Alberobello was founded in 1630 under Count Gian Girolamo Acquaviva, who organized a bakery, a mill and workshops amongst the scattered farmhouses and drystone houses. The construction technique adopted was that of dry-wall building, so the feudal lord could avoid paying the tribute due to the Spanish King when a new town was built. The peasants were forced to build shelters without mortar, using the local limestone, so in the case of a sudden inspection the houses could be quickly demolished before being rebuilt again. The trullo, originally little more than a pile of stones created to avoid tax, were transformed into the characteristic homes now protected by UNESCO, thanks to the local genius. Strolling through the narrow streets and alleys from Largo Martellotta, you arrive at one of the two monumental areas of the trulli, the Monti district. The Aia Piccola district, whose name recalls the threshing floor once located there, is the most authentic monumental part, with the oldest trulli found between via Duca degli Abruzzi and via Verdi. Nearby, there is a group of houses dating back to the 18th century, the reconstructed Casa degli Acquaviva of the 17th century and Casa d’Amore. Other trulli are located behind the 19th century Church of the Santi Medici, including the largest and one of the oldest, the two-storey Trullo Sovrano, among the first to be built with mortar. The Trullo Sovrano is today a delightful House Museum.