Valle d'Itria

What does “Trullo” mean?


Text translated by Emilio Acquaviva - Trainee

The meaning of  word trullo, in an agricultural context, convey the concept of roundness and circularity. Infact , the dome of the trulli is circular as circular is the cycle of rural life of the farmers, which follows the rhythms of nature. The linguistic and symbolic value is conveyed by the meaning of the greek-byzantine word trullos, that means dome and structurally describes  a circular space. Christianity assigned to latin word trullus the meaning of chapel with dome, by considering sacred everything that had the shape of the circle (thinked as protective and propitiatory space).

In 692 A.D. a Ecumenical Council setted in a domed hall in the imperial palace of Costantinopoli was called Trullano. In Bari there is the Trulla, a former immersion baptistery with an hemispherical dome annex to the Cathedral. In Rome there is the Piazza del Trullo, nowaday known as Piazza del Popolo. In the Middle Age the wonderful circular room with a dome vault of Mercurio Temple in the Phlegraean Fields was called Truglio. In Taranto there was the Vico del Trullo. The italian word trullo comes from the dialect  word truddo, used in Salento; this proves a direct translation from Greek without a latin edit.

In a parchment of 10th century was found the word casella, from wich comes the dialectal word casedda; this word is referred to trulli built since 19th century onwards, word used only on the Murgia of Trulli.



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