There we go. This is already the third trip to Puglia in a short time, with the aim of finding our dream home in the Campagna (in the countryside). It is somewhere in May 2017. We are following a cloud of dust caused by the once white car of our real estate agent Pierdonato. Fortunately we rented a small car, which we had learned from our previous visit. Here in the Valle d'Itria the roads are narrow and the stacked walls very close. But how beautiful it is here in the heel of Italy, the region with its olive trees, the special cuisine and the authentic people with their ancient customs. The region has a lot to offer from a cultural and historical point of view and has a great climate, so that the Italian from the North likes to settle there in the summer months, whether or not in his second home.

Authentic houses with a conical pointed roof
So we follow the estate agent in his white Fiat Panda, which has its office in Cisternino, a beautiful village in the heart of the Valle d'Itria. This green valley between Bari and Brindisi is the home of the trullo. These are authentic houses with a conical pointed roof, huge thick walls and mysterious symbols as decoration. And that is exactly what we are looking for. A house unique in its kind and with its own history. The first trulli were built around 1500, without cement, so that they could be demolished more quickly if the Naples tax collector were in the area. They have no lack of creativity here in Puglia.

Enchanting moment
About four years ago we had the first introduction to the trullo. We had left Matera, the beautiful city in Basilicata with its cave dwellings, and headed for the trullo capital, Alberobello. After an hour's drive we saw the first pointed roof in the field. That moment was so enchanting. The daydreaming to be allowed to live here had started.

More than 1,000
It soon turned out that the trullo was not that exceptional in this region. It became more and more. There are more than 1,000 trulli homes in Alberobello alone. But they are all unique: they have 1 or 2 cones, a chimney or a lamia, there are so many variants.

Harbinger
Back in the Netherlands, this enchanting moment was the harbinger of our trullo project. We immediately started searching websites of Italian brokers. The anticipation could begin.