Taranto
Important colony of Magna Graecia, Taranto tells its story stratified over time and in its different levels. Under the street level there are hypogea, necropolis, crypts and chamber tombs that lead back to the refined cult of the afterlife but also to that of an aristocracy who knew how to grasp the essence of life. While on the surface the eras intersect with the sea breeze that still lash the remains of the Doric temple and creep back into the depths of the earth to lead into the De Beaumont Bonelli Bellacicco Hypogeum with its Greek, Byzantine and medieval remains.
Seen from above, Taranto is a condensation of history that intertwines with the sea and unfolds in the ancient village, among noble palaces and underground jewels.
It is called “the city of the two seas“, Taranto, bathed by the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo, with a strategic position that has made it the protagonist of important historical events.
The most precious ancient testimonies are kept at the National Archaeological Museum, the Marta, where it is possible to admire the famous “Golds of Taranto“, refined productions of local goldsmith art between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, in addition to the immense collection of archaeological finds from all over 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 have the charm of great mechanical engineering works and leads into the maze of alleys around the central Via Cava, along which several artisan shops flourish.
In this isthmus of land there are noble architectures and churches of different eras and styles such as the Cathedral of San Cataldo between the Romanesque and the Baroque, or that of San Domenico with its Gothic features.