Travel Guide for Martina Franca

  Your Travel Guide for Martina Franca…Giampaolo Nanula

My Martina Franca…

"For me, Martina Franca, Trani and Lecce are the most beautiful towns in Apulia. Martina Franca is perhaps the least well-known of the three, but the fact it is away from the tourist trail is an important part of its charm.

The town's attractiveness is not just limited to one or two spectacular monuments but is found in the combination of elegant buildings, decorative balconies with their wrought iron railings and the detailed Grottaglie ceramics that characterise the historic centre. That is not to say that Martina Franca does not have spectacular monuments. Visit the church of Collegiata di San Martino in the Piazza Pleniscito, and also the Palazzo Ducale (Duke's Palace) where you can see some of the original furnishings.Once you have explored the centre, take time to tour the surrounding countryside of the Itria Valley and its 'trulli', the ancient round stone houses which dot the landscape. The ones here easily rival the more famous ones found at Alberobello".

Read more on Gianpaolo and his Travel Guides on Apulia

  Events & Local Products

What to see and do

1. Visit the Dukes Palace (Palazzo Ducale)
2. Admire the Baroque Church of Collegiata di San Martino
3. See the 'trulli' houses in the Itria Valley
4. Visit an olive press
5. Enjoy the Itria Valley Festival
6. Buy a product made from wrought iron
7. Taste Capocollo, a local sausage dish
8. Visit the San Francesco Church
9. Take a trip to Monopoli
10. Go on an excursion to Alberobello

Summer
Every year since 1975, Martina Franca has hosted the Itria Valley Festival, one of the main music festivals in Italy which aims to promote undiscovered and minor operatic works and showcase new talent.

Local Food and Drink
Local specialities include two different kind of pork sausages: Capocollo and Cervellata. All the meat used in the sausages is locally raised and traditionally farmed. At one time it was also common to eat donkey meat, which you can still find in some restaurants but must be requested in advance.

Local wines include Martina Franca and Locorotondo, two wines produced in the Trulli Valley. For the best deals, buy from one of the many wineries in the area, which is also a good excuse to tour the surrounding area.

 Spotlight on ... The Collegiata di San Martino

The Collegiata di San Martino, built in 700s, is the most important church in Martina Franca. Dominating Piazza Plebiscito, the church is the first example of Salentine Baroque style. The main facade features a statue of San Martino on horseback offering his cloak to the poor and the elegant interior has recently been restored.

Designed by the Giovanni Mariani, an architect from Lombardy, its dimensions and ornate decorations make a striking impression in a piazza that is already spectacular. Both the piazza and church were rebuilt following a devastating earthquake in 1743 that destroyed most of the historic centre. The rebuilding programme at that time is what has led to the coherent Baroque architectural style of the Martina Franca.