Cones

 

Alberobello is a small town and comune in the province of Bari, in Puglia region of southern Italy. It has about 11,000 inhabitants and is famous for its unique trulli constructions.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a popular tourist destination due to its characteristic white washed cone shaped roof houses.  The homes are typically white washed and the roofs with religious and superstitious significance.

A trullo is a small home built from limestone, dry stone walls and a conical roof.  The 'town' was initially built to fiddle with taxes and fool authorities.  The local feudal lord, Count Acuaviva, moved his peasant workers to the area to clear woodland and cultivate the land.  But to work around laws and taxes, it was important that Alberobello wasn't classified as an inhabited settlement.  To prevent this 'town' status, the people had to live in trulli, which apparently could be dismantled quickly when necessary.  Today, the town is officially a town :).