Martina Franca

Martina Franca stands on the hills of the Itria valley, amid the fields and olive groves of southern Apulia. Its narrow streets and churches grew beneath the authority of the Caracciolo dukes. In 1668 Duke Petracone V began a new palace on the site of an older fortress, intending a residence worthy of his family. The great palace gave the town a prominent centre of noble power and helped shape its later Baroque appearance.