MARTINA FRANCA & CISTERNINO, a white city with an amazing history in the Puglia region,Italy Travel

Martina Franca is a town with just under 50,000 inhabitants, located 5 kilometers from the equally beautiful Locorotondo. In addition to its own special architecture, including a breathtaking cathedral, you will find countless chic palazzi and a district with only white houses and buildings. In the past, Martina Franca was completely surrounded by high walls. Unfortunately, most of these towers and walls have completely disappeared. Nowadays the only thing you see are the 4 city gates. This does not alter the fact that it is still bursting with history and interesting associated stories. What Martino Franco is really known for is the style in which many buildings are designed. This style is called Barocco Martuinese in Italian. A good example of this is the Palazzo Ducale. This is a palace from the 16th century that was built from the remains of an old castle. The traditional details and decoration of the past can still be clearly seen. You don't have to go out of your way to see this palace, as it appears quite quickly when you enter the city. Despite the fact that it is a small town, there are several of these amazing churches and palaces with the corresponding style.The most popular city gate is Porta di Santo Stefano, an artistic gate that leads you directly to the center. An entrance to die for. The impressive Porta di Santo Stefano dates from the 15th century. However, it was destroyed not much later, after which the gate was rebuilt in the 18th century. The gate, like a number of other attractions in the city, is known for its own architectural style. This gives a great appearance to the city. Don't forget to visit this gate and capture it on camera. One of the most famous buildings in Martina Franca is the holy Basilica di San Martino. It will not surprise you that this church was built in the Barocco Martuinese style mentioned above. In a city with several squares, one is always the most beautiful of them all. In Martina Franca this applies to Piazza Maria Immacolata. This relatively large square is surrounded by a number of buildings built in the same style as the Basilica di San Martino. Just like the picturesque Ostuni, Martina Franca is one of the città bianche of Puglia.
The beautiful region of Apulia or Puglia is located in the southeast of Italy. Good wines, olive oil, pasticciotto, café Lecheresse are just a few examples of what characterizes the region. We visited Lecce, Otranto, Polignano a Mare, Cisternino & Locorotondo, the most beautiful villages in Italy, Mesagne, Hotel Tenuta Moreno, Matera (Basilicata Region), Massafra, Valle D'Itria, Alberobello with its trulli houses, Ostuni, Brindisi (Airport). ), Martina Franca, Oria. In Lecce you will find beautiful Baroque buildings with beautiful squares such as Piazza del Duomo and the Basilica Basilca di Santa Croce and the Roman Amphitheater. Otranto has a turbulent history. It was the first place conquered by the Turks in 1480. Many Italians died and you can see around 800 bones and skeletons of Italians who lost the battle with the Turks in the Cappella dei Martiri (Chapel of the Martyrs) in the cathedral of Otranto. In Oria there is a crypt in which mummies are exhibited. Oria also contains a medieval castle and a cathedral. In Matera, caves called Sassi were carved out in prehistoric times. Later, houses and monasteries were carved out and inhabited by monks. Later by the villagers and lived together in poor conditions with large poor families and their herd animals. The death rate was high. It took until 1960 before the last residents left their sassi. Today the houses have been renovated into hotels and restaurants. Materi is a must see place. It is not without reason that Matera became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. Martina Franca is an Italian city in the Apulia region, in the province of Taranto. The city originated as a shepherd community.