Location

Martina Franca is located in one of the highest points of the “Murge” plateau and overlooks the “Itria Valley”, with its distinctive burnt red soil dotted with thousands of marvellous “Trulli”, its stone wall terraced gardens, and the old towns of Locorotondo and Cisternino shining bright at the horizon.

The white lime coated city center is a maze of alleys and squares providing quaint and charming views of the baroque art and architecture.

The art of working the stone reaches in Martina Franca its highest expression with the famous vaulted ceilings as well as with the masterfully carved decorations of balconies, windows, entry portals of each historic residential building. In this context, the baroque façade of the cathedral “Basilica di San Martino” represents the climax of the local artists’ creativity and talent.
One of the most iconic historic buildings is “Palazzo Ancona”, located towards the end of Via Machiavelli and erected in the mid 18th century. Here, the Junoesque caryatid supporting the main balcony are of particular artistic interest, being this a unique example of profane sculpture in the whole historic city center of Martina Franca.

Beside the cultural and naturalistic features, Martina Franca is an important destination for “food and wine” tourists, any time of the year. Look for and taste very own local specialties such as “carne arrosto”, “capocollo”, “friselle”, “focaccia”, “taralli”, “caciocavallo” and of course “mozzarella”. The most renowned local wines are the “Martina Franca DOC” and “Primitivo IGT”.