May 25th: after a discussion with Francesca regarding the location of trulli,

our objectives for today are Locorotondo (above); Cisternino; and Ostini

Just outside Locorotondo, we find numerous examples of trulli. Although all the examples we find are of the same basic design based on dry stones piled to create a house with a conical roof, they have considerable variation. Some have a square base, others are stone only and some have a whitewashed plaster finish. A few are single units, but many are grouped to form a larger living space. Although many seem genuine, others are obviously modern copies for letting to tourists

Cisternino is about 10-kilometres east of Locorotondo and rejoices in the nickname of La Vera - 'The Real Thing' - and it certainly appears to be authentic due to a lack of tourists. We initially find a wide, clean street, that is traffic free (below). This leads to an area of tiny, whitewashed alleys in the old part of the town. Our exploration finds not only narrow alleyways but some open areas, particularly overlooking the surrounding countryside that encircles this hilltop town