An important colony of Magna Graecia, Taranto tells its story through time and at various levels. Beneath the street level lie hypogea, necropolises, crypts, and chamber tombs that hark back to the era’s refined cult of the afterlife, as well as that of an aristocracy that knew how to capture the essence of life. While on the surface, the ages intersect with the sea breeze, which still whips the remains of the Doric temple and then insinuates itself into the depths of the earth, leading to the De Beaumont Bonelli Bellacicco Hypogeum with its Greek, Byzantine, and medieval remains.

Seen from above, Taranto is a condensed history intertwined with the sea and unfolding in the old town, amidst noble palaces and underground gems.

Taranto, known as the “city of two seas,” is bathed by the Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo, a strategic position that has made it a protagonist of important historical events.

The most precious ancient artefacts are preserved at the National Archaeological Museum, the Marta, where you can admire the famous “Ori di Taranto,” refined works of local goldsmith art from the 4th to 2nd centuries BC, as well as the immense collection of archaeological finds from across the Ionian province.

The history of Taranto runs along the two bridges that connect the old city to the modern one. In addition to the stone bridge built after the flood of 1883, the swing bridge, inaugurated in 1887, continues to exude the charm of a great feat of mechanical engineering and leads into the maze of alleys around the central Via Cava, lined with numerous artisan workshops.

In this isthmus of land stand noble architecture and churches from different eras and styles, such as the Cathedral of San Cataldo, which straddles the Romanesque and Baroque periods, or that of San Domenico, with its Gothic features.