If fairy tales had architects, they might"ve come up with something like Alberobello in Italy. But instead of magic wands, it was limestone, mortar-free masonry and—according to some theories—a bit of tax evasion that built this town"s signature homes: the trulli. These are whitewashed stone houses topped with dry-stacked limestone roofs shaped like upside-down ice cream cones. It"s an ancient building technique, and in this case, a clever one. Back in the 14th century, locals were reportedly trying to avoid property taxes by constructing homes that could be quickly dismantled when the king"s tax collector came around.
Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
When just a pinch of salt won’t do
-
Sequoia National Park, California, USA
-
Sea Otter Awareness Week
-
Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal
-
St. Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
-
Huddled and hunting
-
Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
-
Lavender fields in Plateau de Valensole, France
-
International Day for Biological Diversity
-
International Surfing Day
-
Annas hummingbird
-
Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
-
So fresh, so clean
-
Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
-
Where is this scenic view?
-
A ghost on the mountain
-
A sea of humanity
-
Point Reyes National Seashore, California, United States
-
Rufous hummingbird
-
A group of Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana
-
Boxing Day
-
A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
-
Walking a rocky rainbow
-
European hedgehog
-
Ring-tailed lemur
-
International Tiger Day
-
Spine-cheeked anemonefish
-
Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
-
Moon Day
-
Celebrating the Scottish bard
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

