Martina Franca, Historic commune in Valle d'Itria, Italy.
Description
Martina Franca is a hill town in the province of Taranto in Puglia, built with white limestone and arranged around a compact historic center in the Valle d'Itria. Four monumental Baroque gates mark the entrances, and inside the walls the streets wind upward past ornate palaces with carved balconies, churches with decorated facades, and small squares paved with local stone.
History
In 1300 Filippo I of Anjou granted special freedoms and tax exemptions to settlers, giving the town the second part of its name and encouraging its early growth. Between the 17th and 18th centuries local noble families rebuilt much of the center in Baroque style, adding the decorated palaces and churches that define the town today.
Culture
The town takes its name from Martin of Tours and the medieval tax exemptions granted to early residents, which shaped its growth. Today it remains a center for traditional craft workshops where artisans work with local stone and produce handmade textiles sold in small family shops.
Practical
The town sits at 431 meters above sea level on a hilltop with wide views over the Valle d'Itria and the surrounding countryside. The center is compact and best explored on foot, and the Ferrovie del Sud Est railway connects it to Bari, Taranto, and other towns in the region.
Did you know?
The Festival della Valle d'Itria has presented rare and forgotten operas each summer since 1975, using the Palazzo Ducale and local churches as performance spaces. In the surrounding countryside small producers still make capocollo, a traditional cured pork neck, following methods handed down through generations in the valley.
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