A cluster of trulli houses
Hundreds of years ago the king taxed landowners based on the number of houses on their land. The peasants were allowed to build only one particular type of house, cylindrical walls of mortarless stone and a tall conical roof held together by a finial on top. When the tax collector came by, the landowner would order the peasants to remove the finial and it would all fall to rubble and he’d say, “What houses?” This clever tax dodge has left some areas of southern Italy with what look like fairy houses. While they were meant to be temporary, they have lasted hundreds of years. We visited Alberobello, where many of these houses have been repurposed as shops and restaurants. In fact, we had a lovely wine tasting in one, with a spread of local antipasti to complement the wine.
We continued to Matera, where we are staying in a cave. People have lived in caves there from Neolithic times to the early 60s, enlarging and improving them over the centuries, adding rough facades, giving the place a Biblical look. More tomorrow.