Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
17th-century
Palazzo Ducale
, built over an ancient castle and now used as municipal of-
fices.
From Piazza Roma, follow the fine Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with baroque town
houses, to reach Piazza Plebiscito, the centre's baroque heart. The piazza is overlooked by
the 18th-century
Basilica di San Martino
, its centrepiece city patron, St Martin, swinging a
sword and sharing his cloak with a beggar.
Walkers can ask for the
Carta dei Sentieri del Bosco delle Pianelle
(free) from the tour-
ist office, which maps out 10 walks in the nearby
Bosco delle Pianelle
(around 10km west of
town). This lush woodland is part of the larger 12-sq-km
Riserva Naturale Regionale Orien-
tata
- populated with lofty trees, wild orchids, and a rich and varied bird life with kestrels,
owls, buzzards, hoopoe and sparrow hawks.
Festivals & Events
Festival della Valle d'Itria
Festival della Valle d'Itria is an annual music festival (late July to early August) featuring
international performances of opera, classical and jazz. For information, contact the
Centro
Artistico Musicale Paolo Grassi
(
MUSIC
080 480 51 00;
www.festivaldellavalleditria.it
;
10am-1pm Mon-
Fri)
in the Palazzo Ducale.
Sleeping
B&B San Martino
( 080 48 56 01;
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/bed-and-breakfast-sanmartino
; Via Abate Fighera 32; d
€40-120; )
A stylish B&B in a historic palace with rooms overlooking gracious Piazza
XX Settembre. The apartments have exposed stone walls, shiny parquet floors, wrought-
iron beds and small kitchenettes.
B&B
$
Villaggio Via
( 080 480 59 11;
www.villaggioincasesparse.it
; Via Arco Grassi 8; apt per night €75-170, apt per week
€335-1030; )
These charming arched apartments are located in original
centro storico
homes. The rooms are large, painted in pastel colours and decorated with antiques and
country frills. A variety of apartments are on offer, sleeping from two to six people.
APARTMENT
$$
