Taranto

History

Taranto was founded in 706 BC by Dorian Greek settlers, as the only Spartan colony outside of Greece (the town is still called "the Spartan city"). A legend gives the credit of the city's foundation to Taras (Τάρας) who, according to Greek mythology, was the son of Poseidon and of the nymph Satyrion; after being saved from a shipwreck by riding a dolphin, sent to him by his father, an image visible on many ancient coins.
The city, effectively named Taras, became soon a commercial and militar power of the Ancient Greek world, as well as the most important and inhabited centre of Magna Graecia.
Its golden age finished in 272 BC, with the conquest by the Romans, that chose to favor Brindisi as the main port of the Roman Empire.
The town, now called Tarentum, fell in a period of decline and it was later contested between the Lombards, the Byzantines and the Arabs, being attacked and ransacked several times. It was then conquered by the Normans, that made it the capital of the Principality of Taranto, an almost independent feudal fief of the Kingdom of Sicily (and later of Naples), from 1088 to 1465.
The city was later governed by the Monarchy of Spain (for two centuries) and by the Bourbons, that created the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1815. Taranto had a population of about 18,000 inhabitants, all of them living in the small island of the old town.
After the Italian unification, the city became the main base of the newly formed Italian Navy in 1866, and site of important events like the "Battle of Taranto" in 1940, with the victory of the British naval forces against the Italian ones. An enormous steel mill was built not far from the city centre, causing a controversy that lasts still today, making the town famous only for its industry.
Despite this, Taranto is not only a steel mill, but a place worth visiting with an high amount of artistic and historical treasures.

Climate

Due to its location in the innermost part of the eponymous gulf Taranto can boast a pleasant Mediterranean climate, with scarce precipitation and average warm temperature during the year.
Summer is quite hot with an average temperature of about 26°C (79°F), but it is generally windy and not very muggy since the town is surrounded by the sea. Autumn and winter are mild and include most of rainfalls but snow is definitely hard to be seen, because average minimum temperature doesn't go below 4°C (39°F). Spring can be relatively humid and with variable temperatures.

Tourist information

Info-point

Information about the city, nearby tourist destinations and events.

By plane

• ColdShine

• Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport

  phone: +39 080 580 0200
  address: Viale Enzo Ferrari
  It represents another option to reach Taranto, mainly because of the higher number of destinations available; it's a little further, at 100 km (62 miles) through the Adriatic motorway. There are approximately 40 various cheap flights into Bari from various European airports.

There are discount flights available from London, Rome, Milan, etc. For a complete list, check out the website of Apulian airports.

By train

• Taranto railway stationYou can reach Taranto by Eurostar from Milan, Rome, Bologna, Rimini and Bari without changing trains.

By car

The runs from Bologna to Taranto, so it is the best way to arrive in town from the main cities of northern Italy and of the Adriatic coast.

• From Rome:
  ColdShine
  until Caserta,
  ColdShine
  until Nola, then
  ColdShine
  to Canosa di Puglia and finally
  ColdShine
  until its end. (5 hrs)
• From Naples: cross the Basilicata region through
  ColdShine
  and
  Xander89
  motorways until Potenza, then
  ColdShine
  Basentana and finally
  Skyluke
  Jonica. (3¼ hrs)
• From Lecce: drive along
  Skyluke
  until Brindisi,
  ColdShine
  to bypass its centre and finally
  ColdShine
  . (1 hr)

By bus

The is located in Via Cristoforo Colombo, close to the commercial port and few steps away from the stone bridge of Via Napoli. You can reach Taranto from various cities of Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland thanks to different private bus agencies:

• Buscenter from Bologna, Catania, Milan, Turin, Palermo and other Sicilian towns.
• Flixbus from 76 destinations in Italy and Europe such as Florence, Genoa, Matera, Milan, Munich, Nuremberg, Pescara, Pompeii, Rome, Venice.
• Marino Bus from Bologna, Foggia, Frankfurt, Lucerne, Milan, Naples, Stuttgart, Turin, Zurich and other localities.
• Marozzi from Bari, Brindisi, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Siena.
• Miccolis from Caserta, Matera, Naples, Pompeii, Potenza, Salerno.
• Ouibus from Bologna and Milan.

Almost all the routes from abroad requires a transfer in Milan or Bologna. Fares can drastically change according to the period and even the day chosen.

By boat

By bus

AMAT is the company that manages the local bus transport system. A single ticket (biglietto ordinario) can be purchased at every tobacconist and newspaper seller for €1, or it can be bought on board for €1.50 and it is valid for a single ride. You can also choose a ticket valid for 90 minutes (€1.30), a 1-day solution ticket (€2.60), a 3-days ticket (€6.50) or a 7-days ticket (€15.50).

By car

On foot

Taranto has a beautiful Cathedral and a stunning fishing port, with fantastic theatres, nightlife and gorgeous cuisine- scrumptious! Well worth a visit!

• Aragonese Castle

  phone: +39 099 775 3438
  address: Piazza Castello

• Cathedral

  phone: +39 099 470 7545
  address: Piazza Duomo

• Temple of Poseidon

  address: Piazza Castello
  Two doric columns represent the remains of this ancient Greek temple, dedicated to the god of the seas. It dates to the 6th century BC and was unfortunately victim of spoliation during the centuries. The columns stand at 8.47 meters (28 ft) above the ground, in front of the city hall, and they can be admired from behind a gate.

• Church of San Domenico Maggiore

  phone: +39 099 707 733
  address: Via Duomo, 33
  Romanesque-Gothic church built in 1302 over the site of a Byzantine church of the 11th century, built, in turn, on an ancient Greek temple. The entry is reachable through a Baroque staircase erected in the 18th century.

• National Archaeological Museum

  phone: +39 099 453 8639
  address: Via Cavour, 10

• Spartan Museum

  phone: +39 330 438 646
  address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 39

Harbor tour

AMAT company also provides the "idrovie" (waterways) service, consisting in a 1½ hr tour sailing around Big and Little Sea with the presence of a guide that will explain Taranto history as well as telling various curiosities and anecdotes. You will pass by the old town island, modern town coast and San Pietro island, sailing through the navigable channel outgoing and incoming.
Boats leave from mainland dock at Piazzale Democrate, near the stone bridge of Porta Napoli. The cost is €8 for an ordinary ticket, €6 if part of a group of more than 20 people. Tours start at 10:30, 11:00 or 16:30 depending on day and month.
Consult AMAT site for detailed info.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

• Relais Histo'

  phone: +39 099 4721188
  address: Via Santandrea Circummarpiccolo

• Alberobello – its world-famous characteristic white "trulli". (40 min by car)
• Brindisi – relevant Romanesque churches and port with ferries to Albania and Greece. (45 min by car)
• Lecce – the triumph of the Baroque architecture in the heart of Salento peninsula. (1 hr by car)
• Matera – the suggestive scenario of its "sassi" definitely worth visiting (1 hr by car)
• Ostuni – the famous "white town" can be discovered after 45 minutes of driving.