Three thousand years of history suspended between two seas. Discover the origins, the symbols and the places that tell Taranto's identity.
There is a city in Puglia that literally lives between two seas. Taranto sits on a strip of land between the Mar Grande, open to the Ionian, and the Mar Piccolo, a silent inner lagoon. It is this double maritime soul that defines its character, ever since the Spartan colonists founded here, in the eighth century BC, one of the most splendid cities of Magna Graecia.
Today Taranto is a weave of ages: the Greek acropolis, the medieval quarter on the island, the Umbertine city of Liberty palazzi. Discovering it means crossing three thousand years of history in a few hundred metres.
Founded by the Spartans as their only colony, Taranto — the ancient Taras — became one of the capitals of Magna Graecia, rich in temples, philosophers and artists. Here lived Archytas, mathematician and friend of Plato. Of its Greek past remain the columns of the Doric Temple and the treasures of the MArTA.
The Mar Grande is the open gulf, sheltered by the Cheradi Islands; the Mar Piccolo is the inner lagoon where the famous Taranto mussels are farmed. Separating and joining them, the Navigable Canal with its Swing Bridge: opening for the passage of ships is the city's daily spectacle.
The ancient heart is the island of the Old Town, a maze of alleys suspended over the water, with the Aragonese Castle, the Cathedral and the noble palazzi. Beyond the bridge opens the Borgo Umbertino, the nineteenth-century Taranto of elegant avenues, Liberty façades and the seafront.
From the Spartan foundation to today: 3,000 years between the two seas.
Scopri →Sparta's city in Italy and its ancient splendour.
Scopri →The island of the Borgo Antico, historic heart of the city.
Scopri →Liberty-era Taranto, between elegant palazzi and the seafront.
Scopri →The inner lagoon, realm of the Taranto mussels.
Scopri →The gulf open to the Ionian, among islands and beaches.
Scopri →Tour guidati, esperienze e pacchetti su misura organizzati dal nostro partner turistico ufficiale. Dalla città dei due mari alle isole, tutto pronto per te.
Scopri i pacchettiPrenotazioni gestite dal nostro partner Una Vita Viaggiando.