Martina Franca, vista da Locorotondo - panoramio (1)

Martina Franca (TA) - piazza XX settembre

Martina Franca, or just Martina ( Martinese: ), is a town and ''

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

'' in the

province of Taranto The province of Taranto ( it, provincia di Taranto; Tarantino: ; Salentino: ), previously known as the province of the Ionian, is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Taranto. It has an area of , and a total popul ...

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is the second most populated town of the province after

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

, and has a population (2016) of 49,086. Since 1975, the town has hosted the annual summer

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

festival, the

Festival della Valle d'Itria The ''Festival della Valle d'Itria'' is a summer opera festival held in the south eastern Italian town of Martina Franca in the Apulia region. The Festival was founded in 1975 and performances are given in July and August each summer on a specially ...

.''Festival della Valle d'Itria'' Official Website

History

Jewish presence

In 1495 one third of the population of Martina was made of practising Jews or Jews converted to Christianity. The escape involved one third of the population: 150 to 200 families (at least one thousand people). Among the privileges granted the city council of Martina in 1495, King Frederick of Aragon forbade Jews and Crypto-Jews and Neofiti to press charges against those who robbed them (probably during the riots of 1494–1495 during the French invasion of the Kingdom of Naples) and prohibited their coming to live in that city. Also in 1495, the Jews Martina Franca were massacred.

Geography

Located in

Itria Valley Itria Valley (in Italian: ''Valle d'Itria'') is an area located in Apulia region, in Southern Italy. Itria Valley spreads over Province of Bari, Province of Brindisi and Province of Taranto, and coincide with the lower part of Altopiano delle Murg ...

, close to the provinces of

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

and

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

, Martina Franca borders with the municipalities of

Alberobello Alberobello (; literally "beautiful tree"; Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique '' trullo'' buildings. The ''trulli'' of Alberob ...

( BA),

Ceglie Messapica Ceglie Messapica (; scn, label= Brindisino, Cégghie) is a town, and ''comune'', located in the province of Brindisi and region of Apulia, in southern Italy, in the traditional area called Salento. Geography The area of Ceglie Messapica is loca ...

( BR),

Cisternino Cisternino is a ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi in Apulia, on the coast of south-eastern Italy, approximately north-west of the city of Brindisi. Its main economic activities are tourism, the growing of olives and grapes, and dairy farming ...

(BR),

Crispiano Crispiano ( Crispianese: ) is a town in the province of Taranto in Apulia. The town has a population of 13749 inhabitants. It is located in the heart of Apulia, near Valle d’Itria, just 15 km from Taranto. (ancient farms). Crispiano is the ...

Massafra Massafra () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. History According to some hypotheses,Giuseppe Blandamura,'' Choerades Insulae'', Taranto, Tipografia Arcivescovile, 1925. Massafra was founde ...

Mottola Mottola ( nap, label= Mottolese, Mòtele, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto and region of Apulia in southeast Italy. It stands on a hill above mean sea level in the sub-region of Murgia. It is also called "The Ionian Spy" ...

Locorotondo Locorotondo ( Barese: ) is a town and municipality of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy, with a population of about 14,000. It is situated between Martina Franca and Alberobello in the Valle d'Itria, a green stretch of countr ...

(BA),

Ostuni Ostuni ( nap, label= Barese, Ostune; scn, label=Salentino, Stune) is a city and ''comune'', located about 8 km from the coast, in the province of Brindisi, region of Apulia, Italy. The town has a population of about 32,000 during the winter ...

(BR),

Villa Castelli Villa Castelli is a ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi in Apulia, on the south-east Italy coast. It is a comune in Salento, the borderline with Itria Valley. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes. Main ...

(BR),

Grottaglie Grottaglie (; scn, label=Salentino, li Vurtàgghie; la, Criptalium) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, in southern Italy. Geography Grottaglie is located in the Salento peninsula, dividing the Adriatic sea from Ionian ...

and

Noci Noci (Bari dialect, Nocese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Metropolitan city of Bari in the region of Apulia, in southern Italy. It has about twenty thousand inhabitants. Established during the Norman conquest of sout ...

(BA). It counts the hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...

'') of Baratta, Capitolo, Cappuccini, Carpari, Gemma, Infarinata, Lamia Vecchia, Madonna dell'Arco, Monte Fellone, Monte Ilario, Montetulio, Monti del Duca, Motolese, Nigri, Ortolini, Papadomenico, Pergolo, Pianelle, San Paolo and Specchia Tarantina.

Culture

The

is held annually in July/August. It presents a variety of rather unusual operas.

Economy

Agriculture is concentrated in the fertile lands in small valleys. The Viticulture is mainly based on white grape wine. There are also many olive trees growing, in fact olive oil is also one of the main product of the area. The most common livestocks are sheep and goats, to which is added the breeding of thoroughbred "murgese" horses and the famous donkey of Martina Franca. The most developed industry is the textile manufacturing, that made Martina famous also in the movie industry for a big international film in the 80's. The services sector is characterized by banks, insurances and tourism, especially eno-gastronomic one. It is very common for tourists to visit oil mills, wine-making facilities and cellars to taste amazing local products. One of the most important culinary excellence is the "Capocollo Di Martina Franca" a DOP quality product.

Main sights

The town has a particularly conserved old town surrounded by stone walls with prominent Baroque gates leading to piazzas and narrow, winding streets. Piazza Roma is the largest square in the old town, with a green space in the centre of a largely triangular grass pattern, facing the 17th-century Palazzo Ducale.

Gastronomy

Martina Franca DOC

The comune of Martina Franca produces a white ''

Denominazione di origine controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipic ...

'' (DOC)

Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...

that can be made in a still or sparkling ''Spumante'' style. The wine has a tendency not to age well, often turning from a light white color to a darker

amber color The color amber is a pure chroma color, located on the color wheel midway between the colors of yellow and orange. The color name is derived from the material also known as amber, which is commonly found in a range of yellow-orange-brown-red ...

and losing its fresh fruit flavors after only 3 to 4 years in the bottle. All grapes destined for DOC wine production needing to be harvested to a yield no greater than 13

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States ...

/ha. The wine is made predominantly (50-65%) from

Verdeca Verdeca is a white Italian wine grape variety that is primarily grown in Apulia in southern Italy where ampelographers believe that the grape may have originated. In Apulia, it is one of the main grapes in the ''Denominazione di origine contro ...

and

Bianco d'Alessano ''Bianco d'Alessano'' is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Apulia region of southern Italy, where it is often blended with Verdeca. In the early 21st century, the grape was planted in the South Australian wine region of River ...

which can make between 45-40% of the blend. Additional grapes are permitted up to a maximum of 5% including

Bombino bianco Bombino bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety planted primarily along Italy's Adriatic coast line, most notably in Apulia. The vine is prone to high yields and often produces neutral flavor wines.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Co ...

, Fiano and

Malvasia Toscana Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world ...

. The finished wine must attain a minimum

alcohol level Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

of 11% in order to be labelled with the Martina Franca DOC designation.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pg 174 Firefly Books 2004

Sports

The town's football team is the

A.S. Martina Franca 1947 A.S.D. Martina Calcio 1947, formerly A.S. Martina Franca 1947, and A.C. Martina, usually referred to as simply Martina Franca or just Martina, is an Italian association football club, based in Martina Franca, Apulia. The club was re-founded in ...

, which are currently plays in

Lega Pro The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

. Its home ground is the Gian Domenico Tursi Stadium. The Formula One driver

Antonio Giovinazzi Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing. He was the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship runner-up and race ...

was born in Martina Franca. The local futsal club is the

LCF Martina LC Five Martina is a futsal club based in Martina Franca, Apulia, Italy. Current squad External linksOfficial WebsitePalaWojtyla.

Transport

Martina Franca railway station in an important junction point between the lines Bari–Martina–Taranto and Martina–Lecce, both operated by the

Ferrovie del Sud Est Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE) is a railway company in Apulia region, Italy. The company operates in the ''comuni'' south of Lecce and in the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. The company also operates bus lines. In August 2016 its network was ...

(FSE). A minor station on the line to Taranto, Martina Franca Colonne Grassi, is located in the southwestern suburb. Another minor stop,

San Paolo San Paolo (Italian for "Saint Paul") is a ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia, in the Italian region Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region ...

, serves the homonym ''frazione''.

References in popular culture

In the novel ''Artemis Fowl'' by

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl (series), ''Artemis Fowl'' series. I ...

, Martina Franca is the setting of a troll attack.

Personalities

* Giuseppe Aprile (1732–1813), composer and

castrato A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to ...

* Pietro Carbotti, Venerable * Domenico Carella (1721–1813), painter * Donato Carrisi (born 1973), thriller writer *

Gioconda de Vito Gioconda de Vito (26 July 1907 – 14 October 1994) was an Italian-British classical violinist. (The dates 22 June 1907 and 24 October 1994 also appear in some sources.Campbell, Margaret (11 November 1994Obituary: Gioconda de Vito ''The Independ ...

(1907–1994), violinist *

Matteo Fischetti Matteo Fischetti (28 February 1830 – December 1887) was an Italian pianist and composer active in Naples. Life and career Born in Martina Franca, Fischetti studied piano from the age of six in his native city. He was then sent to Naples to st ...

(1830–1887), pianist and composer *

(born 1993), racing driver for

Alfa Romeo in Formula One Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated many times in Formula One. It currently participates as Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen while being operated by Sauber Motorsport AG. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor ...

Paolo Grassi Paolo Grassi (30 October 1919 – 14 March 1981) was an Italian theatrical impresario. Grassi was born in Milan, Italy. As a young man, he worked in magazines and discovered a passion for the theater. It led him in 1937 to create a Bertoldissimo ...

(Milan, 1919 –

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 1981), founder of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano and director of the

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

. *

Cosimo Damiano Lanza Cosimo Damiano Lanza (born 12 April 1962) is an Italian pianist, harpsichordist and composer. Biography Born in Leporano, Southern Italy, his artistic training was developed under the leadership of distinguished teachers, for the piano Michele ...

(

Leporano Leporano (Salentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. The municipality of Leporano is a little maritime town at the Ionian Sea. The noble family of the princes of Leporano is named aft ...

, 1962), pianist, harpsichordist and composer. Director of the Accademia Musicale Mediterranea in Martina Franca. *

Renzo Rubino Renzo Rubino (born 17 March 1988) is an Italian pop singer songwriter. Career Born in Martina Franca, in the southern region of Apulia, Rubino started his music career performing in nightclubs and pubs, then taking part to several national compe ...

(born 1988,

), Singer-Songwriter, raised by parents of Martina Franca. *

Aldo Semerari Aldo Semerari (; 8 May 1923 − March or 1 April 1982) was an Italian criminologist, anthropologist and psychiatrist. He was also a noted neo-fascist, who was suspected of complicity in the terror attack that killed 85 people at Bologna railway ...

(1923–1982), criminologist and suspected

neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...

terrorist, who was born in Martina Franca. *

Richard Sinclair Richard Stephen Sinclair (born 6 June 1948) is an English progressive rock bassist, guitarist, and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene. Biography Born in Canterbury, England, both his father (Dick Sinclair) ...

(born 1948,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

), English progressive rock musician, who lives in the countryside of Martina. *

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

(

Castellaneta Castellaneta (Tarantino: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of Southern Italy, about from Taranto. Located in a territory spanning from the Murgia to the Ionian Sea, characterized by numerous ''gravina'' ...

, 1895 –

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, 1936), American actor. His father came from Martina Franca.

References

Sources

''Jewish Virtual Library''
* C. Colafemmina, ''Gli ebrei a Taranto'' (2005) * N. Ferorelli, ''Gli Ebrei nell’Italia meridionale, dall’età romana al secolo XVIII''

External links

Official website

Website of the Festival della Valle d'Itria

Martina Franca
on

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

{{authority control Cities and towns in Apulia

History

Jewish presence

Geography

Culture

Economy

Main sights

Gastronomy

Martina Franca DOC

Sports

Transport

References in popular culture

Personalities

See also

References

Sources

External links