Holiday apartment in Martano: Palazzi, churches and Salento festivals

Martano: stone, history and festivals

If you choose a holiday apartment in Martano as a base for varied days of travel, you will encounter history, local culture and Salento traditions within a compact thematic setting. Every year, Cortili Aperti opens lanes, squares, courtyards and inner courtyards with churches and palaces to visitors through exhibitions, concerts, artistic performances, culinary routes and cultural events. Another perspective is offered by the Museo diffuso delle Sculture in pietra leccese, which transforms the streets and squares of Martano into an open-air tour dedicated to the culture of local stone. Depending on your interests, you can thus combine festive impressions, architecture and craftsmanship.

Palazzi in historic Martano

The oldest part of Martano, known as Terra, is distinguished by its good state of preservation and a regular orthogonal street network. In the centre, the Palazzo Baronale follows the course of Via Guglielmo Marconi. It preserves decorated windows, a portal with rusticated ashlar work and the bevelled base of its surviving cylindrical tower. The palazzo was rebuilt by the Aragonese after the reconquest of Otranto; the tower dates from the Aragonese period. Other distinctive architectural forms are displayed by the Palazzo Moschettini, built between 1710 and 1720, with its magnificent portal and long balcony supported by seven corbels; the Palazzo Grassi-Corina, with its portal-balcony-coat-of-arms ensemble and an openwork balcony supported by six elaborately designed corbels; and the Palazzo Micali, built in 1719. Its long balcony also rests on six corbels, while a statue of Saint Michael stands on the central capital of the bifora window.

Churches and monastic art

The Chiesa Matrice, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, was rebuilt in 1596 and replaced an earlier church of the Greek rite. The Chiesa Matrice dell’Assunta also preserves valuable paintings attributed to Oronzo Tiso and Cesare Fracanzano. The church of Santa Maria della Consolazione retains its original appearance. Its features include a main altar dating from 1691 and a fresco of the Virgin of Consolation preserved above it in an oval frame. The church of San Domenico was built or rebuilt in 1652 and has three naves with 18th-century altars. The Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria della Consolazione comprises a 17th-century church, a library and a picture gallery; olive groves surround the monastery.

Archaeological traces around Martano

In the area of Martano, on the border with the countryside of Zollino, lies Casale di Apigliano, an archaeological site with remains from several periods and numerous finds. A village already existed there in the 8th century. The remains of rural dwellings and various everyday objects bear witness to life in the Byzantine period. The church of Santa Maria, also widely known as the church of San Lorenzo, has survived from the ancient Casale di Apigliano. An even earlier period is represented by the menhir of Santu Totaru, which is also known as the Teofilo menhir. The prehistoric monument is associated with ancient religious rituals of the Iapygian peoples at the beginning of the Iron Age, from the 9th to the 7th century BC.

Olive-growing culture and local traditions

The Specchia dei Mori lies on the road from Martano to Martignano, approximately 1 km outside the town. Martano’s underground olive mill illustrates the historical importance of olive processing: it used a milling basin with a millstone, presses and settling pits to produce olive oil. The Sagra de la volìa cazzata also takes up a local speciality and is dedicated to the crushed olive. Together with the olive groves around the monastery, it creates a tangible picture of the landscape and its culinary character.

Music, squares and connections in Salento

During La Notte della Taranta, performances by groups featuring folk singing and Salento music take place in the streets and squares of Martano. Martano’s main railway station offers connections primarily to nearby towns, including important tourist destinations in Salento such as Lecce, Gallipoli and Galatina. This is a relevant consideration if, when choosing your accommodation, you want to weigh cultural days in Martano against activities in other towns in Salento.

For comparison with other places, you can also include Nardò, Veglie, Arnesano, Depressa, Aradeo, Frigole, Torre San Giovanni and Sannicola.

For the broader travel overview: Lecce.