A day in Martina Franca

 

Into the countryside this afternoon for a visit to Martina Franca, a gorgeous little Baroque time-capsule of charm and beauty.  Through the countryside with its endless stone fences, vines and ancient olive trees.  And of course, sweet trulli everywhere:

A recent article in The Guardian stated that Angelina Jolie has chosen Martina Franca as the location for the shooting of her next film.  Like who cares, but anyway.  She chose well because it is pretty fab.  Martina Franca… hmmm, sounds French.  Well, it is.  And a reminder that much of southern Italy once was under French ‘ownership.’ During the middle ages, the city had a Jewish population that through negotiations with the Aragons, were allowed to live and practice in peace.  During the last part of the 15^th century, that relationship was severed by King Frederick of Aragon, whose cruel mandates basically forced the Jews out of this area.  The streets and alleys have a whimsical medieval groove to them, winding this way and that.  The city is built almost entirely of limestone so it shines bright in the sun.  Even the streets, polished by centuries of foot traffic, have an elegant and rich aesthetic.  What do you think?

Architecturally, Martina Franca displays the glorious Baroque!  Dramatic and theatrical, the main church, the Church of San Martino, looms over the Piazza del Plebescito with such pizzazz and splendor.

Let’s take a look inside:

The patron saint is Saint Martin of Tours, a 4^th century saint whose life is very interesting.  He was born circa 316 AD in Savaria (modern day Hungary).  His father was in the Roman army and when he retired, the family moved to northern Italy.  Quickly, Constantine had ‘legalized’ Christianity in 313 but it had yet to become ‘popularized’ … in a seriously small nutshell.  As a youth, Martin became interested in this faith and, though his parents weren’t so keen, he began to attend church and catechism.  As a young man, he joined the Roman army, most likely because of pressure from dad.  But the ethos of the army strongly contradicted Christian moral imperatives, so it really was not a good fit.  He was eventually released from military service. 

Known as Martin the Merciful, he is the patron saint of the poor, specifically beggars.  His 15 minutes of fame was when he encountered a poor man, clad only in rags, while he in all his majesty was wearing his military uniform and cape.  He takes his cape off, uses his sword to cut it in half, and gives it to the beggar. 

I have halo envy.  Why does Mary always get the good stuff?:

I, at least, got to eat this marvelous focaccia: