Martina Franca

An elegant town nestled on one of the last southern hills of the south-eastern Murgia, Martina Franca dominates the enchanting Valle d’Itria, a splendid green expanse of white trulli. The main attraction of the city is undoubtedly constituted by the characteristic historic center, which is very suggestive and characteristic, and presents itself to the visitor in a spectacular maze of alleys and enchanting streets, where the splendid Baroque art winds and on which there are precious noble palaces with stupendous wrought iron balconies (to mention Palazzo Ducale), delightful and ancient churches (the basilica of San Martino, patron saint of the city, and the church of San Domenico) and characteristic open spaces. Passing through the ancient access gates to the ancient core, among which we mention the arch of Santo Stefano, you can admire the monumental round towers and some square towers barely visible within the surrounding walls. In addition to a rich landscape dotted with ancient “casedde”, the famous trulli and the typical buildings of the farms, precious evidence of industrial archeology, Martina Franca enjoys a vast karst area encircled by suggestive caves. From its strategic position, the Ionian city offers visitors a suggestive overview of the neighboring towns, beyond which the province of Brindisi and Bari stretches and, even beyond, the Adriatic Sea. Martina Franca also offers the opportunity to let one’s gaze wander also towards beautiful wooded areas, represented by the enchanting Parco delle Pianelle, and towards green landscapes, to the south, dotted with vast cultivations of vines, offering small oases of peace and tranquility. for tourists. Martina Franca is therefore a very popular tourist destination, not only for its rich and precious architectural and historical artistic heritage but also for its cultural vivacity, which finds its maximum expression in the now famous and awaited Valle d’Itria Festival born in 1975. , which has always been the flagship of the city’s cultural activity, offers unpublished titles and rarely heard programs.