Martina Franca is the city of the Festival della Valle d’Itria.
The Festival della Valle d’Itria was founded in 1975 by a group of music-lovers with the decisive support of Paolo Grassi, superintendent at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
Right from the start the main characteristic of the Festival is the brave re-proposal of underestimated repertoires and musical performances. The Festival’s productions are characterised by the authenticity of the texts (often performed in their full-length version) and by the faithfulness to the original vocal types, respecting the original musical scores and performances.
A short concert (piano/voice) will be performed during the opening dinner.
Social events
THE FESTIVAL DELLA VALLE D'ITRIA
MASSERIA CENTRONE PICCOLO
The social Dinner will be held at Masseria Centrone Piccolo.
Masserie (Farmhouses) in Puglia date back to the XVI century when the Spanish empire allowed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies the licence necessary for to repopulate the abandoned areas of the region. At that time the inhabitants started to build the first farmhouses in Puglia.
The typical farmhouse, or masseria, of Puglia was an autonomous citadel, able to defend itself, where families, nobles and animals lived together.
Typical products such as cheese, ham, meat and olive oil have always constituted the pilasters of the economy of the farmhouses. Farmhouses in Puglia began their transformation into charming and touristic places in the late 1900s when the first abandoned farmhouses started to be refurnished. This change has increased in recent years, allowing always more tourists to visit Puglia for the holidays.
Farmhouses in Puglia are now famous all over the world for their long-standing tradition, style and charme.