Romantic three-day getaway in Alberobello

From Bari to Alberobello, it takes just over an hour. Every time we go, I tell my wife, "Why don't we come more often?" This time, we took three full days. No fixed plans, just the idea to relax and explore slowly. No rush, no tourist lines: just us, the car, and some sunshine. Of course, our smartphones came along... 😃

We started in the heart of Alberobello. As soon as we arrived, we dove into Rione Monti. Stone streets, white trulli packed together, cone roofs with pinnacles like old hats. My wife took tons of photos for Instagram. I just looked around, thinking how clever those 1500s farmers were. They built such solid and simple-looking houses.

We visited Casa Pezzolla, which is actually the Museo del Territorio. It was the old home of Dr. Giacomo Pezzolla, a doctor for the Acquaviva counts in the 1700s. Restored by the town in the '90s, it has 15 connected trulli. It's unique worldwide and protected by UNESCO. Inside, you find amazing stories about Alberobello's origins. There are displays on agriculture like viticulture and wheat. You also learn how trulli were built without mortar. It shows daily life back then with reconstructed farm furniture, real tools, and panels about the surrounding area, like the Selva or Coreggia. It's not huge, but it's captivating.

After touring Casa Pezzolla, we headed straight to the Trullo Sovrano. It's the highlight of northern Alberobello, behind the Church of Saints Cosma and Damiano. My wife had seen recent photos on Instagram and wanted to return.

It's the largest and most impressive trullo in town. A two-story giant (the only one like it in Alberobello) with a central conical dome rising about 14 meters. It towers over a group of twelve smaller cones. Built in the early 1700s for the priest Cataldo Perta's family, it actually has an older core from the early 1600s. It acts like a "bridge" between the old dry-stone technique (without mortar) and the new mortar solutions that came later.

For dinner, we had something simple: handmade orecchiette with fresh tomato and extra virgin olive oil. Genuine stuff, no frills. Then we headed to Locorotondo for a glass of white wine, a view of the valley, and no work thoughts.

On the second day, we woke up early for the Grotte di Castellana. Entering changes your perspective: darkness, 90% humidity, and a constant 15 degrees (a sweater is a must, or you'll shiver). Stalactites and stalagmites everywhere - the Owl, the Alabaster Waterfall, the Leaning Tower of Pisa... names that seem made up but are real. My wife was a bit tense at first (going underground was my idea 😁), but soon she was excitedly pointing everything out.

To recover, we went up to the Loggia di Pilato: endless views of the coast, olive trees everywhere. Then down to the Selva di Fasano - a forest of holm oaks and pines, clean air filling your lungs, villas scattered here and there. A slow, refreshing walk, perfect for shaking off the grotto tension.

Third day, Ostuni, the White City. You park below (paid) and walk up: narrow uphill alleys, white arches, flowered balconies, laundry waving in the sun. The Co-Cathedral suddenly appears with its giant rose window. From the high walls, you see the sea and the olive plain. It was already hot, so we headed to the coast. A beautiful free beach. Torre Pozzella. Free parking and free beach. Fantastic.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Olimpo, in the center: perfect location (step out and you're among the trulli), comfortable rooms, decent local breakfast. Nothing fancy, but just what we needed to come back at night and crash into bed without worries.