Alberobello travel guide
Conical trulli roofs over two hillside quarters in the Itria Valley
A small Apulian town of whitewashed, cone-roofed trulli, an easy train ride from Bari. Spring and early autumn are the easy seasons, before and after the summer coach traffic. One night is enough for the town, two or three if you use it as a base for the Itria Valley. Prices are high, and Schengen rules apply.
Alberobello is a small town in the Itria Valley of Apulia, about an hour south-east of Bari, where whole hillsides are covered in trulli. These round, whitewashed houses are built of dry stone and topped with grey conical roofs, and many have symbols painted on them in white. The trulli have been a UNESCO site since 1996, and most visitors are Italians on a day out.
Two quarters hold most of them. Rione Monti, on the southern slope, has around a thousand trulli. Nearly all are now shops, cafes or holiday lets. Across the main road lies Aia Piccola: smaller, still residential. Walk it early in the morning to see laundry lines and doorsteps rather than souvenir stalls.
The Trullo Sovrano, north of the centre, is the only two-storey trullo in town and is furnished as an old family home. In Rione Monti, the church of Sant'Antonio is itself built in trullo form. For the classic view across the rooftops, go to the Belvedere Santa Lucia terrace at the top of the old town.
Eat away from the souvenir strip. The best meals tend to be a short walk from the trulli zone, and locals favour places near the sports ground where the house antipasto arrives as a long parade of small plates. Orecchiette and grilled meats are the staples, washed down with local white wine.
Spend a night if you can. Once the coaches leave the lanes go quiet, and sleeping in a converted trullo costs little more than a hotel. A car opens up the rest of the Itria Valley: the white town of Locorotondo, Baroque Martina Franca, hilltop Cisternino and Ostuni, and the caves at Castellana Grotte are all close.
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Top things to do in Alberobello
Two trulli quarters, a trullo museum house and a viewing terrace, with the rest of the Itria Valley a short drive away.
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Best time to visit Alberobello
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Pleasant for walking the trulli quarters and touring the Itria Valley by car.
Hot and at its busiest, with day-trippers filling Rione Monti from late morning.
Cool and quiet; the town belongs to residents, and a trullo's thick walls keep it snug.
Late September brings the feast of Saints Cosma and Damiano, when pilgrims crowd the basilica and the town fills up.
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Getting there
Sud Est platforms at Bari Centrale, via Putignano
Bari is the gateway for both flights and trains. Inside Bari Centrale, follow the signs to the Ferrovie del Sud Est platforms: this regional company, not Trenitalia, runs the trains to Alberobello, some direct and some with a change at Putignano, along with buses that are often quicker. Works on the line have put buses in place of trains for long spells, so check fseonline.it first. Rail passes are not valid; FSE tickets are sold at the Trenitalia machines in the station, and it pays to buy the return at the same time. From Bari airport, take the airport train into Bari Centrale first. Drivers can reach the town from Bari or Brindisi airports in under an hour, and a few trains a day also run south to Taranto.
- FSE train from Bari Centrale
- About 1 hr 30 min, some via Putignano
- Bari or Brindisi airport by car
- Under an hour
- Polignano a Mare by car
- About 30 minutes
- Taranto
- A few trains a day
- Station to the trulli
- About 15 minutes on foot
- Sunday service is thinner, so check the FSE timetable before planning a Sunday visit.
- From the station, follow signs for the Zona Monumentale Trulli to reach Rione Monti.
Where to stay
A trullo in Rione Monti or Aia Piccola
The reason to stay is a night in a trullo, and most rentals are in or around the two old quarters. Rione Monti puts you among the shops, which are busy by day but silent at night. Aia Piccola is more residential. Conventional hotels near the station are easier with luggage and a car. A few country B&Bs outside town suit drivers exploring the valley.
- Rione Monti
- Trullo rentals among the shops, busy by day and silent at night
- Aia Piccola
- Residential trulli quarter, quieter and more local
- Near the station
- Conventional hotels along Viale Bari, short walk to the old town
- Countryside
- B&Bs among olive groves, a car is essential
Getting around
On foot in town, car for the valley
Nothing in Alberobello is far. The station, the basilica, the Trullo Sovrano and both trulli quarters are all within walking distance, and the slopes are gentle compared with the hill towns around it. Getting out into the Itria Valley is another matter. Local trains are sparse and buses infrequent, so a hire car is the practical way to reach Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Cisternino, Ostuni and the caves at Castellana Grotte. Country lanes are narrow and lined with dry-stone walls, and signposting can be patchy, so allow extra time.
- On foot
- Trulli quarters, basilica and Trullo Sovrano all close together
- By car
- Locorotondo, Martina Franca and Castellana Grotte are short drives
- FSE train
- Back towards Putignano and Bari
- Leave the car in a public car park at the edge of the centre and walk into the trulli quarters.
Know before you go
What makes Alberobello worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Belvedere Santa Lucia at sunset, looking over hundreds of grey cones in Rione Monti.
- Aia Piccola before 9am, when residents sweep their doorsteps and no shops are open.
- The Trullo Sovrano, two storeys high and set out as a family home.
- A night in a trullo, cool in summer thanks to its thick stone walls.
- A drive to Locorotondo, a whitewashed circular town above vineyards.
Good to know
- Rail passes are not valid on the Ferrovie del Sud Est trains from Bari; buy an FSE ticket before boarding.
- Buy your return ticket in Bari, as tickets can be hard to find at Alberobello station.
- Book or arrive early at popular local restaurants, which fill soon after 20:00 in summer.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Alberobello, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Alberobello are being researched.
Aia Piccola at dawn, Belvedere Santa Lucia at dusk
One day in Alberobello covers both trulli quarters: Aia Piccola early in the morning, Rione Monti and the trullo church of Sant'Antonio mid-morning, then the two-storey Trullo Sovrano in the afternoon. Finish at the Belvedere Santa Lucia before dusk. The town is a 15-minute walk from the station, served by FSE trains and buses from Bari.
Catch an early FSE train or bus from Bari and walk 15 minutes from Alberobello station to the old town. Go to Aia Piccola first, while residents are still sweeping their steps and no shops are open, and look for the white symbols painted on the grey roofs.
Mid-morning, cross the main road into Rione Monti and climb its lanes to the church of Sant'Antonio, built in trullo form at the top of the quarter. Have lunch a little away from the main souvenir strip.
In the afternoon, walk north to the Trullo Sovrano, the only two-storey trullo in town, furnished as a family home. Stop at the basilica of Saints Cosma and Damiano, the focus of a yearly pilgrimage. Before dusk, go up to the Belvedere Santa Lucia for the classic view across hundreds of conical roofs. If you have a car, drive to Locorotondo for dinner and return after dark, when the trulli are lit.
Orecchiette, bombette and the antipasto parade
Apulian cooking in Alberobello is built on durum wheat, olive oil and vegetables. Order orecchiette with turnip tops and an antipasto della casa, a run of small plates that can be a meal in itself. The Itria Valley is meat country too, known for capocollo from Martina Franca and grilled bombette.
It is at its best away from the tourist strip. The pasta is orecchiette, little ear-shaped pieces often served with turnip tops. A proper meal starts with an antipasto della casa, a run of small plates of cheeses, cured meats, vegetables and fritters that can be a meal in itself.
The Itria Valley is meat country too. Look for capocollo from Martina Franca, a cured pork neck, and bombette, little rolled parcels of meat grilled over coals.
Locals favour Gli Ulivi, just outside the centre near the sports ground, for generous antipasti and well-cooked meat; arrive soon after 20:00 in summer. In town, La Cantina, a small place on Vico Lippolis at the corner of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, has an open kitchen and a good wine list. Drink the dry white wine of nearby Locorotondo.
Locorotondo, Martina Franca and Ostuni by car
Alberobello is a good base for the Itria Valley if you have a car. Locorotondo is the closest hill town, Martina Franca has Baroque palaces, and Cisternino and Ostuni stand further east. Castellana Grotte and Polignano a Mare, about 30 minutes away, are within reach. Allow extra time on the narrow, stone-walled roads.
Locorotondo, the closest, is a circular hill town of white houses looking over vineyards. Martina Franca has 18th-century Baroque palaces and churches along its main streets, while Cisternino and Ostuni stand further east on hilltops with views towards the Adriatic.
To the north, the caves of Castellana Grotte stay cool on the hottest summer day. Conversano has a Norman Romanesque old centre, and Putignano is close by on the railway. Polignano a Mare, built on cliffs above the sea, is about 30 minutes away by car.
Roads between the towns are narrow and walled with dry stone, so allow more time than the distance suggests. A good loop is Locorotondo in the morning, Martina Franca for lunch, then Cisternino in the late afternoon.
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How we research our Alberobello travel guide
Ferrovie del Sud Est train details are the Alberobello facts most likely to change, and the page is updated when they do. The Comune di Alberobello website, Italia.it and UNESCO's trulli listing supply the rest.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of AlberobelloItalia.itUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Alberobello.
General
Take a Ferrovie del Sud Est train from its platforms inside Bari Centrale. The trip takes about 1 hr 30 min, sometimes with a change at Putignano. FSE buses run too, and stand in for trains during line works.
No. The line is run by Ferrovie del Sud Est, not Trenitalia, so passes are not accepted.
Traditional dry-stone houses with conical roofs, typical of this part of Apulia. Alberobello's trulli have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
Rione Monti, with around a thousand, mostly turned into shops and rentals. Aia Piccola is smaller and still lived in.
The lanes empty once the day-trippers leave, and waking up under a stone cone is a big part of the appeal.
The Belvedere Santa Lucia terrace at the top of the old town looks straight across Rione Monti.
Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Cisternino and Ostuni are all a short drive away, as are the caves of Castellana Grotte.
Come between April and June or in September and October. High summer is hot, and by eleven the coach groups have taken over the lanes.
Nothing in Alberobello is far. The station, the basilica, the Trullo Sovrano and both trulli quarters are all within walking distance, and the slopes are gentle compared with the hill towns around it. Getting out into the Itria Valley is another matter.
Alberobello is best known for:
- The Belvedere Santa Lucia at sunset, looking over hundreds of grey cones in Rione Monti
- Aia Piccola before 9am, when residents sweep their doorsteps and no shops are open
- The Trullo Sovrano, two storeys high and set out as a family home
- A night in a trullo, cool in summer thanks to its thick stone walls
- A drive to Locorotondo, a whitewashed circular town above vineyards
Getting there
Under an hour by car from either Bari or Brindisi airport.
Timing & weather
About 15 minutes; follow the signs for the Zona Monumentale.
The best time to visit Alberobello is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Warm, dry days for walking the lanes, without the August crowds.
- Best overall: April - June, September - October (Pleasant for walking the trulli quarters and touring the Itria Valley by car)
- Summer: July - August (Hot and at its busiest, with day-trippers filling Rione Monti from late morning)
- Winter: November - March (Cool and quiet; the town belongs to residents, and a trullo's thick walls keep it snug)
Visa & documents
Schengen rules apply in Italy. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors to Italy is rare. Pickpocketing is the main problem, especially on buses and metros in Rome (bus 64 is notorious), at Roman and Florentine sights, and at Termini and Naples Centrale stations. Wear your bag across your body and zip it, and use only licensed white taxis or official ride apps.
