TOUR ITINERARIES
Baroque Ways
Lenght : 97 km

MARTINA FRANCA

Our itinerary starts from the beautiful town of Martina Franca (431 mt high, 49000 inhabitants), that lies over one of the last southern hills in the south-east of the Murgia area and from its height it overlooks the charming Valle d’Itria, with its white trulli.

Besides a fascinating landscape, marked by the ancient “casedde”, the famous “trulli” and the typical local farms called “masserie”, Martina Franca is surrounded by a Karst territory, rich in suggestive caves.

After a walk along the white lanes in the old town centre, where the Baroque art reaches its best expression, after a visit to the stately Basilica of S.Martino and to the XVIII century rooms of the Ducal Palace (where every year the glamurous Valle d’Itria Festival takes place), you can take a seat in one of the many typical restaurants to taste the famous cooking of Martina. After a relaxing walk in the uncontaminated woods around the town (Parco delle Pianelle) you can also stay at one of the many smart and comfortable hotels in town.

TARANTO

About 29 km from Martina Franca, on the highway number 172, there is Taranto, a peculiar chief city of the province and beautiful town of Puglia, that overlooks the Ionic sea.

The castle- (web)

Taranto lays over the inner point of a gulf that has its name. On one hand it lays over a little island (the old town centre) and on the other one over the land. On its southern side there is the Mar Grande and on the northern one the Mar Piccolo, that communicate through two channels: “Porta Napoli Bridge” and the famous “Ponte Girevole” (Turning bridge) (on the south).
The word Taranto has an illiric root, “tara” or “taras”, which means water or sea.
 Taras was also the name that Messapic people gave to a little river.According to some local historians, this city was founded by some people coming from Sparta, even though the place was already inhabited. Someone asserts that the Japigian population lived there, while someone else asserts it was the Messapic one. The most peculiar area of Taranto is definitely the old towm centre. Around it you can see some stately buildings of great historic and architectural importance: Galeota Palace, Amati Palace and Carducci Artenisio Palace.
 The most characteristic monument in town, however, is the “Turning Bridge”, built at the end of the XIX century. But also the Castle, the Doric Temple and Forte Laclos have a great historic importance. There are many churches in town that represent another big touristic attraction, like S.Cataldo Cathedral. One of the most important places to visit are the museums, expecially the National Archaeologic one.

FRANCAVILLA FONTANA

Leaving Taranto and going through the highway numb.7 for about 33 km in
25 mintues we get to Francavilla Fontana, a town settled 142 mt above sea level. One of its peculiarities is its old town centre that still preserves,in all their architectonical beauty, the ancient entrances.

The castle- (web)

The beautiful Castle and the Imperial Palace are also very interesting. They
Are in the town centre and they have a stately and strong appearance that is a mix between a fortification and a luxury palace. The main church is also a stately building. It was built over the remains of an Angevin church and then rebuilt after an
earthquake in 1743.

BRINDISI

After Francavilla, we go to Brindisi, always driving through the numb. 7 highway for 32 minutes (35 km). This is another chief city of the province with a big natural dock. It lays over a little peninsula between two inlets of the Adriatic meridional coast.

Brindisi- panoramic (web)

Brindisi is called a door facing East because of its function as a big maritime call on the way to Greece.There are, in fact, many ferries leaving from here and going to
Cefalonia, the Pireo,Corfù and Patrasso. This is a modern city, but it also is a thriving and traditional agricultural site (vines, tobacco and olive trees) and a mechanical and a petrochemical site (it has become one of the terminals of the petrol way). A suggestive walk through Brindisi starts from Piazza Duomo, where there is a church with that name. There is an interesting Archaeologic Museum called “Francesco Ribezzo”, that you can reach passing by the valuable Portico of the Templar Knights. Going on toward the Duomo stately bell tower (on its right there are the seminary and the bishop’s palace), you can see the characterist terrace with roman columns, that in ancient times was the end of the Via Appia. Going through viale Regina Elena (from which you can see, on the opposite side, the famous Sailor Monument), the street that goes along the beautiful dock, you get to the lovely Piazza S.Teresa, then to Piazza S.Paolo, where there is a church with that name. Nearby, there is the Svevian castle and the wonderful church of S.Giovanni al Sepolcro. “Le Sciabbiche” district is also very peculiar; in the past it was the “fishermen district”.

Texts: Italiainrete - Pictures: Database and web

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