Giuseppe, I looked at your links. They have little in common with your
site. The site that I found, on the other hand, has EXACTLY the same
photographs and the same first few lines, cleaned up a little bit,
perhaps, but almost an exact copy. You really should sue dolcevita.com,
if what you say is true.
I also looked at Martina Franca and the link to your site. Same style
of English in general, same taste in pictures and a much longer text.
There seems a Guiseppe Di Santo in Puglia: occupation, civil servant.
Most conclusively, however, I could not find a definite link between
your libero.it address and dolcevita.com, or a Giuseppe at
dolcevita.com. Were you sloppy enough to pull the scam I initially
envisioned, leaving the original up at dolcevita and just posting a
rewritten copy for free at geocities, then you would probably not have
the foresight or the pull at your job necessary to sufficiently erase
such links, and I would most likely find them.
Then I realized that I was playing a true devil's advocate and got sick
and tired of it. In the final analysis, whatever is, is. You did
respond on line, and you did respond civilly to a heated attack, which
a small-minded individual would most likely not have. There are simply
too many factors in favor of what you have said for me to ignore. It
would be churlish at this point to conclusively assume the worst, while
ignoring the possibility of the best.
Here is your original:
These gleaming habitations (whitewashed each year) are curious, rounded
structures with cone-shaped, grey stone roofs. They are trulli, typical
of the province of Bari and Taranto, and are unique in all the world. A
number of trulli are concentrated in the village of Alberobello, nearly
forming a city. On a hilltop amid the scent of almonds and olives, the
city's historical center was declared an International Human Resource
by the Unesco organization. It is made up by a hundred trulli some 5
centuries old. The origins of these oddly shaped stone tepees is
unknown. Some theories date the Trulli back 5000 years. My favorite
takes place during the Middle Ages. At the time, anyone erecting a
dwelling on the King's land was taxed. The Pugliesi cleverly devised
the dry stone Trullo solely for tax evasion. As the story goes, upon
word (a smoke signal, perhaps?) of the revenuer's arrival, the Trulli
were rapidly dismantled and moved or rebuilt afterwards. Nowadays,
Trulli are firmly planted and buttressed with stucco. A cone still
represents one room and the interiors, though charming, are spartan.
With the exception of bathroom doors, rooms are separated by colorful
curtains in sharp contrast to the stark whiteness within. Furnishings,
mostly handmade in olive wood and quite beautiful by any standard,
represent the art of peasants. The hearth remains the source of heat.
Luckily, Puglia is fairly warm and the cool stone Trulli provide relief
from the hot summer sun. In spite of the simplicity, the prices here
are a bargain. Puglia, itself, is a bargain compared to most of Italy.
Alberobello, the Trulli capital, is a fairy-tale city. Fanciful hex
signs adorning each home add magic to the already bewitching scenery. A
wealth of history, art, food and vistas, rivaling anything in Italy,
await you. The people, unmercifully sweet, are generous to the bone.
Maid service, bicycle rental, cooking classes and firewood can be
easily arranged. Alberobello, located deep in the past, does have a
train station and is within an hours' drive of Taranto, Bari or the
sea.
And here is my rewrite.
I TRULLI DI ALBEROBELLO
The White Cones of Puglia
These gleaming houses (whitewashed each year) are curious, rounded
structures with gray, stone, cone-shaped roofs. They are trulli, common
in the province of Bari and Taranto, yet unknown in the rest of the
world. A great number of trulli may be found in the town of
Alberobello, which is nearly a city. The town's historical center is on
a hilltop, amid the scent of almond and olive trees, and has been
declared an International Human Resource by UNESCO. It is made up of a
hundred trulli some 5 centuries old. The origin of their oddly-shaped,
stone teepee design is unknown. Although some theories date the Trulli
back 5000 years, the favorite story of their creation claims that such
buildings were first constructed during the Middle Ages. At the time,
anyone who built a dwelling on the King's land was heavily taxed. With
this in mind, the Pugliesi cleverly devised the drywall stone Trulli
solely for purposes of tax evasion.
As the story goes, upon word of the taxman's arrival (perhaps by means
of a smoke signal), the Trulli were rapidly dismantled and moved out of
sight. After the visit was over and that gentleman successfully ducked,
the homes were re-erected. Nowadays, Trulli are firmly planted and
buttressed with stucco. A cone still comprises a single common area and
the interiors, though charming, are spartan. With the exception of
bathroom doors, the rooms are separated by colorful curtains in sharp
contrast to the stark whiteness of the interior walls. Mostly handmade
furnishing of olive wood, quite beautiful by any standard, are
representative of the work of the traditional peasant artisans of the
area. The hearth remains the source of heat to this day. Luckily,
Puglia is fairly warm and the cool stone Trulli provide relief from the
hot summer sun.
In spite of its rustic simplicity, the prices here are a bargain
(Puglia as a whole is a bargain compared to most of Italy).
Alberobello, the Trulli capital, is a fairy-tale city. Fanciful hex
signs adorning each home add magic to the already bewitching setting. A
wealth of history, art, food and vistas, rivaling anything in Italy,
awaits you. The people, unvaryingly pleasant, are generous to a fault.
Maid service, bicycle rental, cooking classes and firewood can be
easily arranged. Alberobello, while steeped in the past, does have a
train station, and it is only a single hour's drive from Taranto,
Bari or the seaside.
My good deed completely done, my guilt erased for possibly having
screamed at an innocent man, I am now going to sleep, secure in my
righteousness.
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