Puglia · Taranto
Martina Franca
A Baroque and Rococo town on the Itria ridge, with an opera festival in its ducal courtyard since 1975.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Martina Franca is on our list.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 14 min from Bari
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 46,754
- J11°
- F12°
- M13°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J32°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Martina Franca sits on the southern edge of the Valle d'Itria, on the border between the provinces of Taranto, Bari and Brindisi. The town received its charter on 12 August 1310 from Philip I of Anjou, Prince of Taranto, who granted franchigie, tax exemptions, to settlers willing to repopulate the hill, hence Franca in the name. The centro storico holds a rich concentration of Rococo and late-Baroque architecture: wrought-iron balconies, carved stone portals, churches built or rebuilt after the 1743 earthquake.
The Palazzo Ducale of 1668, raised on the foundations of a 1338 medieval castle, is the seat of the municipal offices and the open-air courtyard where the Festival della Valle d'Itria has been performed every July and August since 1975, founded specifically to recover rare and forgotten operas. The Basilica di San Martino, built from 1747 to 1785, is the town's landmark of Martinese Rococo. The surrounding plateau makes a Martina Franca DOC white wine and a strong dry-cured capocollo IGP.
How to get there
From Bari (BRI), about 1 h 25 min by car.
Lamezia Terme (SUF) is about 4 h 9 min away.
By car from the center of Bari 1 h 14 min, Lecce 1 h 37 min or Salerno 3 h 48 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Bari?
Coming by train into Taranto? Martina Franca is about 34 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Bari airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Palazzo Ducale
Built in 1668 on the foundations of a 1338 medieval castle, town hall and home of the Festival della Valle d'Itria summer opera courtyard.
Basilica di San Martino
Eighteenth-century basilica built from 1747 to 1785 after the 1743 earthquake, the chief monument of Martinese Rococo.
Piazza Roma and Piazza Maria Immacolata
The two main squares of the centro storico, linked by Via Cavour, lined with eighteenth-century palazzi and the town's main passeggiata.
Festival della Valle d'Itria
Opera festival founded in 1975, performed in July and August in the Palazzo Ducale courtyard, dedicated to rare and rediscovered repertoire.
Centro storico Baroque quarter
Whitewashed stone old town with wrought-iron balconies and carved portals, largely rebuilt in Baroque and Rococo style in the eighteenth century.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Bros' TrattoriaRistorante
Bros' Trattoria carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, two Gambero Rosso forks (86/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Four SeasonsRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100), at Four Seasons.
Gaonas Officine del GustoRistorante
Gaonas Officine del Gusto holds one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100).
1 more place the guides name in Martina Franca
Relais Villa San MartinoHotel
Relais Villa San Martino carries a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Martina Franca meets 2 of our 3 rules for a small town.
- 46,754 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Taranto, a city of 186,011, is 39 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 46,754, down 4.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Taranto, 39 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,050 to €1,550 per m² to buy, €4.70 to €6.40 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 88% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Brindisi airport (BDS), 1 h 4 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bari, 1 h 14 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
4% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and China, against 9% across Italy. 189 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. There are 242 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 40% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Taranto province ranks 99th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is a major emergency department in the comune. The nearest IB school is St. Stephen's School, 426 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is International School of Brindisi, 50 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.01% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.75% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Puglia spends about €1,500 a month, €440 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €545 a year for water, on the Puglia average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 5% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 8% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
MARTINESE BAROQUE
A large ensemble of Rococo and late-Baroque architecture, much of it built after the 1743 earthquake.
FESTIVAL DELLA VALLE D'ITRIA
Summer opera festival founded in 1975 in the Palazzo Ducale courtyard, focused on rare and unjustly forgotten works.
CAPOCOLLO IGP
Dry-cured pork neck of Martina Franca, IGP-protected, paired locally with Martina Franca DOC white wine from the Itria plateau.
DOP ZONES
The commune lies inside the Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle and Terre Tarentine DOP production zones.
Common questions
- What is Martina Franca known for?
- Martina Franca is a Baroque and Rococo town on the Itria ridge at 431 meters, with an opera festival in its ducal courtyard since 1975.
- Where is Martina Franca?
- Martina Franca is a comune in the province of Taranto, in Puglia.
- What is the nearest airport to Martina Franca?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Brindisi (BDS), about 1 h 4 min by car.
- Can you get to Martina Franca without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Bari to Martina Franca?
- About 1 h 14 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Martina Franca?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Martina Franca?
- Ostuni, Conversano and Locorotondo.
- How many people live in Martina Franca?
- 46,754 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Martina Franca a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Martina Franca is a small town that meets 2 of our 3 rules. The nearest city, Taranto, is 39 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 88% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 431 m
- Population: 46,754
- Surface area: 299.72 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Martina Franca appears in
- The best hill towns inside a nature park in PugliaPugliahill towninside a park6 towns · smallest 7,926 residents
- The best towns with a serious restaurant that sit inside a nature park in PugliaPugliainside a parkserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 5,566 residents
- The 7 best towns worth staying overnight that you can reach by train within 90 minutes of TarantoNear Tarantoby trainwithin 90 minworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 11,906 residents · closest 38 min away
- The best hill towns worth staying overnight in PugliaPugliahill townworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 11,040 residents
- The best towns inside a nature park that are worth a night in PugliaPugliainside a parkworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 5,566 residents
- The best towns worth staying overnight that eat well in PugliaPugliaeats wellworth staying overnight7 towns · smallest 5,566 residents
Similar
Towns like Martina Franca
What all six share with Martina Franca: inland, away from the coast · over 10,000 people · hill towns
Ostuni
Province: Brindisi
both have a railway station in the comune
Conversano
Province: Bari
both have a railway station in the comune
Locorotondo
Province: Bari
both have a railway station in the comune
Castellana Grotte
Province: Bari
both have a railway station in the comune
Matera
Province: Matera
both have a railway station in the comune
San Giovanni Rotondo
Province: Foggia
3 h 4 min apart by road
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