The Trulli architecture has made the town of Alberobello a Unesco World Heritage site as Alberobello is at the heart of Trulli land. It's worth entering the town from the North as do those arriving from the coast. Records of ancient tradition date the birth of Alberobello and the spread of trulli locally to the time when a measure was passed by Girolamo II of Acquaviva, the XVIII-Century Count of Conversano. Walking for the historical center it is very easy to find out the "Santuario dei SS. Medici Cosma e Damiano” that was erected in the 1609 on an already-existing rural church dedicated to the Madonna of the Graces. Since 1970 much work has been done on the temple, such as the interior decor of finest gold and the remarkable bronze portal (known as the "Portale delle Beatitudini"). Inside the remains of St. Cosmo's arm and St. Damiano's skull are kept. The respective statues of these two saints (finished at the end of the year '700) are set in relief. Continuing in your walking for Alberbello, you certainly find out the so-called "Trullo Sovrano", which is the tallest, most spacious trullo in Alberobello at about 14 metres in height. It is also unique in that it has two floors. It was built in the XVIII Century. On the entrance arch is a lunette with a representation of a scene from Calvary. On the right of the main entrance is a second curve-shaped means of access to the other rooms and the stables. In the Rione Monti district, you can admire the St. Anthony's Church erected in 1926. Its 21.5-metre high cupola was built in conformance with traditional trullo design. We get the impression of an attempt to preserve some degree of historical continuity between the present and the past in terms of the purely-local quality of the building and its coherence in terms of planning and materials with the surrounding environment. Alberobello, located deep in the past, does have a train station and is within an hour's drive of Taranto, Bari or the sea. In town, within 400 yards are a variety of shops and restaurants.
Market day is held on Thursday mornings in the nearby town square.
Special events: The Festa dei SS. Medici is a 4 day feast, from Sept 25-28, with a procession to honor Alberobello's patron saints, S. Cosmo and S. Damiano. In Martina France, the 2nd Sunday in July begins the International Festival of the Itria valley with music and opera performances.
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