点评:Martina Franca was one time capital of the Valle d'Itria. It was the seat of a dukedom from the 14th century, hence the streets are lined by once-grand houses, dating from its heyday in the 18th century. We only had time for a brief walking tour, passing along Piazza XX Settembre through Porto Santo Stefano, past the former Palazzo Ducale, now the Town Hall, and into the Piazza Plebiscito, where stands the Basilica of San Martino, the patron saint. It’s a large church with plenty of marble decoration inside – though not too much – and some decent modern woodwork.
Our guide pointed out that the income from local tourism is not enough to sustain the economy here, and that young people tend to move away in search of employment. Certainly, it appeared to exude an air of former glory and to be less buzzy than neighbours like Locorotondo, Ostuni or Alberobello. Which is a pity, because it is not unattractive.
翻译:马蒂纳弗兰卡曾是伊特里亚山谷的首府。自14世纪起,这里便是一个公国的所在地,因此街道两旁林立着昔日辉煌的宅邸,这些宅邸大多建于18世纪的鼎盛时期。我们只有时间进行一次短暂的步行游览,沿着9月20日广场穿过圣斯蒂法诺港,经过曾经的公爵宫(现为市政厅),来到普雷比席特广场,广场上矗立着守护神圣马蒂诺的圣殿。这是一座大型教堂,内部装饰着大量的白色大理石——但又不显得过于繁复——以及一些精美的现代木工。
我们的导游指出,当地旅游业的收入不足以支撑经济,年轻人往往会为了寻找工作而离开。的确,这里散发着昔日的荣光,但与邻近的洛科罗通多、奥斯图尼或阿尔贝罗贝洛相比,这里显得少了些许活力。这很可惜,因为它并不难看。