About 3.5 hours East of Naples sits the iconic town of Alberobello in the Puglia region. Visiting the “heel of the boot” was a highlight of my trip. I’m glad we had two days to explore the area’s unique charm.

Alberobello is known for its beautiful building style. The town has over 1,000 trulli, or small stone houses painted white with gray, stone-covered, conical roofs.

Most of the town is only open to walking traffic, so the area has a slow, comfortable atmosphere. We saw cacti everywhere, suitable for a warm environment, completely covered in stone.

Little shops line the streets, creating local hustle and bustle. There were tourists, but this place never felt crowded, so it was easy to take pictures of the scenery.

If you travel to the area, visit the bar “Il Trulletto,” which serves pepper espresso. If you order a beverage, you can take it up the back stairs to the small roof deck. This is one of the few decks you can access for a view of the Trulli roofs.

The area has many handicrafts that visitors can purchase, including many different ceramic decorations. It was fun to see ceramic versions of cacti!

In almost every ceramic shop I saw, visitors can take home a Pumo. To be more precise, it is known as a Pumo di Fiore. A Pumo is the symbol of the Puglia region and stands for a flower bud before it blooms. These can come in all sizes, colors, and designs and represent abundance and fertility. Essentially, it’s a good luck charm for the house, so I had to purchase one.

Some varieties have three leaves around the bud, some have four, and some are intricately decorated, or very plain. I learned that years ago, the complexity of the Pumo signified family status. Mine is small and simple, but I’m glad I have my own piece of Puglia in my home.