The Convent of the Suore Missionarie della Consolata is on Piazza Mario Pagano, next to an abandoned church.

The Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi dates from 1728, and is found at the end of the piazza.

Inside of the niche, over the main door, there is a statue of the Immaculate Conception.  The two statues, in the side niches, are of Sant’Antonio di Padova, and San Francesco d’Assisi.

Next to the Chiesa di San Francesco stands the convent of the church, which was actually finished ten years earlier than the house of worship was.

A statue of the saint welcomes all those approaching the church.

Dating from the 14th century, the Torre di San Pietro, another of the city defensive towers, is found on Via Mercadante.

Nearby is the city gate with the same name, the Porta di San Pietro, which is also known as the Porta Stracciata.

We stopped for a bite to eat, before continuing on with our adventures.  We chose the restaurant/café Pane Amore e Fantasia, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, sitting outside at a table from which we could watch the passersby, and enjoy a light meal.

We started our meal with some capocollo, a smoked pork meat, which is a specialty of Martina Franca.  The meat is soaked in wine, and then smoked for two days in smoke made from a combination of bark from the fragno tree, a type of oak that is typical of the Valle d’Itria, and almond husks.  Then, it sits for 120 days, before being served.  It was delicious!

We finished our meal with stewed organ meat, which was also wonderful!

With our late lunch over, we continued on our way.  We passed by the smallest bar in the world, which is in the photo below, behind the blue curtain.

Later in the evening, we had dinner in the apartment, and then, since it was Halloween night, we decided to take a stroll around the town, to see what was happening.

 

Next up: On our last day in Martina Franca, we visit the beautiful Palazzo Ducale!

 

Note: This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations that may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Martina Franca, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!