Alberobello and the trulli

In 1797, King Ferdinand IV restricted the expansion of stone-slab roofs in Alberobello to tighten land-tax control, a footnote in history that still explains the dense clusters of trulli in Rione Monti and Aia Piccola. From Matera, it’s a 66 km run to these mortar-free cones, whitewashed and cleverly layered with chiancarelle for waterproofing. Pinacled finials—once thought to mark master builders—dot the lanes, and the Casa Pezzolla museum complex unpacks the double-roof engineering with rare drawings and tools.

Your driver collects you at your Matera hotel in a spacious Mercedes and remains at disposal throughout, turning the 1 h 15 transfer to Alberobello—and on to Locorotondo or Martina Franca—into an easy glide. You stop to explore while he handles traffic and parking: espresso on Piazza del Popolo, an extra-virgin olive oil tasting at a masseria, a photo from Belvedere Santa Lucia, even a detour via Gioia del Colle on the way back. With Amani Limousines, moving between whitewashed hill towns stays seamless and unhurried.