Martina Franca is a delightful baroque symphony. The tidy streets of the old town are lined with majestic buildings and white houses, blind alleys and small archs, examples of spontaneous architecture.

Baroque balconies decorated with wrougth iron and elegant doorways remind us the noble origin of Martina Franca.

 In 1300 the Prince of Taranto, Philip of Anjou, granted privileges and tax exemptions. Martina Franca became a Dukedom in 1506 under the Caracciolo family who built the Palazzo Ducale in 1669. Nowadays the Ducal Palace houses the town hall and still preserves magnificient internal chambers such as the Sala dell’Arcadia (paintings of Domenico Carella).

The church Collegiata di San Martino, surrounded and protected by the old town, is the most eloquent expression of  Martina’s baroque art with its imposing carved facade.

Martina hosts the Festival della Valle d’Itria every year at the end of July which is one of the most prestigious Festival in Italy.