MARTINA FRANCA

Elegant town that is risen on the Valle d’ Itria and situated on 431 ms. of height on the sea level in the south-oriental Murgia. From its strategic position, the city offers a suggestive view of the neighbouring towns of the Adriatic and Jonio Sea and of the immense green areas. The greatest part of the historiography makes to go up again the origins of Martina Franca to the sec. X, when on the Mountain of St. Martin rose a small village of fugitive from Taranto, escaped from the continuous Saracen devastations. Instead the juridical foundation of the suburb goes up again to 1300, when the village was widened by Phillip of Angiò, Prince of Taranto, which, to favour the peopling, granted to the inhabitants some exemptions . And it is from these concessions that the name of the city originates, in how much near the word "Martina", that derives from the being situated on the Mountain of St. Martin, was placed the word "Franca", that means exempt from taxes.