The story of Alberobello is truly unique and curious. The Counts of Conversano offered many advantages to the early inhabitants of the place, but without granting them civic rights, privileges or any form of ownership. In fact, the peasants could reside in the forest but with an express prohibition on building homes using any type of lime, according to the law known as the "Pragmatic ‘De Baronibus’", that forbade build houses without authorization.
To get around this prohibition the houses known as "casedde" ("small houses") were built without the use of lime, thus "stone by stone", ready to be torn down for an inspection.
The history of Alberobello dates back to the 11th century, when it was donated to the Bishop of Monopoli a wood called "Sylva aut nemus arboris belli" ("Forest or Wood of the tree war"). This designation is also present in some documents of King Robert of Anjou (1277-1343, who reigned from 1309 to 1343), where it was said that this forest was donated to the municipality of Martina Franca. Then it was a fief of the Acquaviva family, the Counts of Conversano. In particular by Gian Girolamo II Acquaviva, said the “Guercio di Puglia” (1626-1665). As regard the etymology, there is agreement among scholars, who derive the Alberobello name from "Sylva arboris belli", to remember a forest of Oaks trees in the place, and in particular a secular tree, said "arbor belli", or "tree of war". (See L. Binni-G. Bergamaschi, "Art in Italy", Electa, 1983:. 18).
However the meaning of the "arbor belli" name, the "tree of war", was well explained in the“Annali della facoltà di Agraria” ["Annals of Faculty of agriculture"] as "Apple of discord", wishing to indicate that there was a contention among various feudatories. Alberobello was born thus as "Apple of discord" between the Counts of Conversano and the Duchy of Martina; each of the contenders had the purpose to increase their revenue, colonising the fertile
