How to Spend 1 Day in Alberobello and Locorotondo

One of Puglia’s most unique towns, Alberobello is a clutch of over 1,000 hilltoptrulli, fairy-tale-like round cottages topped with conical roofs. Pair a visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site with a stop in the whitewashed center of Locorotondo to explore two of the loveliest destinations in the Itria Valley. Here are your options for a combined day trip. 

Morning: Alberobello’s Trulli

Feel like you’re in a gnome village with a visit to the Rione Monti on the western hill of Alberobello, covered with an estimated 1,000 trulli. Join a guided walking tour through the pedestrianized old town in the morning, before the crowds arrive. You’ll explore the winding narrow lanes lined with the area’s traditional whitewashed stone dwellings, many of which have been joined together from the inside over the centuries to form larger homes, shops, and restaurants. Most walking tours also take in the trullo-style Sant’Antonio Church and the Trullo Sovrano, the quarter’s only trullo structure built on two stories, which now houses the local museum. 

Afternoon: Locorotondo

Alberobello’s trulli are one of the most popular attractions in Puglia, and by the time midday rolls around, its narrow lanes can be clogged with tourists. Escape the crowds and head to the historic center of Locorotondo, a sleepy cluster of whitewashed palazzi and churches overlooking the Itria Valley. Learn about the history and architecture of this delightful hill town with a walking tour that takes in the neighborhoods and Madre San Giorgio and San Nicola churches. Locorotondo sits over the Murgia Plateau, known for its wine and olive oil production, and foodies can opt for a driving or bike tour that combines a visit to the town with a winery or olive oil farm visit and tasting. 

Night: Beyond the Itria Valley

There are a number of interesting sights just outside the Itria Valley that make for an easy jaunt to end the day. Take a guided tour of the towering Castel del Monte fortress, so iconic that it is depicted on Italy’s one-cent coin. Excursions to tiny coastal Polignano a Mare or inland Conversano are ideal if you want to poke around more of Puglia’s pretty villages. Archaeology enthusiasts, on the other hand, can choose to tour the ruins of the ancient city at Gnatia, and foodies can head to Martina Franca to see how the area’s excellent capocollo salami is made.