The Trulli of Alberobello

Alberobello was a must-see. It's true that it's almost 100% dedicated to tourism, but it's worth the visit. It's a very beautiful place.

Trulli of Alberobello

Alberobello is a small town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,237 inhabitants (2022) and is famous for its unique trullo buildings.

Miniature replica of Alberobello

This postcard was given to me by a lady at a gift shop where you can see a miniature replica of Alberobello.

Trulli of Alberobello

This postcard was sent by Isabella

The history of the trulli is linked to the Prammatica De Baronibus, an edict of the 15th-century Kingdom of Naples that subjected every new settlement to a tribute. In 1481 the Counts of Conversano D'Acquaviva D'Aragona from 1481, owners of the territory of Alberobello, then imposed on the residents that they built their dwellings dry, without using mortars, so that they could be configured as precarious buildings and easily demolished.

Trulli of Alberobello

This postcard was sent by Pasquale 

Having to use only stones, the peasants found in the round form with self-supporting domed roof the simplest configuration. The roofs were embellished with decorative pinnacles representing the signature of the architect (master trullaro). - in: wikipedia

Via Appia. Regina Viarum

Brindisi was the place I wanted to go mainly to find postcards of the Appian Way. The city is fantastic and full of history, but I was a little disappointed with the postcards I found. Well, at least I found some. Via Appia is the oldest and most important of the great roads built by the Ancient Romans

Brindisi (Roman Pillar in the Letter A)

Brindisi is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city remains a major port for trade with the Balkan Peninsula, Greece and the Middle East.

Under the Romans, Brundisium – a large city in its day with some 100,000 inhabitants – was an active port, the chief point of embarkation for Greece and the East, via Dyrrachium or Corcyra. It was connected with Rome by the Via Appia and the Via Traiana. The termination of the Via Appia, at the water's edge, was formerly flanked by two fine pillars. Only one remains, the second being misappropriated and removed to the neighbouring town of Lecce. - in: wikipedia

Roman Pillars of Brindisi

The Roman Columns rests has always been considered the symbol of Brindisi.
For many years the columns, thought to symbolise the ending of the road, 'Via Appia', was in fact a referral of that time to navigators of the port of Brindisi.

Capital of the Roman Pillar of Brindisi

Of the two twin columns only one is intact, with a sculptured capital, at the top, recently replaced with a copy. Nowadays the original capital is into the museum of Nervegna Building, it's decorated with four anthropomorphic figures, one for each side, depicting Neptune, facing the sea, on the side opposed Jupiter, Mars and Minerva on the other two sides.

The other column, which fell in 1528, only the base and a rock are still in place; the other part was given as a gift to the city of Lecce, to form a part of the column to St. Oronzo. in: https://www.porto.br.it/bpi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2822%3Ale-colonne-romane-&catid=70&Itemid=815&lang=en

The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera

The second UNESCO site we visited was Matera. Despite the infernal heat, it was well worth it!

Matera

The Sassi di Matera are ancient cave dwellings in the Italian city of Matera, Basilicata. Situated in the old town, they are composed of the Sasso Caveoso and the later Sasso Barisano.

Matera

Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera"). The Sassi originated in a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the first ever human settlements in what is now Italy. The Sassi are habitations dug into the calcareous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Apulia. Many of them are really little more than caverns, and in some parts of the Sassi a street lies on top of another group of dwellings. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the rocky ravine created by a river that is now a small stream, and this ravine is known locally as "la Gravina". In the 1950s, the government of Italy used force to relocate most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city.

Sasso Caveoso

This postcard was sent by Gosia

Until the late 1980s the Sassi was considered an area of poverty, since its dwellings were, and in most cases still are, uninhabitable. The present local administration, however, has become more tourism-oriented, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi with the aid of the Italian government, UNESCO, and Hollywood. Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels there. - in: wikipedia

Castel del Monte

Exactly one week ago I was returning from Italy, where I spent my holidays with family and friends and where we visited some UNESCO sites. Castel del Monte was the first.

Castel del Monte

Castel del Monte is a 13th-century citadel and castle situated on a hill in Andria in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It was built during the 1240s by King Frederick II, who had inherited the lands from his mother Constance of Sicily. In the 18th century, the castle's interior marbles and remaining furnishings were removed. It has neither a moat nor a drawbridge and some considered it never to have been intended as a defensive fortress. However, archaeological work has suggested that it originally had a curtain wall.

Castel del Monte

The castle is famous for its bold octagonal plan, and classicizing details of the architecture. In 1996, Castel del Monte was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which described it as "a unique masterpiece of medieval military architecture". Described by the Enciclopedia Italiana as "the most fascinating castle built by Frederick II", it also appears on the Italian version of the one cent Euro coin.

Castel del Monte

This postcard was sent by Cristina

Because of its relatively small size, it was once considered to be no more than a "hunting lodge", but scholars now believe it originally had a curtain wall and did serve as a citadel. Frederick II was responsible for the construction of many castles in Apulia, but Castel del Monte's geometric design was unique. The fortress is an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner. The towers were originally some 5 m (16 ft) higher than now, and they should perhaps include a third floor.

Castel del Monte

This postcard was sent by Pasquale

Both floors have eight rooms, and an eight-sided courtyard occupies the castle's centre. Each of the main rooms has vaulted ceilings. Three of the corner towers contain staircases. The castle has two entrances, an unobtrusive service entrance and an ornate main entrance. Frederick II's main entrance featured elements from classical architecture such a pediment supported by rather thin fluted pilasters, and may have been influenced by Frederick II's interest in Greco-Roman architecture.

Castel del Monte

This postcard in the shape of a t-shirt was sent by Pasquale

In the 18th century, the castle's marbles and other ornamentation were looted. Members of the House of Bourbon took the marble columns and window frames and reused them at their palace in Caserta. What remains now includes fragments of a knight and a reused Roman relief, while in the Provincial Gallery of Bari there is a head fragment and a cloaked, headless bust, sometimes interpreted as Frederick II. After having been abandoned for a considerable length of time, the castle was purchased in 1876 for the sum of 25,000 lire by the Italian State, which began the process of restoration in 1928. - in: wikipedia