MARTINA: ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The slogan: “Puglia, where nature is colour”, seems that it has been inspired by this blessed land. It shows all its beauties of nature to the people who love walking or staying in the open air.
Many varieties of flowers are reflected in the sky,
like peonies and wild orchids, which grow along
the sides of country streets or in the stony pasture.
A place where one can admire all these beauties of nature is the Park of Pianelle, the most important wood of the Murgia. It extends over 600 hectares, and reminds us of the ancient medieval forests around Martina Franca.
The Park is a green lung around the town and it contributes to the cool and
breezy climate all year round. It is a wood full of odorous officinal plants belonging to the Mediterranean bush.
The pianelle are the reign of the fragno, but one can also observe: the ilex, the holm-oak, the hornbeam, the arbutus, and many mushrooms and mulberries.
Among the birds who live in the Park we can find the hoopoe, the real symbol of the fragno woods; and the kestrel which goes hunting for insects.
The vast territory of Martina Franca still has many other great surprises.
Driving along the gentle slopes
of the Murgia roads, among
dry-stone walls, vineyards,
olive-groves, fields and pastu-
re the traveller will come
across the most typical farms
of Martina: the masserie, the
very core of former rural life
and economy, which focused
on the production of cereals,
pasturage and cattle-breeding.
In the ancient farms, is selected a valued
breed of horses called Murgese. It takes
origin from ancient charger of Emperor
Frederick II. The Murgese is superb in
its beauty and has a raven- coat. It is
bred in Masseria Galeone.
Martina Franca also is the natural habitat of a remarkable asinine breed which risks extinction. The asine breed of Martina derives from catalan donkeys imported in Puglia during the Spanish domination. It has a morello coat and great vigour; it is the best in the world for the production of mules. It is bred in Masseria Russoli.
AN HISTORICAL SHORT ACCOUNT
The origins of Martina Franca date back to the tenth century, when a lot of refugees sought shelter on mounth of San Martino, from neighbouring villages to escape the saracenic invasions. Here there was already a little community, therefore the name of “Martina”.
From 1300 to 1400 the Prince
of Taranto Filippo I d’Angiò
fortified the four hamlets of
S. Pietro dei Greci, S. Teresa,
Montedoro and S. Martino and
granted rights and exemptions
anyone who lived in Martina, strategic point for his own
interests so the name
Franca was added to the
original.
In 1668 the “Caracciolo” family began building the Ducal Palace. The Duke Petracone V wanted to build that imposing structure to exalt his political, economic and artistic prestige. The Palace had an extravagant design: it foresaw over 300 rooms and various services, churches, stalls, theatres…
It is also possible to admire, on the architrave,
The grotesque masks used to keep out the
Malicious spirits from the houses.
In the historical centre we can find
also narrow streets, alleys and precarious stairs.