How tax evasion changed the face of Puglia
It’s a story as old as “boy meets girl”-- you know, “Rich, powerful dude doesn’t want to pay taxes”. As always, there was a villain, and there were the poor peasants who banded together to defeat the bad guy and live happily ever after.
Well, not exactly, but the story behind Puglia’s iconic trulli is something out of a storybook, and the happy ever after is the legacy of tax evasion and its effect on architecture.
Trulli are cone-shaped houses built of stacked stones without mortar, specific to the Valle d’Itria in the Puglia region of southern Italy.
Dating back to the 14th century, trulli were originally designed as simple shelters for fieldhands or storage spaces. As the area became more prosperous, taxes began to rise, and landowners built trulli because they could easily be dismantled when tax inspectors visited the area.
The villain Giovanni Acquaviva d’Aragona, the Count of Conversano, wanted a break from the taxes imposed by the Kingdom of Naples on any new settlements that were built. He forced the farmers on his land to build trulli, which could be dismantled when tax inspectors came to town and then easily reassembled (well, easy for the Count, who likely never had to do the work).
The small town kept growing to almost 3500 residents, and not surprisingly, they got wearied of constantly rebuilding their community. In 1797, the residents of Alberobello appealed to King Ferdinand IV of Naples, who decreed the area a royal city and thus free from taxes.
Today, more than 1500 trulli are currently occupied and used for residential or commercial purposes in Alberobello. Often covered in white plaster, the trulli feature limestone or sandstone pinnacles on top, each a signature of the stonemason who built it. Some roofs are decorated with white symbols—pagan, celestial, or Christian—believed to bring good luck to the residents.
Trulli also dot the Valle d'Itria countryside, some abandoned, some used for storage, and others renovated into modern residences or bed and breakfasts.
📹 WATCH: The trulli of Alberobello. See them in person with us in May 2025!
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