Martina Franca
Martina Franca (or even Martina ) is a municipality with 48,958 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012) in the Italian province of Taranto.
Geographical Location
Martina Franca is located in the southeast of the Murgia, about 30 km from Taranto away - right in the middle between the ionic and Adriatic shores of Apulia. Borders the following municipalities: Alberobello (BA ), Ceglie Messapica (BR ), Cisternino (BR), Crispiano, Grottaglie, Locorotondo (BA ), Massacra Mottola, Ostuni (BR) and Villa Castelli (BR ).
History
The area around present-day Martina Franca was inhabited by local historical research in the 10th century by refugees from Taranto, who were hiding in the woods from the Saracens.
The town itself was founded in 1300 on the orders of Prince of Taranto Philip I of Anjou. It seems as though, afforded rights and tax decrees Philip I of Taranto those who settled there, and therefore the place was Franca (Italian: free) called. Martina goes to the patron St. Martin back ( Patronatstag on 11 November ); they say that the Holy several times to city residents rushed to help and protected them from the barbarian raids.
Around the city, a city wall and defensive towers were built.
After changing Lehnsverhältnissen in the Kingdom of Naples Martina Franca, after detachment of Anjou in Puglia in the second half of the 15th century fief of the crown of Aragon. The Neapolitan aristocratic Caracciolo family determined the economic fortunes of the city, promoted their skills and developed her style. Ferdinand I. (Naples) had left caused by land reform, the large farms ( farmsteads ), the discontent of the peasants provoked, the derived under their leader Vittorio Montanaro, called " Capo di Ferro " ( " iron head " of his profession as a blacksmith ), 1646 a revolt in Martina Franca initiated. However, the Caracciolo held up until 1827. During the 18th century the city experienced a period of prosperity, which was characterized by strong growth in the field of agriculture and livestock, but also in the quality of urban life
1799 saw the first riots in the spirit of the Risorgimento. Since 1861, when the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ended, Martina Franca belongs to the nation of Italy.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms goes back to Philip I of Taranto: A white jumping horse without reins, on a blue ground, about the three lilies from the arms of Anjou. Under the crest olive branch and oak branch are attached as a typical representative of the regional vegetation.
Policy
Franco Palazzo ( center-right coalition ) was chosen on 28 May 2007 on the mayor. The center-right alliance also with 19 of 30 seats, the majority in the City Council.
Tourism
Compounds
Train routes are available both to Taranto and Bari.
The airport of Taranto - Grottaglie " Marcello Arlotta " is currently conducting no scheduled services. The nearest airports are:
- Airport Bari Palese maquis
- Airport of Brindisi - Casale
Boroughs
Martina Franca is divided into three zones: old town, city expansion outside the city walls ( 1900) and New Town houses with more than 3 storeys.
The Old Town
The old town of Martina Franca - Lecce - the second prestigious baroque city of Puglia in a more subtle, less plastic -form -hugging design. Rather, the fine flatter ornaments and figures on facades, window frames, cornices, consoles and embody a discreet and elegant variation that has become characteristic of the local style. Churches, palaces and residential buildings in the narrow angular roads, dead ends and hidden streets blend in so far together into a harmonious whole.
The " urban labyrinth " used to have a two -fold advantage: In hostile invasion, it was a means to gain time during a possible escape, or to lure the enemy into ambushes. Today, tourists can drive through the streets.
The functional design of the houses spread out in the past - as it was to accommodate as much as possible in a limited space - traditionally follows the different floors:
- On the ground floor it was usually the craft shops or small storage rooms, which were mostly equipped with stairs that went up to one or more meters below the street level.
- The first floor was the living area with kitchen and dining room. Once no bathroom was provided, so there was only a toilet bowl in a corner of the house. Normally, there was also a fireplace that had two functions: it was used for cooking and also as a furnace on the other hand, both the 1st floor and thanks to its flue for the upper floors. On the 1st floor there was also the fountain entrance for the underground rainwater cistern. The fountain was used as a primitive refrigerator; the limestone of the subsurface of Martina Franca guaranteed cooling. The foods were stored in a bucket of copper or iron having a small bottom and a wide opening and is mounted below the water surface in the well.
- The second floor was the sleeping area. There were usually one or more bedrooms with a balcony or a window that were connected to the roof of the house. The roof has been used in a variety of ways: to hang up clothes on the one hand, but on the other hand for festive dinner parties together with the neighboring house, if it had the roof connection at the same level without separation wall. In summer, the roofs were transformed into natural dried plants: there were parched figs, walnuts, beans and other foods, or cleaned wool and mattresses. The peculiarity of the Apulian houses, in contrast to the rest of the Italian peninsula is that the roofs are built in Greco- Arabic style, that is flat and not sloping. The reason for this is the very mild, fresh air without special rainfall. The low rainfall are used to direct the rainwater into the nearby underground cisterns.
Functionally, much has changed since those times - shops, bars and restaurants on the ground floor are no longer commonly used by the same family as the living areas on the upper floors. However, the historical division is still clearly traceable on the basis of the architecture.
The streets of Martina have a special reduction in the middle of the street, in contrast to the modern road, the road surface has the shape of a " donkey back " when it rains, the rain water flows to the middle of the road, the road edges stay dry and thus the basement.
Attractions
Churches
Cathedral of San Martino
Built in the 18th century by Archbishop Isidoro Chirulli on the foundations of a Romanesque basilica predecessor is considered a masterpiece of the local Baroque style. Focal point of the facade is the high reliefs of St. Martin on horseback at the moment the shell division. From the interior of the baptismal font from 1773 and the stoup ( Neapolitan school) are outstanding; the Blessed Sacrament Chapel houses the relics of local saints Comasia, martyr of the 2nd to 4th century.
Other Churches
- San Domenico, built in 1746-1750, Baroque church on the foundations of a Romanesque predecessor, which was dedicated to St. Peter.
- Carmine Church (1727-1758), elegant Baroque church outside the city walls, a polychrome Schutzmantelmadonna that Stefano da Putignano is attributed.
- , Formerly the St. Stephen consecrated Sant'Antonio, Franciscan Church of the 15th century, neoclassical façade of 1835; frescoes in the cloister of the 18th century.
- San Francesco da Paola, built in the early 17th century on the foundations of St. Mary's Chapel of the 16th century, from an altarpiece in the left aisle is still present (Madonna delle Grazie ). In the adjacent Paulaner Convention lived in the early 17th century the local dear Father Bonaventura Gaona.
- San Francesco d' Assisi, Franciscan Church of the 17th/18th. Century with 8 rococo side altars in the characteristic regional style.
- San Giovanni dei Greci in of original medieval architecture, but with Baroque style facade.
Places / secular buildings
- At the Piazza Roma, a triangular plaza with palm trees and fountains, is the representative of the baroque palace Caracciola family ( Palazzo Ducale, 1668-1742 ), which now houses the city parliament. Some of the 300 rooms are painted with frescoes by Domenico Carella.
- Adjacent to the cathedral, the Piazza Plebiscito extends to the Palazzo dell'Università (1759-1762), the former seat of the city council with clock tower; over one of the large rectangular windows on the 1st floor emblazoned the arms of the town of Martina Franca, a jumping horse.
- The semicircular Piazza Maria Immacolata has an oval arcade where daily markets were held up in the 1960s.
- Outside the city walls (only the Porta di San Stefano remained north of the city of her condition ) borders the Piazza XX Settembre to the city park (Villa Comunale ), which previously belonged to the Paulaner Convention.
More than 20 baroque palaces of the 18th century dominate the old town of Martina Franca, in particular in Via Mazzini, Via Machiavelli and Via Cavour.
Itria Valley and the Trulli
Itria Valley with its trulli north of Martina is an important destination for tourists. Trulli were not built in this area as in Alberobello in the village, but outside the city.
The area was drawn in the last 20 years by unauthorized construction affected. Many features such as the mule track are therefore no longer available. This contributed to the endangerment of the flora and consequently the local fauna. The local administrations failed to protect these historical designs.
Events
- St. Martin's celebration on 11 November
- Itria Festival ( Festival della Valle d' Itria, opera and theater )
- International Cabaret Festival
- Candlemas celebration on February 2
- Summery patronal feast of St. Martin (first weekend in July )
Personalities
- Paolo Grassi (1919-1981), founder of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano and director of the Teatro alla Scala di Milano.
- Giuseppe Aprile (1735-1774), composer
- Domenico Carella (1720-1813), painter
- Giuseppe Chiarelli (1904-1978), lawyer
- Gioconda De Vito (1907-1994), violinist
Local production
Very famous and respected worldwide is the wine from local production, the Martina Franca DOC.
Military Base
In Martina Franca is a base for the Italian Air Force. By 1999, the operations center was here in underground bunkers housed in southern Italy (3rd Regional Operations Center ), which in the NATO air defense system Nadge (NATO Air Defence Ground Environment ) was integrated. Thereafter, concentrated managerial responsibilities at the Combined Air Operations Centre 5 in the northern Italian Poggio Renatico. Investments in Martina Franca currently have a reserve status. In addition, here is an object stationed Protection Association of the Italian Air Force.