housing (though the doors aren’t round).
What did surprise us is that while the greatest concentration of trulli occurs in Alberobello, they dot the landscape all over the Valle d’Itria. They are charming, sweet, and somehow incredibly domestic — which of course is just the sense Tolkien wanted to convey about the homeland of Bilbo, Froddo, and the rest.
