2015 TRULLO RESTORATION WORKSHOP with Thea Alvin
FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKSHOP WITH PHOTOS
In September 2015, ten people from five countries came together for 10 days of hands-on, experiential learning of the vernacular, dry-stone construction typology called “trulli” that exists in the Valle d’Itria area of Puglia, southern Italy. This workshop was in collaboration with stone artist and mason Thea Alvin of My Earthwork, local trullaro Mario Santoro, and sculptor Michael Clookey.
The workshop project was to restore the roof system of a trullo. Overtime, the limestone roof shingles, the “chianche”, had begun to slip and were becoming displaced. The team began by removing all of the existing chianche and inner layer of rubble. Then, they dressed new slabs of limestone from a nearby quarry into new chianche with the traditional trullo building tools. They then reinstalled the original chianche that could be salvaged and replaced the damaged chianche with new. Students learned the techniques of this unique limestone shingle roof construction, from dressing the chianche to installing them correctly so that the roof would shed water.