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The old town centre of Martina Franca is very
suggestive and peculiar. It is artistically beautiful and
original and it offers to the visitors a scenery made of lanes,
little white houses and enchanting small streets.
It reaches its maximum charme in the
Lama complex, where you
can admire a wonderful
baroque style on the palaces, the wrought iron balconies,
the lovely and ancient
churches and in the characteristic corners and little
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In Piazza Roma stands the statyely
Ducal Palace,
that is the seat of the town council and of the Pianelle Museum.
Its construction began in the second half of the XVII cent.,
because of the will of Petracone Caracciolo, who wanted the
ancient Orsini castle, dated back to the end of the XIV cent.,
to be readapted. The result of this readaptation represents a
combination of art of the salento area and of the work of local
masters. At the entrance there is an arch with bas-relieves in
the trabeation. In the rooms, Domenico Carella’s paintings
represent biblical scenes, mitology and court life.
Another peculiar and spectacular building, with a singular
verticalism on the façade, is
Palazzo Stabile (via
Masaniello), that was before seat of the fascist party. There
are three floors, a wonderful portal with two framed windows and
peculiar balconies with capitals adorned by small arches.
Piazza XX Settembre (XX
Settembre Square) is a very popular place in town and its
commonly called "u stradòn". In the past it used to be the
Market Square. It was realized at the end of 1800, for the will
of the mayor Mr. Fighera. It stretches before the wonderful
Arch of S.Stefano and
it overlooks the Municipal Park.
Piazza Roma (Roma
Square) (1668) instead, has a peculiar triangular shape and you
can get to it passing by S.Stefano Arch. In the past, it was
called “Largo Castello” (Castle Yard) (because there was the
ancient Orsini Castle), and then it was called Piazza del Popolo.In
the middle of the square there is the beautiful Dolphins
Fountain and, all around, you can admire: Palazzo Martinucci of
the XVIII century, the stately and monumental Ducal Palace and
the back of S.Stefano Arch.
The wonderful Piazza Plebiscito, that in the past was called
Piazza S.Martino, is reachable by the famous Corso Vittorio
Emanuele. In this square there is the stately
Colleggiate church of
S.Martino, the
University Palace and,next to it, the Municipal Tower.
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