Martina Franca

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Location: Province of Taranto

Capital city: Martina Franca

Elevation above the sea: 431 m

Shares border with: Alberobello, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino, Crispiano, Massafra, Mottola, Locorotondo, Ostuni, Villa Castelli, Grottaglie

Address: 74015 Martina Franca, Province of Taranto, Italy

Website: https://comune.martinafranca.ta.it

GPS coordinates: 40.70000,17.33333

Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:02