Macelleria-Rosticceria & the Capocollo di Martina Franca
Martina Franca is famous across Italy for its capocollo — a delicately smoked pork neck cured with local Primitivo wine, black pepper and aromatic herbs, then cold-smoked over fragrant Itria Valley oak. Tracking it down at a proper local butcher-rosticceria is one of the most delicious things you can do in town.
What Makes This Capocollo Special
The capocollo di Martina Franca holds a PAT designation (traditional Italian agri-food product), meaning its production method is legally protected — the smoking over oak and the maceration in local wine give it a flavour profile that is earthier and more aromatic than the Calabrian version most outsiders know.
Local butchers like Macelleria Renzo Ruggieri on Via Taranto and the cluster of norcinerie near the covered market slice it paper-thin to order; eaten on a chunk of local pane di grano arso (burnt-wheat bread) it is a revelation.
Pair it with a glass of chilled Locorotondo DOC white wine, produced just 8 km away, and you have the definitive Itria Valley aperitivo.
Where to Eat & Buy
For a full sit-down experience, Ristorante La Tana in the centro storico plates up capocollo alongside bombette (pork rolls stuffed with cheese and cured meat, a Martina Franca street-food icon) and handmade orecchiette with local cime di rapa.
The Friday morning market on Via Madonna della Neve is the best place to buy vacuum-packed capocollo to take home — vendors will wrap it properly for travel and most accept card.
If you want to see the curing process, Salumificio Santoro on the outskirts of town occasionally offers guided visits during cooler months — call ahead to arrange.
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