This white-walled town in Apulia is known for its ornate Baroque churches and the UNESCO-listed Piazza Garibaldi. Its 18th-century Teatro Pubblico remains a cultural center.
Martina Franca perches on a hilltop in Puglia's Itria Valley. In its historic center, you'll find the 17th-century Palazzo Ducale with frescoed ceilings, the limestone Basilica di San Martino with its carved facade, and the arched colonnade of Piazza Maria Immacolata. The town hosts the Festival della Valle d'Itria opera festival each summer and produces the region's signature capocollo cured ham.
Exploring the Old Town's Layout
Four Baroque gates mark the entrances to the historic center's original walls. When you enter through Porta Santo Stefano, you'll walk along limestone streets that branch in multiple directions - a street pattern from the 1600s designed to confuse invaders. White stone buildings line these paths, and residents maintain flower-filled balconies above the streets.
Baroque Architecture of Martina Franca
The Basilica di San Martino stands in the center with its light beige facade and detailed stone carvings. Step inside to see polychrome marble altars and the Cappellone del SS. Sacramento. At Palazzo Ducale, now the town hall, you can visit rooms with ceiling frescoes that tell stories of the Caracciolo family who lived here in the 17th century.
Piazzas and Street Life
Piazza Roma serves as the central meeting point, with a small triangular garden surrounded by historic buildings. At Piazza Maria Immacolata, locals call the curved colonnade "I Portici." Morning hours bring residents to the cafes and shops around these squares, while evening hours fill with families taking their daily walk.
Local Food Specialties
The town's signature food is capocollo, a DOP-certified cured pork neck made with local spices and wine. Restaurants in the center serve orecchiette pasta with turnip tops and bombette - rolled pork filled with cheese from nearby farms. Local wineries produce DOC-certified white wines, including still and sparkling varieties.
Festival della Valle d'Itria
In July and August, opera performances take place throughout the historic center during the Festival della Valle d'Itria. The program focuses on rare and lesser-known operas. Musicians perform in several historic buildings, with the main concerts held in Palazzo Ducale's baroque halls.
Getting Around and Day Trips
The local train station connects to Bari and Taranto via Ferrovie del Sud Est trains. From Martina Franca, you can reach Alberobello's cone-roofed trulli houses (15 minutes by car), the white-washed buildings of Ostuni (30 minutes), and the coastal town of Monopoli (35 minutes). The historic center is best explored on foot, as most streets don't allow cars.
