Aragonese castle and swing bridge

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Taranto

The once-mighty Greek-Spartan colony of Taras is, today, a city of two distinct parts – a mildewed centro storico on a small artificial island protecting a lagoon (the Mar Piccolo), and a swankier new city replete with wide avenues laid out in a formal grid. The contrast between the two is sudden and sharp: the diminutive old town with its muscular Aragonese castle harbours a downtrodden, almost derelict air, while the larger new city is busier, plusher and bustling with commerce.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto

    Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto

    Taranto

    Sitting unassumingly in a side street in Taranto's new town is one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, chiefly dedicated to the archaeology…

  • Cathedral

    Cathedral

    Taranto

    The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia's oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It's dedicated to San Cataldo, an Irish monk who lived…

  • Castello Aragonese

    Castello Aragonese

    Taranto

    Guarding the swing bridge that joins the old and new parts of town, this impressive 15th-century structure, built on Norman and Byzantine predecessors,…

  • Temple of Poseidon

    Temple of Poseidon

    Taranto

    This 6th-century BC Doric temple is one of the few visible remains of the once-great Greek colony of Taras. The last two surviving columns and the…

  • Palazzo del Governo

    Palazzo del Governo

    Taranto

    The gigantic rust-red 1930s Palazzo del Governo, inaugurated by Mussolini, is a forbidding and masculine structure, expressive of the fascist ideas of…

View more attractions
  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: destinations/top
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "destination": "Taranto",
  "city": "Taranto",
  "country": "Italy",
  "region": "Mediterranean-Europe",
  "continent": "Europe"
}

Plan with a local

Articles

Latest stories from Taranto

Arch bridge over a river in Tarantò.

Snag a seaside home in Italy from €1 - if you can renovate it

Jun 3, 2021 • 2 min read

Read more articles

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Taranto

  • placement: fullWidth
  • path: destinations/bottom
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "destination": "Taranto",
  "city": "Taranto",
  "country": "Italy",
  "region": "Mediterranean-Europe",
  "continent": "Europe"
}