Visiting stunning Martina Franca with kids: all you need to know

Visitors guide to Martina Franca Puglia: learn what to see and how to visit this town famous for whitewashed alleys, stunning Baroque churches and sun-drenched piazzas.

You know a trip is successful when the participants cannot agree on the trip highlight and this is exactly what happened the last time we visited Puglia.

I fell in love with the pretty town of Locorotondo, our kids adored Alberobello and my husband elected as its favorite place beautiful Martina Franca!

Indeed, it is hard not to love ‘Martina’.

Perched on top of a hill overlooking the Valle d’Itria, in Puglia, the town mixes pretty, quaint corners with grand piazzas somewhat reminiscent of places in Sicily and the result is beautiful and unique.

I visited Martina Franca more than once, this last time with my husband and kids.

We included in our mid-term break vacation to the South of Italy, which also included additional destinations in Puglia and in Basilicata. You can find our full itinerary at the bottom of this page.

We found Martina Franca delightful and we recommend it as one of the most beautiful places to see in Italy.

This is all you need to know to visit. All the travel tips on this page are from my personal experience of Martina Franca and all the photos are my own.

Please note: this post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase though them, we might make a small commission.

This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through them, we might make a small commission.

Is Martina Franca worth visiting?

In Puglia, several places fight for your attention and it is fair enough to wonder if they are all as special as they claim to be.

Regarding Martina Franca, my answer is yes, it is worth visiting and unique!

Martina Franca is special as it combines pretty streets with a surprising amount of grand buildings and churches that are unexpected in a town this small.

While in other towns you may marvel at hidden corners and quaint balconies, here you find yourself properly stopped in your tracks by stunning baroque architecture.

Interesting fact! Martina Franca’s architecture is distinctive and goes by the name of ‘Barocco Martinese‘, a style of Baroque that is unique to this city!

What to see in Martina Franca?

Martina Franca is a reasonably big town but the part you want to visit is the small historical town center.

Martina Franca was founded in 1310 by prince Filippo D’Angio and still maintains many traces of its medieval past.

Perched on top of a hill for defensive reasons, it was surrounded by protective city walls and had no less than 24 watch-towers, overlooking the surrounding countryside.

The best way to visit Martina Franca is to simply wander around and allow yourself to follow your fancy around its pretty maze of small alleys.

Even if you get lost, you won’t get lost for long and you are pretty much guaranteed to see Martina Franca’s highlights without even trying: it is that sort of town!

However, if you want to know what to expect, this is a quick list of the best things to see in Martina Franca.

The city gates

The town has 4 entrance gates.

The town walls were largely modified in more recent times to make the city more suited to modern life.

However, the original gates are still visible and still mark the entrance to the oldest part of the center.

The gates take the name of Saints: Porta Santo Stefano, San Nicola, San Pietro and Santa Maria.

The most impressive in my opinion is Porta Santo Stefano that leads you into the town center.

This gate dates back to the XV century but it was destroyed and rebuilt in the XVIII century and now has a distinctive Baroque appearance that is peculiar to this town.

Palazzo Ducale

Martina Franca has an impressive Palazzo Ducale, towering above the beautiful piazza Roma.

The palazzo is now part home to Martina Franca’s city hall and part museum and it is a grand, interesting sight.

The Caracciolo family built it to resemble a royal residence and its original plans wanted it to have 365 rooms!

This ambitious plan never saw the light but the palace is still truly magnificent and a fantastic example of the Barocco Martinese this town is famous for.

Basilica di San Martino

San Martino is the patron Saint of Martina Franca and the basilica to its name is a testament to the importance of his role: the church is simply stunning!

The basilica is worth visiting inside and out.

Inside, it has an elaborate architecture with important artworks from local painters and outside, the facade is a triumph of elaborate carvings.

The church has the peculiar cream color that is typical of the local stone of which it is made and that makes it shine under the powerful rays of the Southern Italian sun.

Piazza Maria Immacolata

Just beside the basilica lies what is probably my favorite bit of Martina Franca, Piazza Maria Immacolara.

This is a grand square, framed by semi-circular buildings now hosting cafes and restaurants and is a relaxing, beautiful place.

We sat there with the kids eating gelato and it was the best resting spot we could have found.

The piazza has lovely porticoes, the basilica peeks from your left and quaint, pretty houses lie on your right, offering the first glimpse of what expects you next in your exploration: a maze of whitewashed alleys!

Martina Franca’s whitewashed streets

Martina Franca is one of the so-called citta’ bianche (white towns) of Puglia and a walk around its historical center will soon show you why.

As you leave the grand piazzas, you venture into a labyrinth of small, entirely white alleyways!

This part of town is a delight to visit and the best thing to do is allow yourself to get lost.

If you do, you will truly enjoy this maze of dead-end alleys, laundry lines and cats lounging in the sun!

The ‘lama’

The lower part of Martina Franca is called the ‘lama’ and is today one of the most charming areas in the whole town.

Originally, this was the poorest part of the city, the one that, due to its location, would gather the coldest and dampest dwellings but nowaday is an architectural gem.

Here, houses of all shapes and sizes seem to overlap onto each other in an extravaganza of white walls and pointy roofs, the only planning being that dictated by the peculiar shape of the terrain.

Very different from the grander part of town you encounter when you first walk in from the main gate, this is a lovely district worth exploring.

The pointy roofs ‘a pignone’ are worth noticing that are peculiar to this part of Puglia.

Martina Franca for kids

We visited Martina Franca with our kids of primary school age.

We found the town to be safe for kids and pleasant for them to discover. The town center is car free and the main area around the main piazzas and palazzi is flat and with smooth terrain.

Our children loved exploring the whitewashed alleys of Martina Franca and spent aged looking for cats lounging on the local doorsteps.

We didn’t find a playground in Martina Franca old center; however, we found a nice park called Villa Comunale and lovely gelato stops that made the visit a success!

We also discovered that Martina Franca has a cool oil mill that also teaches how olive oil is done, which is a cool thing for city kids like ours.

You can find it at this address: Oil Mill: Via Trento, 178/180 Stores: Via Principe di Napoli, 26 74015 Martina Franca (TA) Website: https://www.lacropolidipuglia.it/en/

If you are visiting Martina Franca with a baby or toddler, it is important to know that only part of Martina Franca is stroller friendly.

The main piazzas as easy to navigate with a stroller and the terrain is smooth and flat.

however, once you venture around the little alleys, the stroller will encounter bumps and steps. be prepared to occasionally lift it or possibly even fold it and carry it in the most maze-like parts of the city.

Where is Martina Franca? How to get there?

Martina Franca is in the South East of Italy, in the region of Puglia.

The closest big cities are Bari, which is also the nearest international airport, Brindisi, also served by an airport and a busy port, and Taranto.

The easiest way to get to Martina Franca is by car.

The roads in this part of Puglia and well signposted and well kept and pay and display parking is easily available just outside the city walls.

Martina Franca is about 1.5h from Bari and only a 15-minute drive between Locorotondo and famous Alberobello.

Once parked, you can visit Martina Franca’s historical center on foot.

You can also reach Martina Franca by train.

However, the connection for Bari is not direct and the journey is rather long. So while the train is an option, I recommend to come by cari instead.

How to fit Martina Franca in your Italian itinerary

Martina Franca can be easily added to an Italy itinerary focusing on the South of the country.

Located between Bari and Taranto, it can be visited as a day trip from with cities or you can easily drive to it from Alberobello, Locorotondo, Trani or even Matera.

You can see how we fit it into our itinerary through the South of Italy here.

Where to stay in Martina Franca?

Martina has several nice accommodation options and makes a good base for nearby explorations.

My go-to websites for accommodation booking in Italy are Homeaway (villas) and booking.com which allows you to book several typed of lodging and has generous cancellation policies.

Booking.com

Travel resources for visiting Martina Franca Italy

• Best shoes for Italy – stylish and great for walking
• Best luggage for Italy – all our tried and tested recommendations
• Booking.com – My go-to resource for accommodation (hotels, apartments and specialty lodging) with good deals and excellent cancellation policies
• GetYourGuide: booking platform for attraction tickets and day tours

I hope you enjoyed reading this guide and inspired you to visit Martina Franca with your kids. Safe travels!

Post updated in May 2023 with up to date information and recommendations based on our most recent trip. Originally published in 2019.